(Episode 15 – “Once Upon A Time” & Episode 16 – “Fall Out”)
It seems as though, as this series progressed, the writers dipped a bit more into the happy juice/snacks/herbs as the season went on. As I said a few episodes ago, The Prisoner really started to stray off of the format we’d gotten used to and got all freaky on us. That freakiness came to a head with the last two episodes, which really played out as a two-part finale and, I believe, was the first time another episode worked off the happenings of another.
I’ll admit that, before diving into this series, I’d read about the controversial finale online, but that was years ago. I’d say the talk about the strange finale was what roped me into watching this series in the first place. And now, after having watched it, I can safely say this show was just never my thing.
As you may have heard or read elsewhere already, the finale of The Prisoner is something that’s still discussed even to this day. There are those who hated it, those who loved it, those who think it was a conclusive ending and those who think it can never end or is up to much interpretation; there are very few people sitting on the fence of any of those issues. If it wasn’t for the strangeness and unevenness of the finale, I’m not sure anyone would be talking about the show nor bothering to remake it.
Unfortunately, I have to say I’m on the side of the “hated it” fence. I really didn’t enjoy the series very much, other than my curiosity over the hype surrounding it and how other shows borrowed themes from it. The music got to me every time I sat down to watch it. The fighting sequences were amateur by today’s standards, and I’m talking about what you can find done by a 12-year-old on YouTube. The episodes were so strange for a casual TV goer that, were this show on today, it would fail even more miserably that it had decades ago, regardless of the effects used.
I’m sure a big part of my problem with the show is that I’m having a hard time placing myself in the ’60s and excusing the show’s special effects and stunts. I’m sure there are non-Trekkie, casual TV goers who look back at the original Star Trek series and laugh at the primitive effects of the day, for instance, having the same difficulty of putting themselves in the time period the show was produced. For me, though, I have a much easier time making allowances for Star Trek than for The Prisoner, as I guess Trek was a more … relatable show?
I will say, though, that the acting in these last two episodes was the finest work of the series by far. In fact, it’s reported that the actor that played Number Two, Leo McKern, had stressed himself out so much in these episodes (and a previous one, “The Chimes of Big Ben”) that he almost had to be hospitalized. Both he and Patrick McGoohan reportedly put themselves so much into their roles, particularly in “Once Upon a Time,” that it was damn near freaky to experience. Hell, just look at McGoohan in the image above! (Incidentally, those of you who know the series can attest that the image above is likely one of the — if not the — most controversial scenes of the finale.)
As for how things ended, I’m not sure how anyone can say, definitively, that Number Six finally made a clean getaway from The Village. In fact, I find it safer to say that he’s simply never going to leave it, though the Village may not be the same one he was in before. The simple sound effect of the Butler closing the apartment door was enough to question everything.
I could go on and on about the “WTF” factor of many things that had gone on in this episode, like the rocket and the whole Number One “reveal,” but it’s really pointless. This show was always meant to be up to the individual viewer to make up their own minds as to what was going on. That worked for The Prisoner, though it’s a huge cop out for other shows … and the fact that Lost borrowed some elements of The Prisoner worries me that we’re going to see that all over again, and it’s not going to make many people happy.
As for The Prisoner, I’m really glad it’s over. The previews for the remake make it look to be significantly different than this series, thankfully, so I’ll be giving that a try for sure. I’d only recommend anyone watch the original series for the same reason I did: to see what all the fuss is about. I’m still trying to figure that out, and maybe that’s fuss enough about it in and of itself.
Be seeing you.
Past posts: Episode 1, Episodes 2 & 3, Episodes 4 & 5, Episodes 6 & 7, Episodes 8 & 9, Episodes 10 & 11, Episodes 12 & 13, Episodes 14 & 15
Clacked by Keith McDuffee 
on Aug 24, 2009 @ 15:00 EST5EDT
