Favorite Episode of The Prisoner?

[Kirkman1987]

The Mcgoohan 60's version, although doubtless talk of the remake will creep in.

I just finished rewatching the series over the weekend, after seeing the AMC Prisoner, and had a lot of fun doing it. It's one of my favorite Series.

Lots of Great Episodes, just wondering which are everyone's favs.

I'll be nice and allow everyone to vote for two.

I choose

Free For All - I like the commentary on democracy and elections in this episode. Also, This is one of the episodes that was filmed on location, which is sorely missed in some of the later episodes.

Chimes of Big Ben - The best number two in the series, and the best of the escape plots (although Checkmate is close). It also has imo the best dialogue in the series....

Number Two: I am definitely an optimist. That's why it doesn't matter who Number One is. It doesn't matter which "side" runs the Village.
Number Six: It's run by one side or the other.
Number Two: Oh certainly, but both sides are becoming identical. What in fact has been created is an international community — perfect blueprint for world order. When the sides facing each other suddenly realize that they're looking into a mirror, they will see that this is the pattern for the future.
Number Six: The whole Earth as the Village?
Number Two: That is my hope. What's yours?
Number Six: I'd like to be the first man on the moon.

 

[superstring01]

I loved this mini-series. I only saw the first episode. I'm just going to wait for them to come out on BluRay before watching them. I'll rent the show and do the whole thing.

~String

 

[Harvey]

The Chimes of Big Ben is an obvious choice. Lately, I've been re-watching the series and that episode was as good as I remembered it. My other choice is A., B., and C., although I haven't had the chance to re-watch it yet, so that's based on two-year old memories.

 

[Kirkman1987]

I loved this mini-series. I only saw the first episode. I'm just going to wait for them to come out on BluRay before watching them. I'll rent the show and do the whole thing.

~String

The Prisoner was released in BD format last month to tie in with the new AMC version. I don't have a Player, but I watched some HD clips on my computer, and the quality is stunning.

 

[Harvey]

As I've mentioned more than a few times on this board, I have the series on Blu-Ray, and it looks phenomenal for a series that is over 40 years old. Combined with the new features, it is well worth the upgrade to High-Def.

 

[tharpdevenport]

It's been too long since I watched it all, so I cant' vote, but this is a classic TV series. Ahead of it's time, well written/acted, and still relevent today.


"Everybody votes for a dictator..."

 

[23skidoo]

As I've mentioned more than a few times on this board, I have the series on Blu-Ray, and it looks phenomenal for a series that is over 40 years old. Combined with the new features, it is well worth the upgrade to High-Def.

I'm glad to hear it, considering there were technophiles who said it could never be released to HD because of the way it was filmed, or if it was released they'd have had to redo everything with CG like they did with Star Trek TOS (although it was also released to HD in its original form, ultimately).

I didn't pay attention and voted only once in the poll, for Dance of the Dead, which I actually hated the first time I saw it. But now I think it's the strongest episode of the series.

Other favorites:
Chimes of Big Ben
Free For All
Hammer Into Anvil
Living in Harmony
Once Upon a Time.

Honorable mention for, of all things, the "Darling" episode of the remake. A lot of people hated it, but I quite liked it, in part because even by the remake's standards it was the most un-Prisoner-like of the episodes, and as such it stood out. That and because I'm a fan of Hayley Atwell and Ruth Wilson!

Alex

 

[Harvey]

The series was shot on 35mm. Of course it could be released on HD. Any so-called "technopile" who has stated otherwise doesn't know what they are talking about.

The effects being redone in TOS were a matter of (a) wanting to redo the original effects to bring them in line with the rest of the franchise and (b) some of the effects being printed and re-printed so many times for re-use on the series that the original elements had become very degraded.

 

[payndz201]

'The Schizoid Man', because for some reason I've always loved split-screen 'evil twin' stories - and also because the idea of taking away something Number Six doesn't even want, his identity as Number Six, in order to break him is wonderfully perverse. And it almost works!

Plus, there's the unintentionally hilarious scene of McGoohan ranting and raving about flapjacks. But it's still a great episode, with a fascinating central idea. If everyone insists you aren't who you thought you were, then who are you?

 

[Kirkman1987]

^

Yes, I was tempted to put in a vote for The Schizoid Man. The Split Screen stuff was done pretty well, and it was great seeing Mcgoohan act next to himself. I think he pulled it off better than Shatner did

And yes, Rewatching it this weekend, Seeing Number six with a goofy mustache and dyed hair angerily refuse bacon and eggs, and then eat his flapjacks like a animal is priceless comedy. His facial reactions are what makes it great.

On the other hand, I always thought it was so cool how they trained him to be left handed, by putting his left hand in a rubber glove and poking at him with a cattle prod, so he had to use that hand to defend himself. Would that actually work? either way, it's awesome.

 

[C.E. Evans]

"Hammer Into Anvil" is my all-time favorite Prisoner episode. I absolutely love the way Number Six exploits Number Two's one personality flaw and turns the tables on him.

"Free For All" is another top favorite of mine.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Definitely "Many Happy Returns." It's like one, long, hilarious joke with a great punchline. And we learn important information.

 

[CmdrAJD]

Hammer Into Anvil is my favorite, with Chimes of Big Ben, Once Upon A Time, and Checkmate running close behind.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

I love "The Chime of Big Ben", both versions, but my favorite episode is "Hammer Into Anvil". The goal in that episode isn't escape, but the destruction of Number Two psychologically. A reversal of the usual power dynamic between the Prisoner and Two.

In fact, The Prisoner worked really well when P defeated the Twos even if he didn't escape in the end. Episodes like "Hammer Into Anvil" and "The General" come to mind. P may not have escaped, but he got some small measure of victory. This was something sorely missing from the remake, reboot, reimagining, re-whatever.

 

[QuasarVM]

Fallout. Because it's so weird...and counter to what you expect as the finale.

Plus, it's kind of funny in a twisted way...

Hammer Into Anvil a close second. Very close...

 

[Forbin]

It's been way too long since I've seen it, but Chimes of Big Ben comes to mind as a favorite.

 

[Kirkman1987]

^

Fall Out is brillant, although I always wonder what Mcgoohan would have written if he had more time, as Fallout was written very hastily in a 24 hour period.

And yes, the finale is funny.
The Beatles, a machine gun battle, the colorful cult costumes, and all that dancing. Quite silly compared to most of the series

 

[Harvey]

Quite silly compared to some of the series, maybe.

I think if McGoohan had been given more time to write Fall Out, the final episode would have been close to what we saw, but much more polished. As it stands, it's an episode with a hanful of truly sublime moments (Six's walk to the Beatles, Meeting Number One, the repetition of Six driving his car as the last shot of the series), but it could have been so much more.

 

[Davros]

I have to go with Living In Harmony.

 

[QuasarVM]

^

Fall Out is brillant, although I always wonder what Mcgoohan would have written if he had more time, as Fallout was written very hastily in a 24 hour period.

And yes, the finale is funny.
The Beatles, a machine gun battle, the colorful cult costumes, and all that dancing. Quite silly compared to most of the series

I recently watched it online after not having seen it in quite a few years, but it was as bizarre and funny as ever...