Prisoner - Episodes 3 & 4 [VHS] [1967]

Patrick McGoohan plays the part of a man who resigns from his top-secret position of an unknown agency, but is soon abducted and imprisoned in a place called The Village. The reason? Why did he resign? Stripped of his name and now known only as Number 6, the prisoner makes various attempts to escape from The Village and struggles to prevent his captors from extracting this information. Such a simple story line and yet after watching all 17 episodes, the viewer is still left with more questions than answers and maybe that's where it's long standing appeal lies.

First televised in the late 60's, this show has many devotees and fan clubs, but this cult status shouldn't put off the first time viewer. I guarantee that you'll be totally enthralled by it. As for its release on DVD, the picture and sound quality are first rate and although the extra footage and Prisoner facts on each disk may be old news for Prisoner aficionados, I'm sure that they'll be welcomed by those first time viewers in their search for more answers!

A sure fire hit for all.

First off : "The Schizoid Man" which is, quite probably, the best of the 17 stories. The Prisoner wakes up to discover that he is no longer Number 6. Our hero is now Number 12 and is sporting a moustache and black hair. He's apparently in the village to confuse the "Real Number 6" (who looks just like him...minus the moustache and black hair)...Confused? Er, you will be. This is baffling but quite brilliant. After 20 minutes, you're placed in the same confusion as the protagonist : who is who?. Later episodes would alienate the audience, but this holds just the right amount of mystery to be gripping stuff. Jaw-dropping TV...Rating 5/5

"The General" is the show in statement mode, and here the target is the education system. Unfortunately, it's all rather dull and, barring a great final scene, is almost forgettable...Rating 3/5

"Many Happy Returns" is, too put it blunty, absurd. Number 6 wakes up in a deserted village and immediately makes a break for London. The ending is frustratingly brilliant and makes no sense whatsoever, but this stands out as one of the best episodes. Also worth noting is the fact that half an hour passes before anyone utters a word...Rating : 4/5

In contrast, "Dance of the Dead" is boring. Number 6 discovers a dead body on the beach...leading to unstartling results. Considering this was one of the original batch to be written, this is all the more disappoiting...Rating : 1/5

So, there you have it. As DVD's of "The Prisoner" go, this one has a good hit ratio.

"Do not Forsake Me, Oh my Darling" doesn't seem to be a popular episode among fans of the series. Perhaps this is becuase Patrick Mcgoohan is in it for about twenty seconds (in reality, he was away shooting a film), and Number 6 is played by Nigel Stock. Confused? Well, a mind swap is the wonderfully prepostrous answer. This is actually a pretty strong episode, though sorely lacking in the famous imagery from the series. Fortunately, it makes sense (no matter how barmy it is), something which is sorely lacking in numerous others episodes...Rating : 4/5

"Living in Harmony" is "The Prisoner" as a western. Great if you like metaphors but not half as clever as it thinks it is. The denoument doesn't come soon enough...Rating : 2/5

"The Girl Who Was Death" is an okay episode, set before the days when Number 6 became a prisoner. It has some wonderful moments (such as when our hero realises he has been drugged), but becomes farcial by it's conclusion...Rating : 3/5

A sort of Part 1 to a 2 part story, "Once Upon A Time" is pretty lame stuff. Odd then, that it was made so early in the show's run. A previous Number 2 (Leo Mckern) returns for one last crack at Number 6. He regresses the Prisoner to his childhood, leading to some embarassingly bad situations...Rating : 2/5

For completists, this is an essential purchase. For newcomers to this unmissable series, you'd be wise to start at the very beginning.