This Friday on 'The Prisoner' ep 1 'Arrival' - The Prisoner (1968) Discussion

[–] wlcebtg 10 years ago

This Friday on 'The Prisoner' ep 01 'Arrival'
First one down those darn balloons there’s nowhere to hide. So number six is in a spy retirement home or is he a prisoner of some foreign country. The show still has that sixties feel to it someone told me if you can remember the sixties you weren’t really there. I was a little young in the sixties to experience all the drug use and free love. Guess I was lucky in that regard. Marcus Welby md made it clear to stay away from drugs. When number six looked at the map it showed mountains all around him but when he took off in the chopper all I saw was water it looked to me like he was on an island. Loved those lava lamps everyone had one in the sixties and the seventies. Everyone appears to be issued an umbrella so maybe they are in England on holiday somewhere. No one can be trusted they all want what number 6 has locked away in his head. Even his buddy is in on it. Boy they hit in on the head with all those cameras capturing what he did and where he was going reminded me of today. You can’t go anywhere without being tracked by someone. The Village kind of had that FEMA camp feel to it.

Too early for a rating next week I will try to remember.
Come back Stone episode one is not that bad.

Happy New Year can’t believe it’s 2015

Back at it Monday vacation is almost over.

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[–] madp 10 years ago

Somebody please tell me how I can get a home at The Village? I don't even require a high number. I can be Number 247, I don't mind. That place is so cool! And our protagonist, always so surly when everybody is just trying to be nice to him. Poor old Number 2, fired for not being to control Number 6. And Number 6 probably got the poor hot maid "terminated" as well. And by terminated, I mean, "white-ballooned"... It's not nice if you arrive already having people fired.

By the way, this reminds me of a silly joke with numbers. Why is 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 8 9! Har, har, har.

Seriously now. I agree it's too early to tell what the deal is with this show. Episode 1 basically presents the reality Number 6 has to face from now on, and that no-one can be trusted. But if you already know what the show is all about, it gets repetitive because what you expect is exactly what you get.

A couple of preliminary observations:

- The opening credits, with the car scene, the fast editing and the riveting music, screams ACTION! We might think to expect espionage! Car chases! Explosions! Shoot-outs! Apparently they were trying to sell the show (to investors? to the audience?) as a typical action spy thriller, but that's everything The Prisoner is not. It's mostly like a feverish nightmare, a mental conundrum.

- I wonder if that's because of the hairstyles, the clothes, or the fact everybody is English, or even the non-HD copy I watched, but those people look older than they are. The Prisoner is just 39, if he was born in 1928, and the woman of the "electropass" is actually a beauty, though, initially I thought she was an older lady.

- Why didn't Number 6 mention anything about the fact Cobb was being called "Cobb"? Number 6 was using Cobb's name and everybody was referring to Cobb as Cobb when they spoke to Number 6. But why if everybody has a number? It's an obvious tell that something wasn't all right with his buddy Cobb from the get-go. I'm surprised that didn't seem to call Number 6's attention.

- I don't think Number 6 has a name, doe he? I don't think they've mentioned it. Perhaps they never will.

- New Number 2 is some kind of poopface. Really, he has earned his number. I preferred the old one.

- Was anybody able to watch the white balloon scene with a straight face? I know a show like this takes a lot of artistic liberties with its imagery. And in fact, many people say, "all I remember is that it had this crazy white balloon everyone was afraid of." Taken from that perspective, that was a smart choice. But really, a white balloon? Brrrrrrr...Oh, so scary! Nah, I don't think so. Well, OK, it's not something you can punch, so that ought to make the victim quite unsettled.

Expectations?

Now I'm curious about where the writers will take the story beyond the obvious failed escape attempts/nobody can be trusted motif. I expect some mind games between Number 6 and New Number 2.

Grade:

The reputation of the show precedes it, and consequently, as I've mention it, spoils the initial shock. But I'm sure that in the 1960s, the impact of the show's strangeness must have been quite a thing.

Passing its weird premise now, I think we grow attached to the show once we start diving into its mysteries and intricacies, which should be in a couple episodes more.

All things considered, and in the name of a good old pun like this show deserves, I can't resist but grade the pilot with the appropriate Number 6. Better yet, turn it upside down, and you've got a Number 9.

PS. Before I forget, BE SEEING YOU ALL!

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[–] JohnQ1127 10 years ago

Madp,

We never learn Number 6's real name. Patrick McGoohan was in a spy show called "Danger Man" in the U.K. and "Secret Agent Man" in the U.S. He played a character called John Drake and some have theorized that #6 is John Drake although McGoohan routinely denied that.

There actually was a place where the British would send old spies after they retired because their information was too valuable.

Part of the show's dynamic is that there is a new #2 every episode. I think two of the actors actually come back for a repeat performance. Basically every new #2 comes in with a somewhat different tactic to break #6.

Why didn't Number 6 mention anything about the fact Cobb was being called "Cobb"? Number 6 was using Cobb's name and everybody was referring to Cobb as Cobb when they spoke to Number 6. But why if everybody has a number? It's an obvious tell that something wasn't all right with his buddy Cobb from the get-go. I'm surprised that didn't seem to call his attention.

Number 6 had just arrived in The Village so he wasn't familiar with all the number protocols and so forth. As the series progresses, number 6 becomes very savvy as to the operation of the village and actually uses the Village to against itself.

Was anybody able to watch the white balloon scene with a straight face? I know a show like this takes a lot of artistic liberties with its imagery. And in fact, many people say, "all I remember is that it had this crazy white balloon everyone was afraid of." Taken from that perspective, that was a smart choice. But really, a white balloon? Brrrrrrr...Oh, so scary! Nah, I don't think so. Well, OK, it's not something you can punch, so that ought to make the victim quite unsettled.

They actually wanted to use a hovercraft device but it didn't work. The balloon kind of works as time goes on, it actually gets a more creepy because it feels like it has a mind of it's own. You can't puncture the balloon so it basically suffocates its victim, sometimes just to stun or to hospitalize other times to kill.

Much of the show should be seen as an allegory for the relationship between the individual and an authority group.

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[–] madp 10 years ago

by JohnQ1127 » 59 minutes ago (Fri Jan 2 2015 18:44:27)
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Madp,

We never learn Number 6's real name. (...)

Part of the show's dynamic is that there is a new #2 every episode. I think two of the actors actually come back for a repeat performance. Basically every new #2 comes in with a somewhat different tactic to break #6.

OK, OK... Before you tell me how the show ends... Please, please try to avoid any spoilers. I've never seen this show before, and only know the general lines about it. Details such as how many number two's there were or whether they revealed Number 6's name, whatever we will or won't learn along the show are details I want to find out by myself as I watch the episodes.

Just like we've been doing with all the other shows we've commented on, say this is the week to comment on episode 5, we would include in our comments and replies information learned on episodes 1 to 5 only. (Or some information relating to production and behind-the-cameras elements that won't spoil further surprises.) This might not make much of a difference for those who saw the show a long time ago, but I haven't seen anything at all! And I'd like to see it developed as organically as possible.

Number 6 had just arrived in The Village so he wasn't familiar with all the number protocols and so forth. As the series progresses, number 6 becomes very savvy as to the operation of the village and actually uses the Village to against itself.

Yes, but the woman refers to Cobb as "Cobb." And so does the doctor, or Number 2, I think. And they are familiar with such protocols. In fact, the woman supposedly had an intimate relationship of sorts with "Cobb" and still calls him by his last name. Weird.

As for how Number 6 WILL react, well, let's find that out in the next weeks!

They actually wanted to use a hovercraft device but it didn't work. The balloon kind of works as time goes on, it actually gets a more creepy because it feels like it has a mind of it's own. You can't puncture the balloon so it basically suffocates its victim, sometimes just to stun or to hospitalize other times to kill.

Much of the show should be seen as an allegory for the relationship between the individual and an authority group.

I agree the allegory is very creative, and I even said something along these lines. But the big white balloon did elicit some chuckles from me even if it turned out to be a weirdly efficient weapon.

One thing I always liked about those late 60's shows was their use of color. Color t.v. was new so they really use a lot of colors to flood the scenery.

Agreed. The visuals are really something to remember! Especially for the use of color.

Now I wonder what they have in store for us in the next episode!

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[–] JohnQ1127 10 years ago

madp, Sorry about that, I didn't realize you were asking a rhetorical question about #6 identity. I'll keep the comments to the current episode.

Yes, but the woman refers to Cobb as "Cobb." And so does the doctor, or Number 2, I think. And they are familiar with such protocols. In fact, the woman supposedly had an intimate relationship of sorts with "Cobb" and still calls him by his last name. Weird.

Yeah, that's odd that the woman refers to Cobb as "Cobb" and not some number. The only think I can think of is that Cobb appears to have spent most of his 3 weeks in the village in the hospital, maybe he wasn't assigned a number yet. I don't think they refer to Number 6 as "Number 6" until after his stay in the hospital. I think before the Balloon incident, they just refer to him by using pronouns or the word "sir, good fellow".

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[–] madp 10 years ago

by JohnQ1127 » 4 hours ago (Sat Jan 3 2015 09:05:02)
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madp, Sorry about that, I didn't realize you were asking a rhetorical question about #6 identity. I'll keep the comments to the current episode.

Great. I should have been clearer about that int he beginning anyway. We get so used to the way we've been doing things for years that I forget a new guy wouldn't know our customary protocols. This is why now you'll be assigned a number!

Yeah, that's odd that the woman refers to Cobb as "Cobb" and not some number. The only think I can think of is that Cobb appears to have spent most of his 3 weeks in the village in the hospital, maybe he wasn't assigned a number yet. I don't think they refer to Number 6 as "Number 6" until after his stay in the hospital. I think before the Balloon incident, they just refer to him by using pronouns or the word "sir, good fellow".

They seemed rather intimate, so I'd expect her to refer to Cobb as "Bill" or "Frank" whatever the heck his name was.

AS for her punishment, it's funny, because I didn't get that impression. The Admiral told her "We are all pawns," and though shew seemed a little surprised, her expression could mean different things. Right now I can't remember if that was her final scene, or if there was a direct reference by Number 2 about her failure. Perhaps I should check that.

In fact, I was under the impression that, as she was working under Number 2's orders, that was precisely what she was supposed to do, give Number 6 the electropass, so he would try escaping by helicopter, fail, and feel crushed by the powers-that-be. I thought she was part of this ruse to break Number 6's will and show him the futility of his escape attempts.

As for Cobb's mission, I got the feeling Cobb was part of this inner circle, and could be trusted with a mission in the outside world, and that he would still obey his masters.

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[–] JohnQ1127 10 years ago

Right now I can't remember if that was her final scene, or if there was a direct reference by Number 2 about her failure. Perhaps I should check that.

Cobb talks about her with Number 2 as Cobb is ready to leave.

Cobb: Don't be too hard on the girl, she was most upset at my funeral
Number 2: Don't worry, She'll be well taken care of.
Cobb: …Yes..that's what I was afraid of.

Now, you can interpret that brief dialogue to mean that the woman will be killed.

I interpreted that they wanted the viewer to think that she was working under 2's orders but really she was innocent and Cobb was alive and betrayed number 6. It also seems that Cobb broke down and gave them the information and is now indoctrinated and he is now being rewarded at the end.

One thing I like about this show is that they have these upper class sounding British actors as number 2 who sound so affable yet are condescending and deadly.

One thing that is really terrifying is that they know everything about this guy like his breakfast order. Then they make a note of correction that he wants lemon in his tea. They even have pictures of him and even decipher what he's thinking at various moments in his past life.

One thing you may have missed is that Number 6 put a round block into a square hole and then the hole changed shape to a circle. Number 6 rebelled at the test but the village wouldn't let him rebel and altered the test to his answer. They will force him to be one with the whole.

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[–] madp 10 years ago

by JohnQ1127 » Cobb talks about her with Number 2 as Cobb is ready to leave.

Cobb: Don't be too hard on the girl, she was most upset at my funeral
Number 2: Don't worry, She'll be well taken care of.
Cobb: …Yes..that's what I was afraid of.

Now, you can interpret that brief dialogue to mean that the woman will be killed.

Oh, that's right. It's a pity, I liked the girl. But I don't think we'll "be seeing" her again.

So, it was a real escape attempt by Number 6, though a frustrated one. However, I preferred my idea better. Like in 1984, when the powers-that-be fabricated a resistance group just to crush the protagonist's hopes, I would have enjoyed things better if it had all been a mind game all along.

The way we learn is that the woman did rebel, and give him the electropass. Number 6 did manage to take the helicopter and take off. Methinks if he had tried that at night, maybe Number 2 wouldn't have been so watchful and wouldn't have his hands on the remote control to bring the chopper back. Details like that would have made me try to escape again and again, as I'm sure he will.

One thing you may have missed is that Number 6 put a round block into a square hole and then the hole changed shape to a circle. Number 6 rebelled at the test but the village wouldn't let him rebel and altered the test to his answer. They will force him to be one with the whole.

I remember that. What you say makes sense, but at the time I interpreted that that was a common spy thing, a test he had taken before. Now I realize that doesn't make much sense.

But I would've made the round pin become square and so it would to the hole, not having the hole fit the pin. The way things turned out it could mean that Number 6 is actually part of the "inner circle"? (Don't answer that! But you can speculate.)

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[–] JohnQ1127 10 years ago

ike in 1984, when the powers-that-be fabricated a resistance group just to crush the protagonist's hopes, I would have enjoyed things better if it had all been a mind game all along.

Yeah, that was such a sad/crushing moment in the book/movie.

The way we learn is that the woman did rebel, and give him the electropass. Number 6 did manage to take the helicopter and take off. Methinks if he had tried that at night, maybe Number 2 wouldn't have been so watchful and wouldn't have his hands on the remote control to bring the chopper back. Details like that would have made me try to escape again and again, as I'm sure he will.

There's so much electronic surveillance all over that village that it feels like it's impossible to escape. It seems like the powers that be are toying with him letting him attempt to escape so he grows tired and breaks down.

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[–] dtmuller 10 years ago

madp: Somebody please tell me how I can get a home at The Village? I don't even require a high number. I can be Number 247, I don't mind. That place is so cool!

Your wish is my command, sir: http://www.portmeirion-village.com/.

madp: This is why now you'll be assigned a number!

Maybe for the rest of this series we should call him just 1127?

Brimfin, be careful about that dishwasher, or your domino effect may just be starting. We had to replace ours a few months ago. But years ago, after we had installed the old one, we had new ceramic floor tile installed in the kitchen. Which raised the floor nearly an inch. Which decreased the cabinet opening for the dishwasher. Which let us barely squeeze the old one out, but prevented installation of the new one. Which got my wife thinking about new cabinets. Which would require a new countertop. And new backsplashes. And a new sink. And then you may as well re-do the walls. And our table and chairs are getting old anyway. And while we're at it, she's always hated that ugly light fixture over the sink. And... (Fortunately, we found another model that was 3/4 inch shorter, and it fit.)

But enough of the silliness, on to the episode. Believe it or not, because of my crazy schedule for the next several weeks, I actually watched this show early, but just now got a few minutes to post. I'll be traveling most of January, so my viewing and posting schedule will be all over the place.

As I expected, watching this sparked some memories. I now recall seeing this episode back in the '70s, probably right around the time 1127 was watching Planet of the Apes. I specifically remembered the abortive helicopter escape.

So they're going to keep him guessing who's who in the zoo, but it looks like they intend to keep us guessing as well. One thing is clear: you can't believe anything anyone tells you. For all No. 6 knows, everyone in the place could be a plant. It sort of reminded me of The Truman Show, except that No. 6 is aware that it's not "real".

This is a typical pilot episode, with "setup" getting in the way of the unfolding plot, but still a nice job and I'm expecting still better next week. Of course, I already know the surprise ending: He doesn't escape. (Actually, I know more than that, but I put this here with the "cover" just to make madp wait a week, then come back to see what I posted. My version of the "Gorilla Guard" bit. )

The big question introduced in this episode is: Who is running The Village, "the good guys" or "the bad guys", whoever they may be? Presumably, No. 6 is a British agent--but maybe not--so I'll go with that unless we discover otherwise. Now, he's reluctant to talk at least partly because he doesn't know whom he'd be talking to. And British Intelligence would surely know that, so why would they conceal their identity, giving him an additional reason to resist? I'm therefore thinking they're "the other side".

Then again, maybe the "we want information" bit, like everything else, is a ruse. If we can't believe anything else they say, why believe that? What else could be their real motive? I don't know.

Madp, your non-HD copy may be ugly, but check out the version I'm watching on YouTube (the version posted by JohnnyBoy). Downloaded and piped via Plex to my Roku for display on a 35" screen, and it almost looks like a cartoon. The original is 240p, which leads me to believe it was taken from a VHS tape. It sure looks like it. You're right about shows in the '60s and their use of bright colors. I never noticed back then, because our set was black and white. But now, watching these old shows in color, it really jumps out at you. I can understand them wanting to do that to show off the new color TV technology. But I've wondered lately if this was an example of the media affecting society, in that this might be the reason that bold colors were so much in style in '60s fashions for clothing, furniture, etc. Once color TV was mainstream and they cut that out, we got the "Earth tones" fad of the '70s.

A good start, certainly better than the start of 2015 for Brimfin. I'll give this an exceptionally rare No. 10.

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[–] madp 10 years ago

Dtmuller, I thought you weren't going to show up for the party!

by dtmuller » Your wish is my command, sir: http://www.portmeirion-village.com/.

Yeah, thanks. That much I already found out, that it's a real place, in Wales. But I learned that after I wrote my comment. That must be a nice place to visit. I wish they had one place like that for Pushing Daisies, but in modern shows it's all CGI, and the rest was the generic Warner backlot.

Maybe for the rest of this series we should call him just 1127?

Nice catch!

This is a typical pilot episode, with "setup" getting in the way of the unfolding plot, but still a nice job and I'm expecting still better next week. Of course, I already know the surprise ending

Gah! I had to resist with all my strength not to pass the cursor over the black strip. It's hard to resist!

Then again, maybe the "we want information" bit, like everything else, is a ruse. If we can't believe anything else they say, why believe that? What else could be their real motive? I don't know.

Maybe it's all a resignation test, and they do it with every agent that resigns. Of course they know why he resigned. Now they want to make sure he won't talk if the other side catches him. Because it's the same side as his, they are not hurting him physically or causing any permanent damage.

I was taking it for granted 6 was British, until "1127" raised the issue. But obviously they are English or they wouldn't have served him tea.

Madp, your non-HD copy may be ugly, but check out the version I'm watching on YouTube (the version posted by JohnnyBoy). Downloaded and piped via Plex to my Roku for display on a 35" screen, and it almost looks like a cartoon. The original is 240p, which leads me to believe it was taken from a VHS tape.

It must be the same source for all the versions we may be watching. On my monitor it's not that bad. I wonder if watching on the original DVD would make any real difference. Well, that would certainly beat Youtube.

Anyway, I'm just wondering how long my blissful ignorance about the show's secrets will be maintained. Somebody is bond to say something compromising. Or a regular board member might post something they shouldn't, after all it's such an old show.

At least I'm avoiding reading the existing threads.

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[–] dtmuller 10 years ago

madp: Somebody is bond to say something compromising. (Emphasis added)

Is that Freudian or what?

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[–] madp 10 years ago

by dtmuller » 2 hours ago (Sun Jan 4 2015 15:58:11)
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madp: Somebody is bond to say something compromising.
(Emphasis added)

Is that Freudian or what?

Well, I felt there was something not right about my post, I just couldn't put my goldfinger on it. I should've said somebody is bond. Just bond. Hey, will us eventually learn that the hero's number is actually 006?

Like the fish puns in Planet of the Apes, how many more of such puns can we come up with? Brimfin, now you have license to mock.

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[–] dtmuller 10 years ago

If M's secretary rides one of the iconic bicycles in The Prisoner, would that make it a Moneypenny-farthing?

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[–] madp 10 years ago

by dtmuller » 17 minutes ago (Sun Jan 4 2015 18:11:19)
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If M's secretary rides one of the iconic bicycles in The Prisoner, would that make it a Moneypenny-farthing?

Certainly! And that would be a strong Q that his captors are On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), and would only make him all the more bond and determined to escape.

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[–] JohnQ1127 10 years ago

t must be the same source for all the versions we may be watching. On my monitor it's not that bad. I wonder if watching on the original DVD would make any real difference. Well, that would certainly beat Youtube.

The dvd version is much better than the youtube version. I started watching it on my iPad on youtube and then I stopped and watched the dvd version. I've read that the Blu-Ray version is outstanding but the price is insane ($199.99).

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[–] JohnQ1127 10 years ago

As I expected, watching this sparked some memories. I now recall seeing this episode back in the '70s, probably right around the time 1127 was watching Planet of the Apes. I specifically remembered the abortive helicopter escape.

dt, do you remember what the reaction was to this show in 1967?

I remember when I was in high school and two kids used to talk about it. My college room-mate used to talk about it all the time but I had never seen it. I think it became available on VHS in the late 80's early 90's but the whole set was something like $150.00. I ended up renting it on VHS during the late 90's.

It's funny now in hindsight how hard it was to see a show or program when it went off the air. I just remember there being a big mystery about this show during the 1980's because it was almost impossible to see it.

So they're going to keep him guessing who's who in the zoo, but it looks like they intend to keep us guessing as well. One thing is clear: you can't believe anything anyone tells you. For all No. 6 knows, everyone in the place could be a plant. It sort of reminded me of The Truman Show, except that No. 6 is aware that it's not "real".

Yeah this show was pretty ground-breaking for its time. I think of it a bit like the X-Files where you "trust no-one" and "no situation".

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[–] dtmuller 10 years ago

No. 1127: dt, do you remember what the reaction was to this show in 1967?

Not at all. I don't even remember it being on, but then that's not too surprising. I checked the network schedule for that year, and The Prisoner was a summer replacement series in 1968, broadcast on Saturday night. My family had a summer home we went to every weekend, with no television. So Friday through Sunday night shows didn't exist for me, at least from April to about mid-September.

I became aware of it a couple of years later, when it was showing up in syndication. But for some reason, I caught only a few episodes here and there for the next few years. (To get you oriented with my age, in 1967-68, I was in 8th grade, then first heard about it later in high school and into college.)

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[–] JohnQ1127 10 years ago

My family had a summer home we went to every weekend, with no television. So Friday through Sunday night shows didn't exist for me, at least from April to about mid-September.

It's kind of amazing in retrospect how common it was for people to go away for weeks in some type of vacation house without television or mass media access. And that went on into the 90's in some parts of the country. Now it would be almost unthinkable to not have some type of t.v., cell phone or internet access.

I can remember going up to New York state during the summers in the early 80's and we stayed in an area with terrible television reception and no cable access so there was no point in having a t.v. in the house. And then radio reception was terrible because of the Catskill mountain ranges in NY state so you were left to a turntable and portable boom boxes for cassettes. We stayed with another family and the mother's brother lived nearby all year round and he actually had a t.v. and VCR. That was in the early days of VCR's and they were really expensive and movies on tape were really expensive as well. He only had two movies, Arthur, and Cat Ballou so if you wanted to watch t.v., those were your two choices.

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[–] madp 10 years ago

by JohnQ1127 » It's funny now in hindsight how hard it was to see a show or program when it went off the air. I just remember there being a big mystery about this show during the 1980's because it was almost impossible to see it.

To me a great mystery show was The Invaders (1967). When it started playing late at night, my father would send me to bed and I could only catch glimpses of it. All I remember is the ominous theme song. I always wondered what was going on, but could never find out. Until today, I haven't seen most Invaders episodes.

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[–] JohnQ1127 10 years ago

Wow, I don't remember ever hearing about a show called, "The Invaders".

I remember I could never watch "Kung-Fu" because it was usually on a 9:00 pm and my mother thought it was too violent. So that show was always a very special mystery to me when I was kid. I was a little bit older by the third season so I was able coax my mother into watching some of the episodes.

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[–] wlcebtg 10 years ago

Awesome show to bad it only made it two seasons. A Quinn Martin production act one. Those were the days.

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[–] JohnQ1127 10 years ago

Awesome show to bad it only made it two seasons. A Quinn Martin production act one. Those were the days.

Is it available for streaming anywhere?

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[–] dtmuller 10 years ago

The full series is on YouTube.

I just watched the beginning of the first episode, and you can tell this is a '60s relic all right. It begins with the title card:

THE INVADERS
IN COLOR

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[–] madp 10 years ago

by dtmuller » 40 minutes ago (Fri Jan 9 2015 08:55:05)
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The full series is on YouTube.

I just watched the beginning of the first episode, and you can tell this is a '60s relic all right. It begins with the title card:

THE INVADERS
IN COLOR

In Color? Wow!

That's interesting to know. I would've nominated this one already, except that its two seasons have way more than 30 episodes.

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[–] JohnQ1127 10 years ago

"Arrival" sets up the series rather nicely with a lot of information given within a relatively short amount of time. This is a bit of twist spy series because it's more of a prison drama/allegorical story.

We learn that #6 was a former spy but we never learn what side he was working for, The British? The Soviets? Who's in charge of the village? What do they want from #6 and will they let him live after they have extracted his "information".

What's good about this episode is that you get a good idea what the village looks like and the basic workings of the village. There's little bits of Orwellian signs in this dystopian penal colony as well.

I haven't watched this series in about 15 years but what struck me is how heavily we are photographed and filmed in 2015. Go to a super market or any kind of relatively large store and there are cameras everywhere, even in bars and restaurants. People have cameras in their homes and there are cameras on traffic lights. GPS devices and cell phones track our whereabouts. People post personal photos all over the internet. I kept on thinking how privacy has changed just in the past 15 years let alone in the past 40-50.

I like how the guy #6 trusted (Cobb) was the guy that ratted him out in the end and the woman was punished, probably killed.

One thing I always liked about those late 60's shows was their use of color. Color t.v. was new so they really use a lot of colors to flood the scenery.

I also think this was one of the first shows with a story arc.

Overall good first episode so it's 7 White Balloons out of 10.

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[–] brimfin 10 years ago

Well, I hope everyone is having a better new year than I am. What a Crappy New Year it’s been so far. On Thursday, I went to heat up my veggies for lunch, and my microwave oven died. (Okay, granted, it lasted 20 years without a single repair). We had to go out and buy a new one. We saw that dishwashers were on sale as well. Our dishwasher was also 20 years old, so….another purchase. Then on the way back home, the air conditioner on my wife’s car started making noises! Yes, so far we’re ringing in the New Year – Ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching.

But wait, that’s not all. My laptop computer started acting up – again! I wake up on the 2nd to see it telling me I’ve been visiting websites I’ve never heard of, and it’s running slow as molasses to boot. I try to scan it with my expensive anti-virus software but it just pokes along and then dies out completely. So now that’s in the shop as well, but at least it’s under warranty. So I had to watch THE PRISONER on our old PC computer, and I have to write the letter here as well rather than being able to type it while we’re watching something on TV. So that explains my tardiness this week; hopefully the laptop will be in service again next Friday.

Ok, on to the show. I had forgotten just how totally bizarre this show was. On the one hand, we have a plausible scenario: a spy resigns from his post in anger and then is taken prisoner by some secret agency – perhaps his own, perhaps a counter-intelligence agency. They are perhaps the enemy wanting secret information from him or they are his own agency seeing if he can resist efforts to talk and thus be allowed to remain in society. But on the weirder side, he’s in this strange village – a curious combination of Victorian style antiquity (including the 1890’s bicycle they use for a symbol), and futuristic gadgets like electronic doors, spy cameras, and chairs that rise up out of the floor. Our hero is assigned the number 6 and the man who interrogates him this week is number 2, who is replaced by another number 2 before the episode is even over. He does encounter someone he once knew who he refers to as Cobb, but I thought the doctors called him Carver when they said that he jumped. (But I could have misheard, or one of the names might have been a cover name.) Cobb turns out to be alive at the end, with no real explanation as to who he was or what he was doing there. Do people come and go from this place, or are they all prisoners in some manner? Unclear for now, though Cobb does appear to be leaving.

And then there’s the mysterious bubble that guards the place. It is first shown in a bizarre scene where an announcer tells a man to look out, then all the other people in the scene freeze. The bubble chases the man and covers him but it’s not clear if it takes him away or he just disappears. Then the bubble bounces away and everyone starts moving again. It makes no sense except perhaps as a power ploy, a staged event to spook our Number Six (I’ll just call him Six for short) to demonstrate what power the powers that be who run this place wield. The guy chased by the bubble was probably just playing a part.

Anyway, Six tries to escape in a couple of ways. Driving out is thwarted by the bubble, who takes his breath away (literally, but fortunately not all of his breath). Then a woman (billed only as “the woman”), who was trying to help Cobb gives Six a watch to get past the bubble, but his attempt to flee by helicopter is thwarted by a remote control takeover of the craft. Getting out of this place will not be easy. Nice line by an old chess player, by the way, who tells the woman, “We’re all pawns.”

It’s been too long of a new year thus far to get into any more detail. I can’t resist just rating this episode Number Six. It set up the situation well, but we will likely end up with questions that are never really answered.

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[–] madp 10 years ago

by brimfin » 8 minutes ago (Sat Jan 3 2015 09:09:15)
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Well, I hope everyone is having a better new year than I am. What a Crappy New Year it’s been so far. On Thursday, I went to heat up my veggies for lunch, and my microwave oven died.

Ha! And we run out of gas, with some of the dishes not totally cooked. Fortunately the microwave was enough to finish the job.

he’s in this strange village – a curious combination of Victorian style antiquity (including the 1890’s bicycle they use for a symbol), and futuristic gadgets like electronic doors, spy cameras, and chairs that rise up out of the floor.

Well observed. Especially those chairs did seem particularly futuristic. It shows that behind that peaceful and bucolic scenery, there are electronics everywhere, probably underground.

He does encounter someone he once knew who he refers to as Cobb, but I thought the doctors called him Carver when they said that he jumped. (But I could have misheard, or one of the names might have been a cover name.)

No, I rewatched that part. They call him Cobb. Apparently everybody calls him Cobb. I imagine Number 6 being introduced to his neighbors: "Number 6, these are your neighbours, Number 2, Number 7, Number 23, and Cobb." Sort of ruins the pattern.

As I rewatched a few parts, I noticed, the bizarre scene with the madman speaking gibberish in the psychiatric facility as he observed a small oval object going up and down in front of him (?????). Also, the strange symbols on the keyboard of the machine the doctor used to produce a punched card that revealed that Number 6 was in tiptop health. And the bizarre band playing a merry march during Cobb's "funeral." This show is definitely something to be watched several times for details.

It set up the situation well, but we will likely end up with questions that are never really answered.

Well, let's watch and see to find out.

And remember, children:

"A still tongue makes a happy life."
-- Anonymous

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[–] JohnQ1127 10 years ago

a curious combination of Victorian style antiquity (including the 1890’s bicycle they use for a symbol)

Yeah, I had forgotten about the Penny-Farthing bicycles they use. Yeah, you're right, it is an odd contrast between certain 19th century things like the bikes and the brass band concerts and modern surveillance and transportation devices.

And then there’s the mysterious bubble that guards the place. It is first shown in a bizarre scene where an announcer tells a man to look out, then all the other people in the scene freeze. The bubble chases the man and covers him but it’s not clear if it takes him away or he just disappears. Then the bubble bounces away and everyone starts moving again. It makes no sense except perhaps as a power ploy, a staged event to spook our Number Six (I’ll just call him Six for short) to demonstrate what power the powers that be who run this place wield. The guy chased by the bubble was probably just playing a part.

Number 2 tells everybody to freeze to show number 6 the kind of power he has. The one man doesn't freeze and is immediately reprimanded by number 2 and the balloon is sent to punish him. He's either killed or he's put into the hospital we never find out. I took it as a warning to number 6 to either conform to the group or face punishment.

Cobb turns out to be alive at the end, with no real explanation as to who he was or what he was doing there. Do people come and go from this place, or are they all prisoners in some manner? Unclear for now, though Cobb does appear to be leaving

I interpreted that scene as Cobb acquiescing to their questions and desires and getting a plum assignment as a reward. Then it seems like the woman will be punished, probably by death.

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[–] brimfin 10 years ago

Ron Stein
Gorilla Guard*

*Kidding! Just to see if you'd read this post up to the end.

Yes, I see you also cleverly listed Angelo Muscat playing the butler twice, but I caught that too.

Just out of curiosity though, if it wasn't Ron Stein, who was it playing the man guarding that gorilla?

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