I loved The Prisoner. Of course there's more to say about it. Besides; someone, somewhere, some time ago, said something like, "Everything that needed to be said has already been said. But nobody was listening. So it all needs to be said again."
Tom, great read. TV of that era framed by the mad 60s was an experience that remains imprinted. When my children were small, I shelled out for the complete series of ‘Thunderbirds’ and ‘Jonny Quest’ on DVD to offset my ex-wife’s preference for constructive social brainwashing by ‘Barney.’ And how about another ITV gem — ‘The Avengers’? original with the delicious Emma Peel? Kooky stuff and hardly kids’ fare which is why we loved it 🤩
I saw most of THE AVENGERS episodes when I was much much younger; that ITC series, THE SAINT and SECRET AGENT were all syndicated on one of the indie NYC channels when I was a tween. THE AVENGERS is clever and fun, with two charismatic stars, but a little too campy/goofy for my taste, then and now. SECRET AGENT, THE PRISONER and THE SAINT, I have the entire series on DVD.
I haven't watched an episode of THE AVENGERS in decades and maybe should go back at some point. The Holly Wood reboot with Ralph Fiennes and a very badly miscast Uma Thurman is one of the worst flopbusters of all time; that being said, it's still not as bad as the AMC "re-imagining" of THE PRISONER, which isn't just bad, it's offensive, with Jim Caviezel bombing as Number Six while Ian McKellen wipes the floor with him acting-wise as #2. Thank you for your comment!
LOVED Secret Agent MAN! wow! he was iconic.. thanks for the memories! so much better than continuing to drill down on the exciting but ultimately exhausting current events we can all geek out on to our hearts' content elsewhere.
Will now check out the Prisoner with your endorsement. all the best!
I appreciate your tv and film reviews. Without you, I’d never find these gems. So, thank you, and thanks for steering clear of full-on doomsday material FOR NOW. Your Regularly Scheduled Station will resume shortly due to the chaos that’s inevitable when dark rulers (think they) reign. Keep the light on!
My perception is that these are sacrifices to their dark lord, for power, for energy, for favor. The demoralization is a result of that, part of the resultant product. IMHO.
I'm delighted to hear this! The 720p is fine, if that's what you got.
I will note that the episodes were not aired in chronological order after the first one; programmers leaned into some of the most commercial episodes early (that was an ITC hallmark -- both DEPARTMENT S and MAN IN A SUITCASE start with excellent episodes that nevertheless throw you in the deep end of the pool right away). This is generally considered the "best" order by the series' fan(atic)s:
1. Arrival
2. Dance of the Dead
3. Free for All
4. Checkmate
5. The Chimes of Big Ben
6. Schizoid Man
7. The General
8. A. B. and C
9. Many Happy Returns
10. A Change of Mind
11. Hammer into Anvil
12. It's Your Funeral
13. Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling
14. Living in Harmony
15. The Girl Who Was Death
16. Once Upon a Time
17. Fall Out
The only clunker is #13, shot near the very end of production, while McGoohan was co-starring in ICE STATION ZEBRA and foolishly left his own television show, requiring a stand-in actor and massive script changes. Nobody's every said that was the tipping point for ITC CEO Lew Grade, but I suspect it was.
Please let me know what you think of THE PRISONER, no matter what order you choose to watch it! Thank you so much for this gratifying comment.
I found this fascinating to read given "The Prisoner" is one of my personal all time favourite TV shows and one I always thought was very underappreciated.
Thank you! I'm not sure if it's under-appreciated or not. Maybe it's one of those "if you know, you know" things.
I was also a big fan of MAD MEN, and thought Michael Ginsburg one of its most intriguing and sympathetic characters; not sure if you're a coincidence or a tribute.
He's a great character, but doesn't show up until Season Five. Born in a concentration camp, he has mordant sense of humor and an anti-cynicism that makes him a good foil for Don Draper, tho Don often gets the better of him. I can't say enough good things about MAD MEN.
LOVED Secret Agent MAN! wow! he was iconic.. thanks for the memories! so much better than continuing to drill down on the exciting but ultimately exhausting current events we can all geek out on to our hearts' content elsewhere.
Will now check out the Prisoner with your endorsement. all the best!
I've been meaning to watch this series for many years since hearing Iron Maiden's song The Prisoner is based on it. Now I have a link to watch it -- THANKS!
O I am well aware of Iron Maiden's "The Prisoner"! It's on the only Iron Maiden album I bought, THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST, which I bought only because it had that song on it, but then it turned out not to be so much about the show.
I posted the best order to watch the episodes in an earlier comment. Like a lot of ITC shows, they were very screwy about airing shows in a proper order. Thank you for your comment!
I just watched the first 2 episodes and am loving it, thanks for the link!
As far as Iron Maiden, I remember thinking they were heavy metal as a kid and also probably demonic. Turns out they sound more prog rock to me and only their artwork is demonic.
I'm actually starting to think The Number of the Beast might be a concept album based on The Prisoner. I'm at episode 4 with the election and there's a point where they're chanting, "666! 666! 666!" Due to there being an election in the episode, this reminds me of the lyric, "666, the one for you and me." And when you think about it, Number 6 seems to be trapped in a personal kind of Hell!
Another lyric that seems to echo an earlier episode is, "I'm coming back/I will return/And I'll possess your body/And I'll make you burn." Number 6 makes a similar vow. Then there's the album cover, which could be taken as another allusion. Who is really pulling the strings?
One more thing: There's a song on their previous album, Powerslave, titled "Back to the Village."
That's very interesting, and spurs various lines of speculation that I probably won't pursue. Number Six, as it turns out (not a spoiler exactly, because who knows WTF that final episode finally means), may well be suffering through some kind of Hell or Hell itself. I had totally forgotten about "Back to the Village."
Post publication of this piece, I also had the realization that The Village is a precursor to our oppressors' wish dream of the "15 Minute City." Thank you for your comment!
I liked the first season of LOST, but it was definitely a parasitical ripoff of THE PRISONER except they're ALL prisoners. JarJar Abrams-McGrath is a renown parasite and creative fraud.
Both LOST and THE PRISONER had lousy endings, too, IMHO, tho I bailed on LOST early in the third season.
Do you have an opinion on the best episodes of THE PRISONER? I'm always curious what resonates with people. Thank you for your comment!
I'm thinking he always was a prisoner. It was only made known to him when he "resigned." The information they seek is how to keep people from resigning. He can never be free again because he never was. I see the show as a warning of the then-coming NWO. Episode 12 seems to depict a Struggle Session.
Nice call on the "struggle session" and "Unmutuals" of episode #12, "A Change of Mind." You're entering the home stretch!
In some ways, #6 was always indeed a "prisoner," and that may reflect consciously or unconsciously on McGoohan's feelings about John Drake, a role that he was concerned was typecasting him the way Bond typecast Connery. Including the money-men who didn't understand why he would walk away from the highest-paying role on television at the height of its success!
Do the burnings of the Tesla dealerships count? What a strange world we live in where all the effete wussy Musk fanbois are now calling for him to be burned. I guess the crowd flipping on Jesus in less than a week makes sense.
I loved The Prisoner. Of course there's more to say about it. Besides; someone, somewhere, some time ago, said something like, "Everything that needed to be said has already been said. But nobody was listening. So it all needs to be said again."
What a great quote. Thank you.
You're welcome. I wish I could remember who said it (and the exact quote)...
Supposedly André Paul Guillaume Gide
Yes! Thanks!
Tom, great read. TV of that era framed by the mad 60s was an experience that remains imprinted. When my children were small, I shelled out for the complete series of ‘Thunderbirds’ and ‘Jonny Quest’ on DVD to offset my ex-wife’s preference for constructive social brainwashing by ‘Barney.’ And how about another ITV gem — ‘The Avengers’? original with the delicious Emma Peel? Kooky stuff and hardly kids’ fare which is why we loved it 🤩
I saw most of THE AVENGERS episodes when I was much much younger; that ITC series, THE SAINT and SECRET AGENT were all syndicated on one of the indie NYC channels when I was a tween. THE AVENGERS is clever and fun, with two charismatic stars, but a little too campy/goofy for my taste, then and now. SECRET AGENT, THE PRISONER and THE SAINT, I have the entire series on DVD.
I haven't watched an episode of THE AVENGERS in decades and maybe should go back at some point. The Holly Wood reboot with Ralph Fiennes and a very badly miscast Uma Thurman is one of the worst flopbusters of all time; that being said, it's still not as bad as the AMC "re-imagining" of THE PRISONER, which isn't just bad, it's offensive, with Jim Caviezel bombing as Number Six while Ian McKellen wipes the floor with him acting-wise as #2. Thank you for your comment!
I see that the series is available on Amazon Prime and some other streaming services. We will start watching it tonight! Thanks!
LOVED Secret Agent MAN! wow! he was iconic.. thanks for the memories! so much better than continuing to drill down on the exciting but ultimately exhausting current events we can all geek out on to our hearts' content elsewhere.
Will now check out the Prisoner with your endorsement. all the best!
Have you checked it out? What do you think? I'm curious!
I appreciate your tv and film reviews. Without you, I’d never find these gems. So, thank you, and thanks for steering clear of full-on doomsday material FOR NOW. Your Regularly Scheduled Station will resume shortly due to the chaos that’s inevitable when dark rulers (think they) reign. Keep the light on!
Haha! Thank you so much. Did you check it out? What did you think?
Tom, is the purpose of a “season of sacrifice” to demoralize us ? Can we refuse to participate?
My perception is that these are sacrifices to their dark lord, for power, for energy, for favor. The demoralization is a result of that, part of the resultant product. IMHO.
97% of climate scientists agree with this message.
Ha! Thank you.
We are watching it on YouTube for free, with an HDMI from computer to TV. It is great quality video.
I'm delighted to hear this! The 720p is fine, if that's what you got.
I will note that the episodes were not aired in chronological order after the first one; programmers leaned into some of the most commercial episodes early (that was an ITC hallmark -- both DEPARTMENT S and MAN IN A SUITCASE start with excellent episodes that nevertheless throw you in the deep end of the pool right away). This is generally considered the "best" order by the series' fan(atic)s:
1. Arrival
2. Dance of the Dead
3. Free for All
4. Checkmate
5. The Chimes of Big Ben
6. Schizoid Man
7. The General
8. A. B. and C
9. Many Happy Returns
10. A Change of Mind
11. Hammer into Anvil
12. It's Your Funeral
13. Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling
14. Living in Harmony
15. The Girl Who Was Death
16. Once Upon a Time
17. Fall Out
The only clunker is #13, shot near the very end of production, while McGoohan was co-starring in ICE STATION ZEBRA and foolishly left his own television show, requiring a stand-in actor and massive script changes. Nobody's every said that was the tipping point for ITC CEO Lew Grade, but I suspect it was.
Please let me know what you think of THE PRISONER, no matter what order you choose to watch it! Thank you so much for this gratifying comment.
I found this fascinating to read given "The Prisoner" is one of my personal all time favourite TV shows and one I always thought was very underappreciated.
Thank you! I'm not sure if it's under-appreciated or not. Maybe it's one of those "if you know, you know" things.
I was also a big fan of MAD MEN, and thought Michael Ginsburg one of its most intriguing and sympathetic characters; not sure if you're a coincidence or a tribute.
Lol! I have never actually seen a single episode of Mad Men but people keep mentioning it to me when they hear my name.
Maybe I should check out who this character is and whether I like him...😉
He's a great character, but doesn't show up until Season Five. Born in a concentration camp, he has mordant sense of humor and an anti-cynicism that makes him a good foil for Don Draper, tho Don often gets the better of him. I can't say enough good things about MAD MEN.
LOVED Secret Agent MAN! wow! he was iconic.. thanks for the memories! so much better than continuing to drill down on the exciting but ultimately exhausting current events we can all geek out on to our hearts' content elsewhere.
Will now check out the Prisoner with your endorsement. all the best!
Hey! Did you ever check it out? Whaddayathink? ;-)
I've been meaning to watch this series for many years since hearing Iron Maiden's song The Prisoner is based on it. Now I have a link to watch it -- THANKS!
Here is Iron Maiden's The Prisoner...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khESQA4EM-I
O I am well aware of Iron Maiden's "The Prisoner"! It's on the only Iron Maiden album I bought, THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST, which I bought only because it had that song on it, but then it turned out not to be so much about the show.
I posted the best order to watch the episodes in an earlier comment. Like a lot of ITC shows, they were very screwy about airing shows in a proper order. Thank you for your comment!
I just watched the first 2 episodes and am loving it, thanks for the link!
As far as Iron Maiden, I remember thinking they were heavy metal as a kid and also probably demonic. Turns out they sound more prog rock to me and only their artwork is demonic.
I'm actually starting to think The Number of the Beast might be a concept album based on The Prisoner. I'm at episode 4 with the election and there's a point where they're chanting, "666! 666! 666!" Due to there being an election in the episode, this reminds me of the lyric, "666, the one for you and me." And when you think about it, Number 6 seems to be trapped in a personal kind of Hell!
Another lyric that seems to echo an earlier episode is, "I'm coming back/I will return/And I'll possess your body/And I'll make you burn." Number 6 makes a similar vow. Then there's the album cover, which could be taken as another allusion. Who is really pulling the strings?
One more thing: There's a song on their previous album, Powerslave, titled "Back to the Village."
That's very interesting, and spurs various lines of speculation that I probably won't pursue. Number Six, as it turns out (not a spoiler exactly, because who knows WTF that final episode finally means), may well be suffering through some kind of Hell or Hell itself. I had totally forgotten about "Back to the Village."
Post publication of this piece, I also had the realization that The Village is a precursor to our oppressors' wish dream of the "15 Minute City." Thank you for your comment!
Oceania is the ultimate goal. The people in The Village seem like upper class Proles; perhaps they are inspired by The Inner Party.
Amazing show. That awful series 'Lost' was a direct copy of it..
I liked the first season of LOST, but it was definitely a parasitical ripoff of THE PRISONER except they're ALL prisoners. JarJar Abrams-McGrath is a renown parasite and creative fraud.
Both LOST and THE PRISONER had lousy endings, too, IMHO, tho I bailed on LOST early in the third season.
Do you have an opinion on the best episodes of THE PRISONER? I'm always curious what resonates with people. Thank you for your comment!
It was a blatant mashup of The Prisoner and Gilligan's Island...and probably others that I don't know of... Those people, they don't do creativity...
It's been long since I watched it, but I remember finding 'dance of the dead' very disturbing.
PRISONER + GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, hahahahaaha! Yes. Exactly.
"Dance of the Dead" is one of the best episodes, and such a knockout ending. Rare female #2 as well.
I'm thinking he always was a prisoner. It was only made known to him when he "resigned." The information they seek is how to keep people from resigning. He can never be free again because he never was. I see the show as a warning of the then-coming NWO. Episode 12 seems to depict a Struggle Session.
Nice call on the "struggle session" and "Unmutuals" of episode #12, "A Change of Mind." You're entering the home stretch!
In some ways, #6 was always indeed a "prisoner," and that may reflect consciously or unconsciously on McGoohan's feelings about John Drake, a role that he was concerned was typecasting him the way Bond typecast Connery. Including the money-men who didn't understand why he would walk away from the highest-paying role on television at the height of its success!
Thank you for your comment!
Do the burnings of the Tesla dealerships count? What a strange world we live in where all the effete wussy Musk fanbois are now calling for him to be burned. I guess the crowd flipping on Jesus in less than a week makes sense.
If they'd flip on Jesus, they'll flip on anybody. And Jesus never wanted to put a chip in your head. Thank you for your comment!