The Prisoner

I learned about the cult classic TV show The Prisoner on the day that Patrick McGoohan passed away. After seeing some clips, I realized that, in fact, I had seen it before, in the form of homages and parodies in other pieces of entertainment. I also learned that the full series was available for viewing on line on AMC.com, as something of a preparation for their eventual remake.

Said remake just finished airing, and in the time between these events I only managed to watch the first episode of the original Prisoner. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it - I simply struggled with the idea of watching every episode from the uncomfortable position of a computer chair. Months went by until I eventually forgot about it almost entirely.

Thankfully, the remake rekindled my interest, and this time I intended to be serious about it. Looking online, I discovered that my delay was a blessing in disguise - the show has been recently released on Blu-Ray, with remastered footage and a bunch of extra content. And so I did what I have rarely ever done - bought a television show on disc. Considering The Prisoner is considered one of the best cult classics of all time, I think it will be worth it.

From here on, I will be doing a small post for each episode I watch. I'm not sure if I will discuss them with or without spoilers, but I will warn everyone ahead of time. I'll try to get them out as soon as I am finished with each one, though it might take longer if I decide to rewatch certain episodes with commentary on.

With all that said, a few more remarks before we get started -

- The show was originally envisioned as lasting just seven episodes, making it more of a proto miniseries than a full television show. However, the studio bankrolling it wanted more, and so a compromise was made at 17 episodes. This means that there are only 7 which, as the fansites declare, "actually matter" in order to understand the plot.

- When the show originally aired, it was not done so in the correct order. These are the only things I have been able to ascertain in regards to this:

1. The only episodes that were shown in the proper order are the very first, and the final two
2. The seven important episodes have something of an official order
3. No one is sure about the rest
4. Various fan groups have created their own preferred orderings that they feel work best, though they admit that many of them can be ordered in whatever way the viewer wishes, in order to examine certain themes or ideas

For the purposes of my viewing, I'll be using the ordering made up for public television station KTEH, which is "reportedly approved" by series creator Patrick McGoohan.

That's it for now. It should be interesting to see where this one takes me. Be seeing you...