The Prisoner - Arrival

Episode Name: Arrival
Original Air Date: Sept 29 1967
TV Airing Order: 1
KTEH Airing Order: 1
Summary - After waking up in the Village and discovering his captivity there, Number Six encounters a friend from the outside who may have a possible escape.

So here it is - the one and only first episode. We get to see The Village and its inhabitants, which are at once peaceful, creepy, and full of fab 60's era style. We also learn just enough about Number 6 and The Village's plans for him to whet our appetite, but it isn't enough to spell anything out, or worse yet, confuse us to the point of frustration. By the time the episode is complete, we are treated to multiple escape attempts and double crosses (with just a bit of action sprinkled in for good measure). Arrival gives you a taste of the many things The Prisoner offers, from the thrilling to the exotic.

However, I might argue that all of these little tastes fail to add up to a full meal, and they aren't exotic enough to get you hooked. What I mean is that there is nothing here that makes you wonder what will happen next, nor is there anything trippy enough to entirely appeal to one's retro curiosities. It is good enough to convince you to watch more, but perhaps not enough to instill that "just one more" sense of addiction that a good show can produce.

That being said, I really do think it is a fine standalone episode. Despite the fact that the crew had a leisurely 57 minutes of show to work with, they manage to cram in so many events and so much information without it feeling like a rush job. When I first watched it online, I stopped around Number 6's first escape attempt. When I started it up again, I realized I was only halfway through! If they had ended the show there, I would have been satisfied, but the fact that it kept going allowed Arrival to do an even better job of establishing just how skilled the guardians of The Village will be at keeping our hero captive. I understand that television programs these days cannot run for so long, but it does wonders for the plot and pacing.

Actually, I should clarify on the "rush job" remark. One of the more jarring aspects of the episode was how quickly it cut from one scene to another. At one point Number 6 is invited by Number 2 for a chat later in the day, and the next thing we know, they're sitting down to talk. I can't say it is bad way to handle things - better to cut to the chase than to add some unnecessary scene in between - but it takes some getting used to.

So there you have it. A fairly straightforward, but no less exciting introduction to The Village. I can't say that the show's purported magic is on full display here, but it did convince me to dig deeper. In the end, you can't ask for much more in a first episode.

PS - Apparently The Onion AV Club did an episode guide of their own leading up to the AMC Remake. I'm promising myself to only read them after writing my own posts, so as not to affect my own views and opinions.

Be seeing you...