This is a random post. I wanted to know if there is a specific order (actually Patrick McGoohan's order) for the episodes from The Prisoner. I know he only counts off seven one should watch, but that deletes one of my favorites "Hammer Into Anvil" and an interesting one, "Many Happy Returns." There is also "Schizoid Man" which inspired a 2nd season TNG episode, and is not within the seven McGoohan considers watching. On my 'to watch' list I have the episodes in their production order, since I understand the UK shuffled said episodes around when they were initially broadcast. And just out of curiosity: Is the remake with James Caveizel (sp?) and Ian McKellen worth a watch?
Wikipedia's episode list can be reordered to fit a variety of different schemes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Prisoner_episodes There's some discussion of viewing orders in this thread: http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=174655 As for the Caviezel miniseries, I didn't care for it at all. As I said in the above-linked thread:
I thought the Prisoner remake was pretty decent, up until the end, which really put me off; it seemed to go completely against what I always felt the Prisoner stood for. But that was just my impression. Your mileage may vary. After all, the ending of the original pissed off a lot of people the first time around, too.
Like essentially said, there is no specific correct order; every ordering has it's faults since episodes apparently weren't planned too well sometimes. But the A&E DVD box set from something like ten or fifteen years ago, put them in perhaps the best ordering, which were reasoned.
Now I'm curious. Yeah, there are some episodes I don't care for (e.g. the one where Patrick McGoohan had to work on a film - I think it was "Ice Station Zebra" - and another actor is #6. It was a pretty boring episode, for me). I think I'm also interested in seeing how tight (or loose) the storyline is depending on what episodes are viewed.
The only episodes I'd leave out are the ones recorded without the set. Those silly Wild West and storytelling eps. Which ones did McGoohan include? I assume ABC, Checkmate, Chimes of Big Ben and Degree Absolute. I felt the original did heavily imply the reason Six resigned. The decision to be an individual, and metaphorically his prison was his competing subconscious desire for the safety of external definition.
My quick online search led me to a forum post that got its info from The Official Prisoner Companion, and McGoohan's order for the episodes that count are: *Arrival *Free for All *Dance of the Dead *Checkmate *The Chimes of Big Ben *Once Upon a Time *Fall Out It's been a long time since I've read it, so I can't give an accurate answer. From what I do remember, I felt that Number 6 should have been free; a feeling that the hero should win. However, the comic gives us a gray area with Number 6's fate. That would make sense. Before I started this thread, I read somewhere that it was his employers who sent him to the village. I don't recall if that was implied or stated in the series.
There's been a load of debate about the Prisoner running order over the years. When I was active in Prisoner fandom (nearly three decades ago now - blimey!) there used to be a lot of healthy discussion, lots of theories, and people emphasizing different aspects and preferences to arrive at their own preferred sequence. What I liked about it was that there was no definitive solution, and that the Six of One society never endorsed a final "approved" order, because of course, they respected the views of all their members, and the series is about the freedom of the individual after all. I haven't been a member of Six of One for years, mind you, but I understand they did eventually "endorse" a certain order which might be the one used on the US DVDs. Though as Six of One is almost completely irrelevant to Prisoner appreciation these days, and is pretty much a self-serving oligarchy, their endorsement shouldn't really count for much. So my best advice is to watch the series, and make up your own mind. Decide how it works best for you and then stick to it. There is no real narrative structure or developement to the series. For what it's worth, this is my preferred sequence, developed over many years of thought and debate. It derives partly from the production sequence, partly from the ITC order, and partly on three perceived narrative threads. Firstly, the increasing complexity and danger in the Village's attempts to break the Prisoner. Secondly, the shift in emphasis from episodes about the Prisoner discovering things about the village and trying to escape - to fighting the system from within and destroying the schemes of number 2. Thirdly (and developing out of the first two) the shift in the dynamics of power between the Prisoner and number 2. Arrival Free For All Dance of the Dead Checkmate The Chimes of Big Ben The Schizoid Man It's Your Funeral Many Happy Returns Living in Harmony The General A. B. and C. Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling A Change of Mind Hammer into Anvil The Girl Who Was Death Once upon a Time Fall Out But I don't expect there's anyone else who'll subscribe exactly to that ordering, which is as it should be. I'm always a little bemused by this notion of the 7 "approved" McGoohan episodes. This seems to stem from some interview comments he made in the eighties that he wanted to do a 7 part mini-series, but Lew Grade wanted to commission a full season, so they were forced to come up with other ideas. It's hard to know how much truth there is in that or whether it was an invention years after the fact. I also recall McGoohan said, there were 7 episodes he'd keep and throw the rest away. But I've never been able to find a quote where he actually specified which 7 they were. The assumption in fandom seems to be that it's: Arrival Free For All Dance of the Dead Checkmate The Chimes of Big Ben Once upon a Time Fall Out which is the first six episodes in the production sequence (although Checkmate was filmed before Dance of the Dead) plus the conclusion. It occurs to me that fans decided that these must be the seven that McGoohan had in mind when he proposed his mini-series (if he did...) but it's hard to know that for sure. For one thing, how can we be sure Fall Out was in his mind when he started? Fall Out was hurriedly written over a weekend to wrap things up when Lew Grade pulled the plug on the production. There's also the question that the completed footage for Dance of the Dead for instance sat on a shelf for months because no one thought that the episode was working, until finally the film editor suggested he could have a go at salvaging what was there into a completed episode. Once upon a Time was shot sixth, but was that just because a script was ready at the time? It seems to have always been the intention to hold it back to conclude the first block of thirteen episodes, rather than just set up the concluding episode. The intention seems to have been to move the series out of the village in the second block of thirteen. That sacred "McGoohan 7" list also means we lose complex and intelligent episodes like The General, Living in Harmony and A Change of Mind, which seem to me more key to the core themes of the series than say Checkmate or Chimes (though those are both enjoyable adventure stories). So who knows? I don't.
I'm surprised about the omission of A, B and C. And I find Free For All one of the weaker episodes. The others kind of make sense as some of the more fundamental episodes of the series. It did seem heavily implied that his employers were the ones who imprisoned him in Many Happy Returns but not confirmed, but the finale points to a more metaphorical self-imprisonment. Also those two episodes contradict each other in terms of exactly where the prison is.
My ordering: Arrival, Dance of the Dead, Checkmate, Free for All, Chimes of Big Ben, Many Happy Returns, Change of Mind, It's Your Funeral, Hammer Into Anvil, The Schizoid Man, The Girl Who Was Death, The General, A B & C, Living in Harmony, Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling, Once Upon a Time, Fall Out
Another question... Should you consider "The Prisoner" as the sequel to "Secret Agent Man" or not? Inquiring minds want to know. Kor
In my 80s "head canon", I always considered Number 6 to be John Drake, punished for some indiscretion. However, I haven't watched either series since then, so my justifications for such a theory are...hazy. I've recently acquired the series on Blu-ray (The Prisoner), but haven't had time to revisit it. I hope I can still handle the more unusual elements of the show.
I too was once a member of Six Of One, but that was only for a year and it was long before the Internet was a commonly available source. I had taped the episodes of of a PBS station, and then spent a fortune buying the official VHS tapes ($39.95 per tape, yikes!). Then came DVDs and finally the Blu-ray set, which I have to say are among the finest I own. I bought a few books over the years, read and participated in episode ordering debates, and like @Andrew_Kearley above came up with my own order that made sense to me. It was similar to one in a book, but I found that I needed to reverse the two Colin Gordon episodes since he's much more desperate in "A, B, and C" than he is in "The General". Arrival Dance Of The Dead Checkmate Chimes Of Big Ben Free For All Many Happy Returns The Schizoid Man The General A, B, and C Living In Harmony It's Your Funeral Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling A Change Of Mind Hammer Into Anvil The Girl Who Was Death Once Upon A Time Fall Out I happen to really like "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling" (the one without McGoohan) and don't really get the fan-hate on that one. To be sure, his presence is missed, but the way the story was constructed and executed made it all worthwhile for me. It's an episode that deviated from the norm, and I tend to like those. Harry
Now if I had to pick a "typical" Prisoner story, Hammer Into Anvil would probably be the one for folks new to the show to look at.. I might even put it toward the end. No. 6 really seems to have settled in.
Yeah, that's why mine appears near the end too. Just after it comes "The Girl Who Was Death" where he's so settled that he's telling bedtime stories to the Village children. Then the two-part finale.