The Prisoner

The Prisoner never was an easy thing to understand. I guess, in principle, this recent re-imagining aimed to make the concept more accessible and easier to digest. The series presented a conclusion with some measure of coherence; but, then again, the original Prisoner nestled in the bosom of the 60s and flirted with the drugs, morales and psychedelia of that period. For the 21st century, we needed something a little more grounded in the methods and science of the now.

I have to say, Ian McKellen positively excelled in the role of Number Two. Often when you see an actor, a specific role comes to mind and it can be quite off-putting out of contest. The role you see often represents the one you most keenly associate with them – and in this case Ian’s performance means I can no longer watch ‘Lord of the Rings’ or the ‘X-Men’ movies in quite the same way. The cold menace of a man so committed and invested in his cause and beliefs, Ian gave Number Two considerable presence and gravitas. I seriously would love to meet this great actor of our time, but right now I probably wouldn’t want to be trapped in a lift with him.

The series had faults, but then so did the original, especially after McGoohan buckled under the pressure of Lew Grade to make more episodes than he’d originally intended. The latter half of the series suffered as a result with the sort of bottle episodes we loathe so much these days. Stories that didn’t push the narrative forward but simply told a tale span the series out to 17 episodes, when it could so easily have concluded in half that. The new version ran for six episodes and just about had the story for them all, though a couple ran a little thin on plot.

I’d like to think Number Two represents an interesting role model for the playing of a High Programmer. A man with a purpose that almost certainly seems at odds with his intent. An individual who delivers each word with calculated precision, each sentence representing a possible lie within a deceit wrapped in a falsehood. Number Two espouses a distilled dose of Machiavellian principles driven by a profound need to survive bordering on… well… acute paranoia.

Anyway… I liked it. A diehard fan of the original, I nevertheless have a place for the re-imagining. Be seeing you!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *