the prisioner

[ctc]

One of my all time favourite tv shows. Probably because I empathise with the hero so much. (Like I say at work :"YOU are number 8407....") Over the years I've enjoyed lending out my set, to see what other folks make of the ending.

If you haven't seen it; the last episode is freaky-surreal and doesn't directly explain anything. If you have seen it, you've probably wondered just what happened. I think I've figured it out:








....should I put spoiler warnings on this? If you HAVEN'T seen the show none of this will make sense. So maybe you should stop reading just in case.....







Anyhoo: I have NO idea who runs the villaige. But I think at some point after capturing number six they WON. I don't think they wanted number six because they wanted to know why he quit; that was just the premise for testing the techniques they used on him. They wanted him because he was such a hardcase and they knew if they could get to him they could get to anyone. He was their guinea pig, and while he was in the villaige THEY used what they'd learned to take over the rest of the world. Hence the ape scene at the end: they'd made a monkey out of him. Why did he appear as the ape/ number one? 'Cos in a way he WAS number one, the person resopnsibe for their victory. So by trying to stop them he enabled their victory.

The REAL number one? A computer. In the rocket that takes off at the end; probably moving to an orbital position to better survey the network that now runs the world. I suspect launching that rocket was the final part of the plan. The villaige blows up at the end because it's no longer needed, and to hide the experiments done there. Numbr six is allowed to escape 'cos it doesn't matter any more. The bad guys have won.

So.... anyone else have an opinion?

Don C.

[monkey tennis]

Have you been to The Prisoner Appreciation Society.


http://www.sixofone.co.uk/

or here

http://www.theunmutual.co.uk/

[Mikey]

I've only seen it once.......

About 4-ish years ago PBS played the first episode around 3:00 in the morning.......

I fell asleep after only a few minutes of watching ....

Not because I was bored with the show--- just because of the obscure time they put it on.

To this day, my only Knowledge of the Prisioner is the Simpsons episode where they were making fun of it (I forgot the episode)

m

[number 6]

Probably as good as any theory I've heard. Sounds like yours falls into the 'literal interpretation' camp.

Here's a couple of others:

From the 'symbolic' camp: Towards the end of the episode Num. 6 enters his old flat. As the door closes, it makes the same mechanical noise as doors in the Village. This is followed by the same shot of him driving his Lotus on the airstrip that the show begins with.

Based on this, some have suggested that the whole series actually takes place inside the Prisoners head while he's driving, musing on different elements in his life and society.

From the 'literal' camp: Num. 2 (Leo McKern in Chimes) makes the comment that a man who will not bend (give in to there methods) will break.

Some have taken this reference to 'breaking' to mean mentally. They suggest that is exactly what happens to Num. 6 in the Embryo Room and that the events of Fall Out are seen from his broken mind.

I really like the show, but honestly I can never make much sense of Fall Out. There's some elements that I can take a stab at a symbolic interpretation, but there's know way I can make sense out of all of it. It's a trip.

I guess it's like the end of 2001: It's as close to experiencing what its like to be on drugs without actually taking drugs/taking drugs inhances the experience.

Most T.V. and movies are highly colabrative works. What makes the show special is how much the series reflects the vision of one person, Patrick McGoohan. But that same aspect is also a bit of the shows downfall as demonsrated in the last episode.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Put me in Mike's camp here, except I've never seen an episode at all. I've heard about this show most of my life, but I know very little about it besides the fact it was finite and very surreal. And the Simpsons episode that Mike mentioned is the most exposure I've had to the material.

How long was it on, and when exactly? Late 60s?

Chris

[Bo8a_Fett]

LOVE the Prisoner...in fact when it was repeated in 1977 I became such a fan of the show at age 11 that I would frequently attempt friends by announcing " Hello my names roger ...Do you like the Prisoner?" Suprisingly I only made one friend this way...
The programme itself is an astounding piece of television and I still love it to this day..it has a timeless quality about most of the episodes..and of course the enigma's presented by it are still enigma's to this day.

[ctc]

>How long was it on, and when exactly? Late 60s?

Late 60's... and there's 17 episodes I think. McGoohan wanted 9; the studio wanted something like 22 so they comprimised. There are a few episodes that are clearly filler; but some of those are among my favourites. (Like "The Girl Who Was Death.")

The first encounter I had with the show was actually the Iron Maiden song. We thought the speech at the beginning was something they did for the song, and didn't know it was from the opening of a tv show.

The Simpsons parody was brillinat! Moreso if you've actually seen the show. There's another one in the ufo cult episode, when Marge is trying to escape. They play the prisioner theme music, and she's attacked by Rover at one point.

I've heard that McGoohan wanted to bring it back; probably as a movie. I'd love that, but only if HE was the one in charge.

I do recommend the show. But if you're gonna watch it make sure to watch it in order; AND watch three or four episodes before you make your judgement. There's a lot of stuff that shows up in one episode and then gets explained (if you're paying attention) a few episodes later. (Like them undertaker looking guys.)

Don C.

[Bo8a_Fett]

There were actually 4 unmade scripts ...

[thunderbolt]

Crap, now I'm going to have to rent it again. Thanks for putting this bug in my head. CTC, your reasoning sounds good, so does the whole thing was a daydream.

[Vortigern99]

I watched the show in its entirety over the course of a couple of months last year with my friends who are fans -- and they made me one! The Big Ben episode and the Girl Who was Death were the stand-out episodes in my mind. As to Fall Out, I took it as symbolic, but not in the "all a dream" way that MM member number 6 describes above. To me it meant that we are all in charge of our own social conditioning/brainwashing, and that the cycle begins anew with every person who's born. Even those who pretend to resist are complicit in "the big lie", perhaps without realizing or understanding their contribution to it.

From an "in-universe" persepctive, I think Number 6 was rather like Quaid (Schwarzenegger) in Total Recall -- he had engineered his own capture to hide some essential piece of information, and to test certain methods of torture and brainwashing he himself had been developing. But really, it's so open to interpretation that any guess will do. Just lay back and enjoy the trip.

[Bo8a_Fett]

I think they will cleverly tie up Lost with the Prisoner ...in season 35 when it is discovered the island they've crashed on is none other than that containing the Village and the "others" are villagers and the black smoke is none other than Rover's replacement....the polar bear is the new No. 2....

[HardyGirl]

Not that I've seen this show, (well, OK, once, but I just couldn't get into it), but the Sci-Fi Channel used to air these when the channel made it's debut. I really liked the way they strung lines from random eps together to make the previews:

"Where am I? IN THE VILLAGE
What do you want? INFORMATION
IT'S A QUESTION OF YOUR RESIGNATION
Top Secrets! STATE SECRETS.
WE WANT INFORMATION!
You won't get it!
BY HOOK OR BY CROOK, WE WILL!"

[jds1911a1]

I am a HUGH prisoner fan (but I actually got into it after watching Secret Agent) and I can't tell you how many times i strained my eyes before video to see what name is X'd out on the ID card (and then to find no it wasn't John Drake there is no name just more x's)

I am of the "he is a prisoner in his own mind camp" but that is what the brilliance of the show was. they never said what the village was real or imagined. and it has fuelled debate for 40 years. NOT bad.

[Vortigern99]

HardyGirl, if you like all those lines, you should like the show! It's dripping with catchy phrases and fun spy intrigue. I suggest you give it another chance, starting with the first episode...!

Not that I've seen this show, (well, OK, once, but I just couldn't get into it), but the Sci-Fi Channel used to air these when the channel made it's debut. I really liked the way they strung lines from random eps together to make the previews:

"Where am I? IN THE VILLAGE
What do you want? INFORMATION
IT'S A QUESTION OF YOUR RESIGNATION
Top Secrets! STATE SECRETS.
WE WANT INFORMATION!
You won't get it!
BY HOOK OR BY CROOK, WE WILL!"

[Bo8a_Fett]

I am a HUGH prisoner fan (but I actually got into it after watching Secret Agent) and I can't tell you how many times i strained my eyes before video to see what name is X'd out on the ID card (and then to find no it wasn't John Drake there is no name just more x's)

I am of the "he is a prisoner in his own mind camp" but that is what the brilliance of the show was. they never said what the village was real or imagined. and it has fuelled debate for 40 years. NOT bad.

There were a few hints ..in one episode a cigerette bcase with J D initialled on it is seen, There is constination over something Leo McKern saying " "See me in the morning Drake!" in "Once upon a Time"(it was actually ""See me in the morning break!" as in the script) and in Danger Man Drake says "Be Seeing you in a few episodes".
McGoohan always said he wasn't but the co-creater George Markstein always insisted it was a direct sequal but they never officially stated it.