by Allan M. Heller

Created on: October 09, 2008

To the hardcore science fiction fans my dismissal of the merits of the cult classic TV series The Prisoner -which aired for 17 episodes from 1967 to 1968- will be utter heresy. "You just don't understand it!" they will exhort me. "You have to watch the series twice to fully appreciate it," they may next try. Finally, they will likely dismiss me with an indignant, "Well, you're just an idiot!" I will neither confirm nor deny the accuracy of any of these previous assertions, but will maintain that The Prisoner is, to reiterate, a cult classic, which ultimately is about as insightful and thought-provoking as the idiotic Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The basic premise is that an anonymous British secret agent resigns from his post, and shortly afterwards is abducted, and taken to a mysterious, faraway town simply called The Village. The sinister individuals who run this bucolic prison attempt relentless mind games meant to garner information from the protagonist spy, specifically the reason for his resignation. He obstinately resists their brainwashing, trying to undermine his captors and ultimately escape. The prisoner is never identified, only referred to as Number Six. Whether this number has any significance, or is merely arbitrary, is not revealed.

The series starts out with some promise, as the premise is basically an inventive one, but one which ultimately falls flat. Shady, underhanded tactics understandably characterize the world of espionage, and it has long been postulated that spies cannot really trust anyone, let alone their superiors. But whether Number Six's superiors have subjected him to this mental torment is unclear. The initial episodes follow a somewhat plausible sequence of events, given the ostensible concept of the program, but later shows are interspersed with segments that defy all logic. Even in the most twisted, surreal, demented milieus, there are certain rules and constants, however bizarre. The Prisoner breaks all of the rules in some episodes, and then unsuccessfully attempts to start over in the following episodes. The results is chaos.

One of the few good episodes is titled "Living in Harmony," and has a Western theme. Clearly, this seems a contradiction of everything for which the show stands, but ultimately is in keeping with The Prisoner's supposed theme. Without revealing too many details, I will report that the final episode is the worst. Nothing is really resolved, and while the viewer is left with more questions that answers,

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