Television Review – The Prisoner

Back in the 1960’s a really, really, weird TV show came along. It was called The Prisoner, and it confused the hell out of a lot of people on both sides of the Atlantic.

It was all about a man trapped in a strange place called The Village. He didn’t know why he was there, or what was going on, but he wanted to get out. It’s a classic show, and well known among certain TV fans, particularly for it’s big “fuck you”/mind-fuck ending.

Now thanks to AMC and ITV, we have a new version of The Prisoner staring Ian McKellen as Number 2 and James Caviezel as Number 6 (no relation to the other Number 6). This time around, 6 resigns from whatever government agency he works for and, rather than turning up in an English country village, finds himself in a village surrounded by trackless desert, mountains, a mysterious pair of towers, and giant plastic bubbles.

I saw the first two episodes last night. They were… interesting. The writing and acting were very good, particularly by Caviezel and McKellen, but also by all the supporting task (including the lad playing 11-12, who is incredibly easy on the eyes). The sets were nifty and the pacing was good. There were a couple choppy moments with the story that might’ve been editing or might’ve been… something else.

As to the story, well, it’s hard to judge with a show like this. I’ll have to wait until all the episodes have aired. What’s been shown so far shows promise.

I can’t make any real comparisons between this series and the original one, since I’ve never seen the original. I do like what I’ve seen here so far, so I plan to watch the rest. If anyone out there has seen both, I’d be interested in your thoughts on how they compare.

Anyhow, I’ll be watching the next two episodes tonight. Until then… be seeing you!