After some brief discussion, I guess we'll start this way. Suggestion was one per week, but as usual, no one could agree on episode order.

I've scheduled this for June 1 to coincide with the US premier on CBS. I'll be using the order and information from here: https://prisoner.fandom.com/wiki/The_Prisoner_(1967_series)

Why the US premier date? It's closer than the September date of the UK launch.

"Arrival" is the first episode of the 1967-68 British science fiction-allegorical series, The Prisoner. It originally aired in the UK on ITV on 29 September 1967 and was first broadcast in the United States on CBS on 1 June 1968.

The episode introduced audiences to the character of Number 6, portrayed by Patrick McGoohan and introduced most of the concepts that would dominate the series throughout its run.

Constructive discussion and debate is welcome.

I found this from when rumors were circulating that Nolan wanted to remake this. I really need some help understanding this “viewing order” drama and I don’t want to ruin the show.

Thank you.

The included subtitles on the DVDs, Blu-rays, and on streaming are all pretty inaccurate so I've updated them myself. These are designed to be synced with the A&E Blu-rays. I've included both closed captions and subtitles for all 17 episodes. Let me know if you spot any errors and I will update the files.

Dropbox

I read an article that he wrote a huge lore book for everything about the show. Anywhere I can watch it?

I'm aware it technically goes against what the show's message is, but really like the design

May 25, 1968 TV Guide cover previews the US summer airing of The Prisoner.

There's something about the the theme song that's always resonated with me, just as much as the show. I just love it. I hum along to it while I'm doing mundane tasks and whatnot. Today, I randomly decided to revisit movies I remember as a kid and the one I decided on was The Omega Man. I immediately heard some musical signatures borrowed from The Prisoner's theme song. I googled it and discovered that apparently the composer, Ron Grainer, was used on both! I knew there had to be a relation; I always trust my ears. Did anyone notice this too?

It's one of the most perplexing episodes, probably second to Fall Out, but I think the most confusing part of it is actually when Prisoner attempts to send a message to sea on that man's corpse attached to the life saver. He drags the corpse what looks like a mere 10 feet into the shallow ocean where the water is still and leaves it there. Even with this show having its own dreamlike way of things, am I to believe that nobody involved in the production of the episode thought this was stupid? Why would Prisoner think this would possibly work?

I'm trying to decide whether the execution for this part of the story actually means something or is just poor. Maybe Prisoner is supposed to be just that desperate that he'll try anything to reach the outside world? Yet his other actions don't really reflect a willingness to attempt something that would almost certainly waste his time. Even if he thought there was a 1% chance that the corpse would reach the outside world, why wouldn't he put in a bit more effort to increase the odds? Are we supposed to glean that he's not actually all that competent? Then again, we find out that he's competent at many things as the series goes on.

Dance of the Dead is my favorite episode, but this is the one thing that detracts from it for me. I want to be convinced that part shouldn't have been re-shot or even cut out. The only theory I have that might even come close to an explanation is that the corpse is supposed to represent his letting go of who he was before he resigned, and but he was actually afraid of doing so and sabotaged his own effort. It would at least align with the recurring theme that he's making choices that keep him in the Village. If that's the case, it still seems like remarkably poor execution.

Here's the link

I wrote up this little piece about some of my interpretations of The Prisoner. Thought the people here might enjoy it. It includes stuff like what I think the overall thematic meaning of the series is, what The Prisoner's relationship to Danger Man is, what I think of the ending, and what I think the best episode watch-order is.

Would love to hear what people think.

I’ve been showing The Prisoner to a couple friends and last night we watched “A Change of Mind”. They were curious about the sedative they give Number Six. In the current day, Mital seems to be a medicine for PCOS/endometriosis.

Was it a real drug in the 60s or was it invented by a writer?

To be fair, it aired a really long time ago, probably even before the commenter/poster's parents were born.

There were several small changes, like all of the episode titles. An interesting one, in "Once Upon a Time", Number 6 lets slip the closest explanation ever given for why he resigned: "Peace of mind".

The Japanese version (retitled “最後の対決”, “The Final Showdown”) changes the answer: “自由になりたかった”, “I wanted to be free.”

An analysis of The Prisoner (1967) when compared with the books of René Guénon: The Crisis of the Modern World (1927) and The Reign of Quantity (1945)

Some of you may or may not know this, but in the 1970s Marvel Comics had the comicbook publishing rights to The Prisoner. An issue was commisioned, Jack KING Kirby was assigned to draw it, however marvel cancelled the whole idea, but not before Jack finished the pencils portion.

I took it upon myself to get the comic to a finished state. I completed the inking as well as coloring the entire book. Was a ton of fun to put together. Hope you enjoy this little known piece of Prisoner history.

Be seeing you.

What's your age?

Seen in Heswall, Wirral, UK. Nice to see .

I don't think Ive ever seen THE PRISONER referenced in a comic like this before.

NOTE: Yes, the the show did heavily influence pop-culture. My point, which I articulated poorly, is that overt references, in the graphic medium, are not common within the last decade or so.

Feature one each day with a few screencaps and commentary?

Anybody can post them, maybe a couple of you could alternate.

It's been working pretty good on Married With Children and The Twilight Zone (though not every day there right now).

$35 Practically brand new. This was part of my dad’s collection and I figured this would be the place to see if anyone wants it. SOLD

This just popped up into my YouTube feed, so looked for a Prisoner group here on reddit to share. 1993 would have been the height of my interest in the Prisoner and SF fandom in general. I can't believe 1993 is so long ago!

A brief google search showed some drama around the organizers of this group that are featured in this video afterwards that I have no clue about, so hopefully it doesn't bring up bad memories, but it seems an annual conventation at Portmeirion is still going on?

"The New People" and "Paper Dolls."

First time rewatching the show; I’ve got a bunch of jumbled thoughts on what it all means, or at least means for me, which may be all I can say with certainty.

I watched “Girl Who Was Death” last night and again enjoyed it a lot. In some ways I think it’s the key to the whole series, dressed up as fairy tale or parable. No wonder we go from this to “Once Upon a Time.”

My question’s less abstract, though: Are we sure it’s an edited version of an unused Danger Man script?

Everyone says this, but it sure doesn’t seem like Danger Man, even a Danger Man tweaked for Prisoner sensibilities. It’s too surrealistic, too fantastical. Maybe elements are borrowed (a cricket ball murder), but color me skeptical about the whole thing being a reworked John Drake adventure.

Obviously I’m willing to be proven wrong if there are scripts showing this was written as a Danger Man.

He even says it again later

Hi! I thought you might be interested in something that just came across my feed. I’m a long time fan of the show.

“David Barrie publishes new book with a foreword by Catherine McGoohan to be launched at PortmeiriCon 2026

Six of One are delighted to announce that the compelling new book from society co-founder David Barrie is available for pre-order.

What’s it all About is a thoughtful and

provocative work that invites readers to look

at The Prisoner and its messages with

renewed curiosity and vigour.”

https://sixofone.co/news

Did everyone escape?