mxfrickey-61583 The Prisoner has been, and will always be, one of the best TV shows to ever grace the small screen. Though full of action and intrigue, every episode delved into questions about individuality and personal agency: are we ever truly free, or are we being manipulated every minute of our lives? What is truth, and does it matter what we learn, or how we gain that education? Of course, a show is only as successful as its actors and writing- and with Patrick M we had the best there was. A true Renaissance Man, he could act, perform action scenes, and even create episodes, if he wished. Others directed, and contributed stellar scripts as well, so that all in all, the episodes were far and above anything else on TV, at that time. Of all the worthwhile programs that have existed, The Prisoner is the one that most bears repeated viewings and analysis. It has never been more timely and pertinent than it is in today's screwed-up world.

hellraiser7 Prison it's always the last place we all want to be. However probably what makes the concept more discomforting are the prisons that come or attack our minds. Most of the time it has to due with a routine we are forced into or unintentionally build for ourselves, the wrong job occupation, not traveling away from home enough or far enough, just anything negative that makes us feel trapped. Which is part of why most to all of us constantly fight and exercise our freedom and rights to show that we're still people.This is one of my favorite TV shows of all time. It is defiantly one of the most creative and weirdest shows I've ever seen and I love that which is what I expect from TV and the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre to always have something new and different. It was definitely a revolutionary show because it dared to be different but also challenge our intellects in a good way while at the same time having fun. The whole show by it's nature is one big puzzle, it's one of those shows where you may have to watch it more than once to uncover more.The theme song is great it's one of my favorite theme songs of all time, it really fits the show as it has a mysterious and almost adventurous vibe.I even like the main protagonist No.6 whom is one of my favorite fictional protagonists, his character in a way represents ourselves sort of our speaker and representative for humanity and sanity. He's got a dry charisma and sarcastic wit making him a bit funny. And like MacGyver he has to use his wits, cunning to somehow find a way to outsmart his unknown enemies. But what I really love about him is that he never gives up no matter the outcome of his plan he always tries again, which I feel is a good message to show not quitting makes you stronger. But also how much we emphasize with him and participation as were in the same boat as he is, not just in constantly trying to find a way out but also asking the same questions as him wondering what the hell is going on.There is also a feeling of isolation as we see the only person he can truly trust is himself, this increases the emphasize factor more as it looks like his the only sane person in a land gone insane. It's true that we never really know a whole lot about him, let alone his name but that's the point it just adds to the mystery of the show.However what really drive the show is it's story line and suspense. The story line in a way is like a mix of Franz Kalfka and Lewis Caroll tale. The Village is a really daft looking place. This really gives the place a surreal feeling from the buildings and architecture which is odd because it feels and looks like nothing really goes together,but even odder are the people whom may or may not be prisoners themselves but they exhibit odd behavior, let alone dress weird as some of what their wearing is not just colorful but also inconsistent with it's time periods. And each have some sort of rituals and customs that aren't really consistent or have any clear purpose.But this production really induces the unsettling feeling of total disorientation and paranoia throughout the show. Usually in the suspense thrillers this is something that would take place in the night but here it's in the day which increases the paranoia even more because here there is no place to hide and no one to trust.What makes the place even more disorienting and dangerous is that fact that each interrogator for No.6 is always someone different which raises the bar even more for No.6 as each have different methodologies to try and break him to get what they need whatever the hell that is. The interrogations remind me of Kalfka's "The Trial" which was about a man being accused for unknown reasons. Also it means No.6 has no way to understand what his unknown enemy's true motives are which means he is unable to get a step ahead or vanquish them which is a disarming feeling.But shows power is how it really leaves you to make your own interpretations. To this day I still have questions like "Is the Village some sort of shadow organization/secret society that hasn't been discovered yet or one we already know like the Men in Black?" , "Why the hell do they want to know why No.6 quit or not?", "Is the whole thing real or one big dream." whatever the case this just gives the show replay value to find more answers or more questions.Though personally I feel in a way the show satires on cold war paranoia though by today's standards it could be our war on terrorism. But gets into issues of distrust, conformity, information denial and manipulation, human rights constantly attacked and importance of defending them, but most of all about the importance of maintaining individuality.No.6 truly is the most human in the show and he is one with a real identity. Where we see the people in the village have no identities at all, from not having names but numbers but also each aren't entirely their own person as they've traded identity off for security from The Village which as put them in even more danger as they've sacrificed their freedom.I know once again haven't said a whole lot but it's one of those shows you have to see for yourself to believe, but to give yourself the benefit of participating in a great enigma.In the words of No.6 "I'm not a number, I'm a free man." so are we and should remain so.Rating: 4 stars

poe426 In ARRIVAL, the initial episode of THE PRISONER (Patrick McGoohan's brilliant teleseries), our hero learns when he hands in his resignation that there's no such thing in his profession (he's apparently a secret agent). He's gassed unconscious and later wakes to find himself a prisoner in The Village, an idyllic NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUResque little hamlet. When he walks into a small shop looking for a map, the proprietor peers at him through fingers that form a "lens" and says, "Be seeing you." The implication is clear: The Prisoner is under constant surveillance. His designation turns out to be "Number Six." He meets Number Two, who informs him that (like the members of the current U.$. $urveillance $tate), "One likes to know Everything." Six explodes: "I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered! My life is my own!" To which Two calmly responds, "Is it?" During a tour of The Village, Six sees another man trying to escape; the man is chased (and eventually overpowered) by a large white balloon ("Rover," the surreal guard dog of The Village- and one of the greatest Fantasy constructs ever conceived). When a new Number Two arrives, Six tells him: "I'm on OUR side." Two refers to Six AS "Six." "I am not a number," he counters: "I am a person." "Six of one, half a dozen of another," the New Two grins. THE PRISONER remains one of the high water marks in televised Science Fiction/Fantasy. If only one in a hundred were THIS good...

AaronCapenBanner Stunning achievement by actor, director & writer Patrick McGoohan about a recently-resigned British government operative kidnapped by either his government or a foreign one, imprisoned in a sinister "Village", where through the course of 17 episodes, various Number 2's(no citizen has a name, but only numbers) try to extract from him(re-named Number Six) the reason for his sudden resignation.Episodes dealt with themes of the worth of the individual in society, and how he refuses to be broken by the Village, run by the mysterious Number 1. Government corruption, media collusion with government, and the nature of power and identity are key elements of this series, and are still with us today...Final episode['Fallout'] is astonishing in its ambition and audacity, and is the single greatest episode of television drama ever, despite its controversial presentation and "resolution".Original and startling; viewers who stayed with it from 'Arrival' will be rewarded, even liberated by the final fade-out...though is freedom an illusion after all?