LIVING IN
HARMONY
From a Story by:
David Tomblin and Ian L. Rakoff. Directed by: David Tomblin.
Guest stars:
Alexis Kanner, Valerie French, David Bauer.
Give a man love
then take it away isolate him make him kill then face him with
death and hell crack! This is the latest plan by the Village to
extract secrets from the Prisoner in a setting far removed from
expectations.
A very inventive episode, this one took many by surprise on first screening as you are placed straight into a Western setting - not even a "Prisoner" opening sequence to convince you that you are watching the right channel! Pulled by some US networks due to its drug references... but presumably "A, B & C" and "A Change of Mind" were OK! It is amusing to notice PMcG's accent unravel from an American one gradually to his English accent the longer the episode goes on! THE GIRL WHO
WAS DEATH
Written by:
Terence Feely from an idea by David Tomblin. Directed by: David Tomblin.
Guest stars:
Kenneth Griffith, Justine Lord
Something has
to give when a man is a born survivor and a girl a born killer so the
Prisoner has an opponent worthy of him when he pits himself against the
lovely but lethal Sonia. He takes over from the victim of an exploding
cricket ball who was tracking down a crazy scientist intent on destroying
London. The Prisoner is soon on the trail but first he has to run an
obstacle course of deadly booby traps!
Taken by many as
evidence that Number Six was indeed John Drake from "Danger Man", owing to
the presence of "Potter" (played by Christopher Benjamin) from the earlier
series in this episode, "Girl" has been shown on a one-off basis on
national television in Britain at least twice, presumably because it is so
out of context.
ONCE UPON A
TIME
Written and
Directed by: Patrick McGoohan.
Number 2: Leo McKern.
Guest Star: John
Cazabon.
In a final
attempt to make Number Six talk, Number Two locks himself away with him
and engages in a battle of wills of which there can only be one survivor.
Although produced straight after "Chimes", this episode was always intended to be the penultimate one of the series. Leo McKern is back to make the final attempt to break Number Six in a process called "Degree Absolute". What follows is intense, dramatic and gripping, and you are left drained by the end of the episode once Number Six has won out. The most poignant moment for me is the nursery music at the end where the apparently dead Number Two is left on the floor of the Embryo room. My favourite episode after "Arrival". FALL OUT
Written and
Directed by: Patrick McGoohan.
Number 2: Leo McKern. Guest stars: Alexis Kanner, Kenneth Griffith.
The Prisoner
has won, he has earned the right to be an individual and not a number. He
also has the opportunity to find out just who is Number One.
I can remember when ITV repeated "The Prisoner" in the '70s when the announcer introduced "the final - and intriguing - episode of 'The Prisoner'." Intriguing is not the word! Downright baffling is nearer the mark! We know now, that PMcG was under a lot of pressure to end the series and wrap it all up neatly, so being PMcG, he did precisely the opposite and confused the hell out of everyone! Opinion is sharply divided over whether he does actually escape or, whether the whole thing is a figment of his imagination and The Village have him firmly under their control. Of course, that is just what PMcG wanted and you have to say that he succeeded admirably in making a series that is so well remembered more that thirty years on! Personally, had I been old enough to have followed the series on the first screening I would have been the first to kick the telly in after this episode, but watching it on video it is easier to take in - if not to understand! Acknowledgements: Carlton/Polygram for the video sleeves so plagiarised, and Larry Hall's episode guide enabling me to check my facts (and nick the pictures from!) All "Prisoner" thumbnail images copyright © 2004 Granada Ventures. |
