In
late 1967, a television series was unleashed on an unsuspecting
public. It was the creation of, some would say, disturbed, but I was
say genius mind.
The
company that made it was called Everyman and the disturbed/genius
mind behind it was called Patrick McGoohan.
His
17 part series was called “The Prisoner” and it became an instant
topic of conversation. Several decades after it first aired on our
screen, it still is.
I
was only 3 when it first appeared, but catching it later when I was
in my early teens on late night screens on independent television, I
was hooked.
McGoohan,
a New York born American, pulls off the role of the quintessential
Englishman, clipped accent and all, to perfection.
The
Prisoner, or as he is designated by the masters of the village,
Number Six, remains an enigma for most of the time. Only aspects of
his past are hinted at as the series progresses.
The
series follows a nameless British representative of one of her
Majesty’s intelligence agencies, presumably the Secret Intelligence
Service (sometimes referred to as M.I.6) who suddenly resigns his
job, apparently preparing to go on a holiday.
Episode
one “Arrival”
sets the scene for what is to come. The opening titles begin with a
Lotus 7 sports car weaving through the streets of London. The car
enters an underground car park. The driver, who is the main character
leaves his car, walks along a darkened corridor, pushes through a set
of doors, and begins a tirade against a man seated at a table. We
hear nothing of this due to the wonderful Ron Grainer theme music.
The
main character returns to his car, and drives back to his home. While
packing, he is gassed by a man dressed as an undertaker, using a
device that sprays a mist through his front door keyhole.
When
he wakes, he finds himself held captive in a mysterious village that
is isolated from the mainland by mountains and sea. So begins the
series.
Numerous
monitoring systems and security forces secure the Village, including
a mysterious inflated device called Rover that returns those who
attempt escape, sometimes alive, but not always. The Rover is
possible a creation of the masters of the village or possibly a life
form. It is never clear, but either way, it is one of the most
memorable images, indeed characters of the series.
It
is in the first episode that we, as well as Number Six, first
encounter Number Two. This character is the Village administrator
working for an unseen "Number One". The position of Number
Two is filled in on a rotating basis; in the first episode we
actually encounter two Number Two’s. The first portrayed by Guy
Dolman (probably best known as Colonel Ross in the Harry Palmer films
– Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin – of the 1960s) and secondly by
George Baker (now probably best known as Inspector Wexford in the
British television series of the same name). This adds a further
character dynamic to the series as each Number Two, in the first and
subsequent episodes, causes different reactions from Number Six in
his attempts to, in the first instance, escape and then as time goes
on, to undermine the authority of the village and destroy it from
within.
Both
Number Two’s are different, but both are out to get information out
of Number Six. The information they are after is why he resigned.
After numerous attempts to escape, Number Six is caught and returned
to the village.
This
is only the start for Number Six. Escape may not be as easy as he
thought but his determination is by no means dented.
This
episodes ends with a photograph of Number Six zooming towards the
screen and, on the point of being ‘free’, steel gates or bars
close together preventing the freedom that he so wants.
If
you have never seen The Prisoner, I would recommend it. To give you
an idea about the rest of the series is a list of episodes and a very
brief breakdown of each story. Until next time “Be seeing you.”
- Arrival
After
waking up in the Village and discovering his captivity there, Number
Six encounters a friend from the outside who may have a possible
escape.
- The Chimes of Big Ben
A
new prisoner, Nadia, may have information about the Village that
makes an escape attempt possible.
- A, B and C
A
desperate Number Two tampers with Number Six's dreams to discover
where his loyalties lie.
- Free For All
Presented
with the opportunity, Number Six runs for election to the post of
Number Two.
- The Schizoid Man
Number
Two replaces Number Six with a duplicate to weaken the real Six's
sense of identity.
- The General
An
important prisoner's new speed-teaching machine poses perhaps the
greatest threat to Number Six's independence.
- Many Happy Returns
After
waking to find the Village deserted, Number Six returns to England
but does not know whom he can trust there.
- Dance of the Dead
Number
Six tries to save an old friend headed for destruction at the hands
of the Village.
- Checkmate
Number
Six thinks he has a means to tell the prisoners from the wardens.
- Hammer Into Anvil
Number
Six takes revenge on a sadistic Number Two for the death of another
prisoner.
- It’s Your Funeral
To
save the prisoner who is being set up to take the fall, Number Six
must intervene in a Village power struggle and prevent the
assassination of a Number Two.
- A Change of Mind
Number
Two stirs the Village to ostracize Number Six, and then takes even
more drastic measures to cure Six's "unmutuality".
- Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling
Deprived
of his memory and placed in another man's body, Number Six travels
back to England to seek a missing scientist.
- Living In Harmony
In
an Old West setting, a law man who resigned is trapped in a town
called Harmony where the Judge wants him to be the new sheriff — by
hook or by crook.
- The Girl Who Was Death
Number
Six avoids the assassination attempts of a beautiful woman while
foiling the plots of her megalomaniac father.
- Once Upon A Time
Number
Two subjects Number Six to a desperate, last-ditch effort to subdue
him, Degree Absolute — an ordeal that will not end until it breaks
one of them.
- Fallout
Number Six finally encounters the
forces behind the Village, but can he finally escape?
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