The Prisoner (1967) Ep. 1: Arrival

In 1967, a surreal and cerebral television show unlike anything seen before debuted to the amazement of viewers worldwide. Ostensibly about an unnamed spy kidnapped and confined to a strange community on the sea, Patrick McGoohan’s deeply personal project delved into themes of individuality, totalitarianism, paranoia, conformity, brainwashing, and the struggle to be free. Still debated over nearly forty-five years later, it is arguably one of the best dramas ever put on TV, if not the best.

A first episode is always a tricky thing for a series and that is doubly true for one that aspires to be anything more than average. With the incredibly popular series, Danger Man (Secret Agent in the USA), wearing thin on him, McGoohan had a desire to do something different. Different only scratches the surface in describing The Prisoner and Arrival establishes that very quickly.

An extended version of the title theme by Ron Grainier (he also created the original Doctor Who theme) plays over a montage of a man (Patrick McGoohan)  in black driving a Lotus Seven roadster to a government building. Once there he angrily storms into an office while the sound of thunder accompanies his rant, which we do not hear. In fact, no sound other than the soundtrack is heard during this intense opening sequence. Slamming his resignation down on his superior’s desk, the man drives off while we see his record amended and filed away in ominously impersonal fashion.

Driving off to his flat, the man fails to notice he is being tailed. In a sequence that could have been straight out of a James Bond film, a mysterious man pumps knockout gas through the keyhole as the former agent packs frantically. His tool for gassing? An umbrella. That may seem like something the Penguin from the Batman TV series would use, but a decade later a real Cold War assassination was carried out with a bumbershoot. Collapsing, the agent’s world spins before he passes out.

Then he awakens, somewhat dazed and opens his curtains. Outside lies a strange place completely unlike London. I think most people have had nightmares along these lines.  The theme ends as the title of the episode is shown, which makes for a very memorable introduction to a series. It worked so well that it became the intro for every episode.

 

 

 

Running outside to the highest point he can find, which happens to be a bell tower, the man surveys the little community on the seashore. It is early morning and people are just beginning to stir in the quaintly charming micro town. It is all very touristy, complete with a café and an information phone. When he cannot get anything other than this is “the Village” from the maid setting up the outdoor tables, “Aha, information!” thinks the resigned spy.

Like all good nightmares, it is not so easy. Upon asking to make a call, he is asked for his number. Number? “No number, no call,” informs the operator. An Asian gal arrives in a small jeep like taxi to startle and query him in French. Attempts to be taken out of town are met with evasions, which ratchet up the surreal quality of the setting. Finding a general store, a quest for maps of the area reveal that the only maps available are of “The Village.”

At this point, the show feels very much like an episode of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone… But then it gets stranger.

Agitated, the mystery agent retreats to the cottage he awakened in and finds more things to disturb him. A phone call invites him to number two for breakfast, which happens to be at one of the larger structures in the place. Ensconced within that building is a futuristic (or at least 1960’s idea of futuristic) circular room with a spherical chair. Everything is electrically activated or controlled, usually by hands unseen. Entering the room, the man finds out that “number two” is not just the address, but the name of the man in the very uncomfortable looking chair.

Clearly in control, Number 2 (Guy Doleman) has a strange little butler (Angelo Muscat) serve our protagonist breakfast. There is more to the menu than just choices, as it turns out to be an exercise in power and intimidation as the two men spar verbally over the resignation. Quickly, the newcomer finds himself at a complete disadvantage and storms out, stating “My life is my own.” But is it anymore?

Drawn back by the revelation that the mystery people running the place have his entire life recorded and documented, the man becomes even more upset, but like a good trained agent should, divulges very little. An unusual tour of  The Village follows and for the first time fear begins to show on his face as he sees just how self contained the place is.

As bizarre as everything seems, it gets far more surreal when a demonstration of how security is enforced is staged in front of him. A balloon popping out of a water fountain is hardly a cause for concern, but when said balloon expands to a size bigger than a grown man and roars… well, that is not normal. That it can track a running man down and suffocate him shows how something laughable suddenly ceases to be when presented correctly. Unnerving is the best description, though stills cannot convey the atmosphere of the scene adequately.

The tour ends with an aptitude test, apparently intended to emotionally destabilize the main character. It succeeds to some degree, but a more obvious ploy involving a pretty maid (Stephanie Randall) serves only to infuriate him. Upon finding her in his cottage, he says, “That’s another mistake they made” while throwing her out.

Not only is our protagonist an intelligent and wary character, but he exhibits the behavior of a predator in a zoo enclosure. There is a coiled danger to the man that threatens to erupt soon. Very soon.

Having the maid return with a sob story does not improve his temper one whit and we, the viewers, get to watch all of this being observed from an odd control room complete with a mechanical eyeball to add to the weirdness. Then there is the teeter-totter camera control device which makes the eyeball look normal by comparison.

The situation deteriorates further once the new captive of The Village tries to escape during an exciting action sequence. With that fresh failure to add to his records, he awakens in a hospital and finds himself being watched by one of the creepiest grannies you will ever see. There resigned agent finds a familiar face, Cobb (Paul Eddington). Afflicted by amnesia and doped to the gills, the other agent cannot provide any further information about what is going on.

Taken through the hallways of the hospital for an evaluation, it becomes apparent that mind control and strange psychological torture methods are being used on the “patients” there. Anyone familiar with how the Soviet block used psychiatric diagnoses to imprison and interrogate people will recognize the chilling implications of these scenes. It certainly is not lost on our hero.

Once released, he goes off to confront Number Two and finds a stranger (Paul Baker) wearing the numbered badge. He is the new Number Two and is even less forthcoming than his predecessor. When he address the main character as “Number 6,” this brings out a cold response: “I am not a number. I am a person.”

Now the battle begins for real and the duel of wills begin as Number 6 battles to break free and The Village in turn battles to break him. A cunning plan to escape, a mysterious woman, and layers of deception combine to deliver a memorable ending to Arrival.

Thoughts

When I originally watched this on CBS’s late night line up in 1989 or 1990, I was dealing with having lost my health completely and my dreams of a college education. It was little wonder that the story appealed to me greatly, since I was feeling trapped myself. My fascination for Cold War espionage, real and fictional, contributed greatly to my interest in this most fascinating of shows. By the time I watched the controversial final episode, I knew The Prisoner was my favorite television show of all time.

Years later when the Web was born, I was surprised to find I was not alone. Even more interesting were the many different interpretation of what the show was about and what the ending really stood for. In my reviews of the episodes, I will give my personal opinions and I encourage people to formulate their own ideas from watching the show.

One thing is certain, this surreal and cerebral television show will challenge you to think and think hard on what you have just seen. In that sense, it is more like an independent or avant-garde art movie than anything else I can come up with. Having been made in 1967, it was more than ahead of its time and it would be a very long time until anything like it would be made for TV.

Arrival has many themes woven throughout, but the one that emerges the most strongly is loss of control. Number 6 is shown as a strong individual from the first frames of the show, but by the middle of the episode he is shown very deliberately that his life is no longer his own. Everything that happens to him after he awakens in The Village is controlled by the powers that be. The whole thing plays out like a nightmare – the kind that you cannot wakeup from. Each time Number 6 awakens, things are a little worse than before, a bit more uncertain.

It is a most impressive first episode and hooked me completely two decades ago. It will do the same for anyone looking for something intelligent and mysterious. I very highly recommend it for all thinking people, science fiction fans, and espionage aficionados.

Technical

My DVD set is the A&E edition put out as separate volumes and as a box set. The box set aka The Complete Prisoner Megaset is worth it for the slip case alone. A newer set has been released since then and there is also a Blu-ray version. One of these days I will get that one to replace this one. Having been issued awhile back, the quality overall is good but the video is not as high a quality as it could be, but this was mastered in 2001, after all.

The video is fairly crisp given the age of the material and is 1.31:1 ratio when cropped instead of 1.33:1 (4:3). Sound is Dolby Digital monoaural and is quite good, presenting the the jazzy and often whimsical soundtrack to its fullest. It certainly sounded better on my home theater setup than it did off of the small TV speaker way back when.

Extras of varying quality are found on the first DVD of the set, which also includes the unaired variant episode of The Chimes of Big Ben:

Textless and silent versions of the intro and the outro are there for the curious, though I find they just are not the same without the music. Also various foreign language shots of the file cabinet can be viewed by the exceptionally bored or compulsive/obsessive types.

The U.S. version of the trailer for Arrival is included and I have to wonder how it would have ginned up any interest. It captures none of the style and portrays the show as yet another spy drama.

“Your Village” Interactive Map is classic old school DVD extras showing off the then amazing ability to pan around an image.

DVD Credits are there to be looked at, mainly by those involved in the production and their family members.

Photo Gallery has only ten photos, but they do show some interesting low res shots from behind the scenes of filming. Oddly, button 7 is labeled 51. There may be a meaning to that, but I do not know.

Trivia Game is short but very informative. One tidbit reveals that the show debuted outside of the U.K.!

BEWARE! HERE BE SPOILERS!!!

 

 

 

 

The all lower case typeface used on all the signs and items soon becomes more creepy than quaint. Everything is colorful and cheerful on the surface, just like the inhabitants. But what lurks below is something much darker and fearful. The signs stating that you are to walk on the grass is the direct opposite of what they should be -- and that is very telling.

Signs, signs, everywhere signs, breaking my mind…

Orwell’s Ministry of Truth would approve.

Number 6 did not fall for the tears of the blonde maid, but the raven tressed one did get to him. The Woman (Virginia Maskell) is the perfect lure for the increasingly paranoid agent. Her grief over Cobb seems unfeigned and his funeral becomes an opportunity for 6 when he learns about the escape plan she had for the other man.

A Rover is no obstacle with the device obtained by The Woman in 6’s possession. But the helicopter ride does not go the way he expected. The previously seen addled chess playing former admiral (Frederick Piper) turns out to be much more aware than he shows when he explains to the shocked woman: “We’re all pawns, my dear.”

Indeed, Cobb is alive and with the new Number 2, watching events play out. His brief inquiry on what will happen to “the girl” becomes a chilling moment as her fate seems very bleak.

The strange little butler pops up during the helicopter stealing scenes, effectively bookending the failed escape. He is quite the mystery in a story filled with mysteries.