The Prisoner: 'Schizoid Man'

[Rigorous Intuition]

Complete episode on youtube in six parts:<br><br><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=4IrZx1-P7kY">Part One</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--><br><br><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=yVJWDW1a-34">Part Two</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--><br><br><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=Pprdza_l9tQ">Part Three</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--><br><br><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=c2kxmHXUelg">Part Four</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--><br><br><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=TZMlePr0I5c">Part Five</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--><br><br><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=0C8MJNtdLPU">Part Six</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--><br><br>Virtually every episode recounts a Village attempt to destroy Number 6's sense of self, though "without doing permanent damage." Here, he's subjected to trauma and mind control to create characteristics foreign to himself, and then told he's "Number 12," an agent of the Village who's task is to break Number 6.<br><br>The <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://moebius.psy.ed.ac.uk/~paul/zener.html">Zener card</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> ESP test plays an important plot point. (Astronaut Edgar Mitchell <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/5/esp.php">used the symbols</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> in an ESP experiment on Apollo 14.) <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=rigorousintuition>Rigorous Intuition</A> at: 8/6/06 12:56 pm<br></i>

[bvonahsen]

I loved that show. I was like, ten or twelve at the time and maybe it was re-runs I was seeing. It was great!<br><br>"Dem bones, dem bones, dem... dry bones"<br><br>Whenever I hear that song I think of the Prisoner. The ending to the series was quite bizzare too. Don't know if I should spoil it, but I'm sure you can find a synopsis through google or wikipedia.<br><br>Thanks for the link. <p></p><i></i>

[Joe Hillshoist]

Awesome, now where is my bike helmet.<br><br>I am not a number. <p></p><i></i>

[bvonahsen]

I just thought of something, this occured to me last night as I was trying to get to sleep. <br><br>In the begining the big question in the show was "Why did you resign?" That is also the question in this episode. Later though, the question changed to "Who is number one?" and the ending answers that question. <br><br>So that interests me, why the shift? (or maybe I am wrong, I could be mistaken in this too, won't be the first time for sure.) It's such a subtle one too and it seems unimportant at first blush. <br><br>The more I think about it the more important it seems to me. The first question, why did number six resign, hints at bigger questions. What did he know or find out? Clearly, he reacted to some information that disturbed him enough that he felt he had to resign. And in this episode the phrase gets repeated:<br><br>"What do you want?"<br><br>"Information" <br><br>That's pretty sinister and probably disturbed more than just a few people in the public but in the information services too. <br><br>So suppose the word came down, "We want to improve our image, get the focus of the show off of us." Because really, who number one was wasn't a very important question and in the long run it didn't matter much. Number one it turned out was number six and he could have left anytime he wanted. And as soon as the prisoner realized that he was number one that's what he did. He was restored to his former life and everything was hunky dory. He got his flat back and even his sports car back.<br><br>But the question, "why did you resign, what did you know?" never got answered. Someone somewhere didn't want that answered. Not even in fiction. <p></p><i></i>

[orz]

Such an amazing series. Totally astonishing that it ever got made.<br><br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>though, the question changed to "Who is number one?" and the ending answers that question. <hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br>Something that a friend pointed out that i'd not noticed even after watching the whole series a few times, is that this question <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>is actually answered in the opening sequence of every episode!!!!!!!!</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> But not at all in an obvious way.<br><br>... I won't specify more, as it's kind of a spoiler for those who haven't seen the whole thing maybe? But if you have, consider/rewatch the very long 'title sequence' that begins each episode and you may get it? <p></p><i></i>

[stickdog99]

My favorite episode is "Many Happy Returns." <p></p><i></i>

[bvonahsen]

I thought about spoiling the ending but then... jeezz the show is forty years old. Isn't there a statute of limitations on that? I would think forty years would be long enough.<br><br>Yes, the answer is in the lead in. Pretty sneaky. <p></p><i></i>

[Rigorous Intuition]

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>"So that interests me, why the shift?"</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>I don't really see that shift. The Village keeps pressing for "information" until the end, or almost until the end. The second to last episode, in which he's regressed, and No. 2 play acts authority figures through his stages of life seeking the answer to his resignation, was to "Degree Absolute": one of them wasn't coming out alive. After that fails, the Village "surrenders" to him, though that's really just more play acting.<br><br>One possible shift I see is in No. 6's motivation, from escaping the Village to defeating it. <p></p><i></i>

[bvonahsen]

I'll defer to you on that point. Haven't seen it since I was a kid and was going mostly on memory.<br><br>Great show, gosh, I wonder why they're haven't been more like it? Since that time, all we have gotten is the other side. Shows that glamorize the intelligence community. Just off the top of my head I can't think of one since, anyone? One would almost think it was deliberate.<br><br>That is where I am in agreement with Hugh. I think there has been a concerted effort to present the intelligence communities and such in only positive terms. We don't get or are not allowed works by writers who have a different point of view. <br><br>Maybe one could list a few movies... but not many and certainly not recently. I can only hope this will change as more and more individuals have the tools to make their own media and the internet tools to distribute it. <p></p><i></i>

[Rigorous Intuition]

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>"Since that time, all we have gotten is the other side. Shows that glamorize the intelligence community."</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>That makes me think of McGoohan's earlier series, <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Danger Man</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> and <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Secret Agent</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, which certainly did. Though apparently over the years, his "John Drake" character exhibited increasing disillusionment with the intelligence game. <br><br> <p></p><i></i>

[Joe Hillshoist]

P M actually was cast as the first James Bond, but recommended Sean Connery.<br><br>I remeber talking to my old housemate Cg about this. We used to watch the prisoner every couple of months.<br><br>About how it was a natural progression to go from the series he did to the Prisoner.<br><br>And how what side and what number was ultimately irrelevent.<br><br>Its all about power and manipulation. And do we want our number one to be independant or not.<br><br>I also used to think that the natural successor to the prisoner was actually 'Get Smart'. But that was just from too many bongs.<br><br>One of the things that The Prisoner does very well tho is invoke that sense of the abyss.<br><br>It was one of the most psychedelic shows I have ever seen. Another funny ltittle coincidence. <p></p><i></i>

[bvonahsen]

I think you have a point there. "Get Smart" is a command. It says, Hey! wake up! these people are crazy and not that bright either. Take the cone of scilence, I bet that someone in the pentagon at the time saw that and thought it was a great idea. The plots and convoluted logic of Get Smart were really not that far removed from reality. You could say the same for Kubrick's "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb". <br><br>The difference between tragedy and comedy is only a hairs' breadth anyway. <p></p><i></i>

[Joe Hillshoist]

Thats right BV Kaos and Coontrol, and who's in control and what are they REALLY about?<br><br>Get smart was actually pretty good. Pity no one took heed of the title.<br><br>Same with kubrick.<br><br>Ever hear that Crowley saying. "The universe is a joke by the general at the expense of the particular." ??<br><br>One of the saddest things is that these days people laugh out of nastiness. There is none of that "There but for the grace of Bob go I" compassion.<br><br>Did you ever see the TV show "Thats My Bush" by the south park boys? Gee that was good. <p></p><i></i>