Thoughts on the finale of AMC's 'The Prisoner'
So what was it all about? The Fien Print gives one interpretation on the fate of 2, 6 and the other numbers
Ruth Wilson and Jim Caviezel of 'The Prisoner'
Credit: AMC
When I wrote up my review of "The Prisoner" on Saturday, all I could do was promise you that even if the series didn't immediately seem to be distinguishing itself from the Patrick McGoohan original, writer Bill Gallagher had his own unique agenda to put across.
Now, with all six hours in the books, I feel inclined to at least briefly delve into some of those themes, because I find the miniseries so very intriguing, if not wholly successful in its execution.
Since I know that some people will plan on watching "The Prisoner" in a big block this weekend or maybe catch it on DVD or possibly download the whole thing off of iTunes, all spoilers will be reserved until after the break.
Click through...
In my review, I warned y'all that the entire theme of the miniseries (or one strong theme of the miniseries) could be encapsulated in the lyrics of the closing song.
That song? The Beach Boys' "I Know There's an Answer," off of my pick for the greatest album of the 20th Century.
I could just cut and past Brian Wilson's lyrics here and call it a day, but let's just go with the first verse and move on.
"I know so many people who think they can do it alone
They isolate their heads and stay in their saftey zones
Now what can you tell them
And what can you say that won't make them defensive
I know there's an answer
I know now but I have to find it by myself"
While the original "Prisoner" gave its viewers a mish-mash of trippy, ambiguous endings that have been read and reinterpreted for four decades (and more to come), AMC's "Prisoner" gave an answer. A concrete, if slightly baffling answer.
The Village? It's all in their heads.
OK, fine.
First reaction: How the heck does that work? Literally, I mean. There was still one level of practical reality that the miniseries skipped out on, the pull-back reveal of bodies in capsules with their heads all hooked up to wires as freaky octopus creatures fed on their emotions or some other "Matrix" or "Dark City"-style construct.
I don't have an answer for that. I also can't really be bothered to try to figure it out. What would that gain?
A better question is: Why? Don't just say "It was all in their head" and walk away as if that's some sort of answer for that Gallagher and director Nick Hurran were trying to do with "The Prisoner." This wasn't a series that was building to a shocking twist ending. "It was all in their head" wasn't a twist for the sake of a twist. It was a twist that tied together everything that this "Prisoner" was that the original "Prisoner" was not.
Because this is my blog, I'm gonna give my reading and folks are free to disagree as they see fit.
Like the original, this "Prisoner" was about surveillance, but it was about a world in which we're constantly being watched, but nobody's really seeing or processing anything. What good is it to have cameras everywhere if those cameras can't prevent tragedies? It's not a coincidence that the Summakor buildings hovered on the outskirts of The Village like reanimated Twin Towers or that the heart of the story's alleged "real" world was New York City. We can watch all we like. We can film everything we like. But vigilance has its limitations. And it's not just the big things we're missing, the terrorist acts that we spy too late to take action. We're not noticing the people around us. We live in bubbles of our own devising. We're encouraged to peep and then punished for peeping (just like 1100, the little Village girl in "Anvil").
Jim Caviezel's Six (or Michael) was targeted because he was a professional observer, but more than that, he noticed people. His job was surveillance, but he actually was able to recognize that some people under his watch had change, that they'd transformed.
The transformation was seemingly one for the better. The Village was a psych experiment which, we're told, left people feeling better.
The Village was the ultimate placebo, but it's reflective of a society in which people prefer to handle their pain and emotional troubles in any way other than actually feeling that pain and facing those troubles. It's communal healing without any sort of real world community, an artificial way of feeling like you're connected to a larger group without ever truly leaving your living room or ever getting out of bed or ever taking the needle out of your arm.
The Village is Second Life. The Village is World of Warcraft. The Village is Facebook or Twitter. But, perhaps even more so, The Village is Dr. Phil or Dr. Oz, with Number 2 as a seemingly benevolent paternal figure providing cryptical platitudes and empty smiles and meaningless distractions. No, the new "Prisoner" didn't have the entertaining series of 2s that fans loved in the original, but it also left no doubt that Ian McKellen's 2 wouldn't be the first or last 2. How many people are content to let Glenn Beck be their 2? Or Oprah? Who will be next week's 2?
So "The Prisoner" puts viewers in an interesting position: For five hours, 6 ran around trying to tell everybody that they were trapped in a prison, while the other inhabitants just smiled and went on with their lives, lives in which they didn't crave self-destructive vices or in which lost loved ones were still present. And in the last hour, we seemed to see that, in the real world, The Village really was having beneficial effects. With the help of The Village -- however the heck it works -- the characters played by Lennie James and Ruth Wilson were, once again, functional happy members of society. Disconnected from The Village, the pain returned.
Happiness in a lie with no free will? Or pain in a harsh real world in which free will is frequently fickle or artificial? How many people would take the easy out and just say "Screw free will, I want to eat wraps, sight-see and get a nice tan."
"The world is not a pretty thing when you look at it too close. We fell in love with atrocity. We make pornography and call it news, the daily fix of horror," 2 tells 6.
Well screw the world.
That leaves Michael/Six with a choice at the end: He can either destroy the whole thing and send people back to their lives or he can sacrifice his real life to stay in The Village. And would you expect Jim Caviezel to make anything other than the Symbolic Jesus Choice? Michael's first order of business will be stopping those darned sinkholes, within the sinkholes presumably representing the unwanted incursion of reality. Away, sinkholes! He vows to do a better job than Ian McKellen's 2 did. But what would that even mean? And how damning was 313's dead-eyed stare at the end, as they sit "happily" and psycho-medicated on a sand dune? It's a horrible choice he's made, but it's also an honorable choice, of a horrible sort. But mostly horrible.
I've seen people making the "Matrix" comparison, but I think "The Prisoner" probably has more in common with "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" or "Dollhouse," dramas in which people choose escape over coping and forgetfulness over the agony of experienced memory. "The Prisoner" fits into a discussion that's been very central to the popular culture of the new millennium. It's like I said in my original review when I said that one possible criticism/comparison is that the original "Prisoner" was both reflective and prescient, while the new one is mostly reflective.
I can live with that.
Anyway, as I mentioned in my review, I wrote multiple grad school essays on the original "Prisoner" and I think it would be easy (and not unrewarding) to do the same on the new version, since I've barely discussed the tip of the iceberg. But I have other work to do today, darnit.
But first... One last listen to "I Know There's an Answer."
Chime in, readers... What did you end up thinking of "The Prisoner"?
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At the dawn of the 21st Century, Daniel Fienberg came out to Los Angeles for grad school. He hasn't left. "The Fien Print" is a blog about television -- reviews, interviews, analysis -- but it's also about movies and the business of Hollywood. It probably won't be a blog about the Red Sox, though it might seem like that at times.
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupPetraneferu
November 18, 2009 at 3:33PM EST Reply to CommentIntriguing review, thanks!
Still processing the series. Just wanted to comment though, that if you've ever tried to take your pain and deal with it in the context of today's society, you find yourself getting isolated really fast. People don't have a community of support anymore, and no one wants you to be anything other than shallow and entertaining. Like say, people on TV, for instance.
I thought this version of The Prisoner was a perfect metaphor for our current culture. The fact that our culture is a mess means this series had some issues, but on the whole, it made me think, and for that I'm grateful. I prefer the original though. :)
John I disagree that you cannot find a community of support to deal with pain. Granted that society as a whole does not deal well with other's pain but there are groups that know that pain and have a plan to help experience and work through it. The plan itself is painful and the pain doesn't go away but the pain and life are more sucessfully managed.
November 22, 2009 at 2:09PM ESTCommenter
November 18, 2009 at 5:52PM EST Reply to CommentI was very intrigued by the first two segments of the miniseries, and extremely disappointed by the third. The killings and suicides were so uncreative, and unfortunately, far too disturbing for my 11-year-old to watch (having built up some excitement with him regarding my recollections of the original series). Thankfully, he slept through the episode.
Kat
November 18, 2009 at 6:25PM EST Reply to CommentI was mostly confused as to what happened to the people who died in the Village - or why 2 would blow them up, or why he'd at least threaten to. There was some offhand comment about having to run the Village how he wanted to, which would require some elimination of free will, but it seemed like instilling fear and distrust among the villagers wouldn't actually be beneficial to their real-life selves.
arash
November 18, 2009 at 9:45PM EST Reply to CommentI was completely confused - if the village is all in the mind of one person how did all the other people live in her mind?
November 19, 2009 at 7:28AM EST Reply to CommentGood review, would have loved to hear a bit more about the role of "The Dreamer" who apparently was responsible for constructing the fabric of The Village.
Paul
November 19, 2009 at 9:46AM EST Reply to CommentEssentially they had found a way to tap into the collective unconsciousness and tie together people in a shared experience with the aid of a dreamer to hold the reality in place. When they helped people find calm, consistent lives in this shared, stabilized dream existence they had some benefit in their real lives. Some of the people involved would have bleed over between their consciousness and unconsciouse dream selves. If you died in the Village/dream reality your unconsciouseness was pulled out of the shared experience and you lost any benefit you'd gained from being in that state. So anybody could opt out from the Village by dying at any time. There are some additional aspects of this that are ambiguous such as the lives of children who didn't have an analog real life existence. I thoroughly enjoyed this miniseries and would remind fans of the original that the final episode had a LOT of criticism when it aired as well.
Joan
November 19, 2009 at 10:49AM EST Reply to CommentI disagree. It was poorly written, poorly edited, poorly cast ( particularly the awful, Shakespearian-style-acting kid -- what was 2 doing raising a kid in the village ? & if there was no real-world equivalent of the kid, what was the provenance of the kid ? ), had no fun in it whatsoever ( unlike the original ), & had a pacing as slow as molasses. The ending I guessed from the beginning -- they had dug themselves into far too many plot-holes, so make it a dream. --Joan
dan Joan - The kid in The Village was the kid they didn't have in real life, the child they wished to have. His presence was intended as part of their own healing. But as he was a whole cloth creation, he was rebellious and uncontrollable, which made 2's love for the kid even more heartbreaking. And the ending *wasn't* that it was all a dream. -Daniel
November 19, 2009 at 12:09PM ESTNot a Number
November 19, 2009 at 4:57PM EST Reply to CommentI find it disturbing that the message of the Prisoner remake is exactly opposite of the original.
In the original, the Village was a prison, and conforming to it was the death of the individual-- surrendering your free will, your hopes and aspirations, your privacy, your right to self-determination. In the remake, the Village is your salvation: it is there to heal you, make you better, and the loss of free will, privacy and self-determination are all still part of that process. But they're good for you, and you'll be all better for it.
I also find it disturbing that this concept is not explored or commented on all.
dan Of course the concept is explored and commented on, Not a Number. The first five hours of the miniseries are all about the loss of free will and the Village as a prison. Then, in the last hour, 6 makes a choice. But like I said, it's a horrible choice he makes and the miniseries doesn't make the choice seem like anything other than a possibly misplaced and misconsidered decision. In my opinion, at least... - Daniel
November 19, 2009 at 5:14PM ESTBarry
November 19, 2009 at 10:12PM EST Reply to CommentGreat discussion folks but as a fan of the original this was very dissapointing. I was bored half way in to it to the point where I forced myself to watch just to see if it got better. It did not. I thought the beginning scene with a Prisoner attempting to escape who looked rather like an old Patrick Mcgoohan in beige slacks and blue jacket with Piping silly, and then the predictable be seeing you was uttered!I shook my head.
The original is timeless and as relevant today as ever.
This version will quickly fade away
Barry
Will Trame
November 20, 2009 at 8:21AM EST Reply to CommentAs thought provoking as the AMC "Prisoner" revival was, I still prefer the Patrick McGoohan original, as that version will continue to inspire controversy and debate down through the coming decades; I'm not too sure about this remake. From the onset, I felt that this particular village was a dreamworld where, when reality began to threaten the illusion, the sinkholes would form. There were some issues that this miniseries should have addressed, such as: Does the presence of Two require the existence of One? What did the towers represent? Was it the home of One? Did Six ultimately become One? Was that the apt conclusion of his rebellion? The locale did not particularly help the concept. Portmeirion, with its diverse architectural hodgepodge, presented the viewer with the sense of being everywhere, yet nowhere. This desert environment was aesthetically unappealing; all the buildings (save Two's palatial estate) looked the same for the most part. I am glad I had a chance to view this program as I love shows that make you THINK about life and existence. Will this AMC remake be remembered 40 years on? Hard to surmise at this point but I hope it encourages some constructive intelligent debate. Be seeing you...!
viewer viewing
November 22, 2009 at 8:18PM EST Reply to CommentThe commercials were good. The PalmPre girl. The Geico gecko. I don't know what that other stuff was all about. Something about a man running round aimlessly.
JoAnne M.
November 23, 2009 at 9:20PM EST Reply to CommentI remember watching The Prisoner in the 60's. Wasn't the final episode where Patrick MaGoohan finds out that he is, in fact, #1 and was free to leave anytime he wanted? I LOVED the 60's series and hated the AMC production. It was belabored, confusing, disjointed, though the acting was great!
linda lee
December 3, 2009 at 2:08PM EST Reply to CommentI really liked your analogy to facebook, twitter and Oprah as the alternate reality. I was intrigued by the series yet left unsatisfied by the ending. I wish they would of been even a bit more clearer. Though I do realize part of the appeal is the ambiguity
Ms. Michele D. Kostelnik
December 7, 2009 at 2:16AM EST Reply to CommentI did not see the 1960's version or read the book.
This society has become so disconnected from right and wrong that we seem to have forgotten who made the Universe. Everyone having numbers for names in this Village is appropriate. We have been reduced to that. Horrible. Our values have just washed away. The lives in this film are sad to say the least. It was quite depressive and eye opening. It provoked me to see how sick we have all become. God help us all.
You are #6
December 26, 2009 at 4:54PM EST Reply to CommentThis series simply wasn't made in a way that was satisfying. Because it lacked the humor of original the series became cheesy in many parts. It had some promise to it though.. The story arcs within it like 6's marriage to the spy was simply corny. The original didn't attempt to block in a reality and was content with being very comic book like in it's style which gave it a more tongue in cheek feeling.
Number One
September 9, 2010 at 7:26AM EST Reply to CommentThis effing horrible remake of the great series The Prisoner is a complete POS and a complete waste of everyones time. It is so bad. Cancel it and get on with some quality stuff.
b
May 11, 2011 at 9:34PM EST Reply to CommentWhat you failed to include, and what the entire miniseries failed to include, is a simple explanation of what the heck is going on! In the last 2 episodes, six's mind switches between the village and somewhere, sometime outside the village, making everything extremely confusing to just get a basic grasp of. This show is very meaningful,but very confusing, but the fact that one company was behind it all kind of ruins it for me. And as a final note, the previews and trailer for it were EXTREMELY misleading, giving me an entirely different idea of what the show was going to be like, abd more of that six would actually TRY to get out, and not stop after episode 3 or 4. Instead, he just gave up, and eventually just pleaded with 2. Also, what was up with anti-2, aka 2 times 2? Did he actually exist? I dont think so, i just think 2 wanted a little fun, especially because you never see the normal 2 when all of that is going on. HE just tells everyone that there is another version of him out there so he could get away with having one caarefree and peaceful day.
Ben
May 11, 2011 at 9:35PM EST Reply to CommentWhat you failed to include, and what the entire miniseries failed to include, is a simple explanation of what the heck is going on! In the last 2 episodes, six's mind switches between the village and somewhere, sometime outside the village, making everything extremely confusing to just get a basic grasp of. This show is very meaningful,but very confusing, but the fact that one company was behind it all kind of ruins it for me. And as a final note, the previews and trailer for it were EXTREMELY misleading, giving me an entirely different idea of what the show was going to be like, abd more of that six would actually TRY to get out, and not stop after episode 3 or 4. Instead, he just gave up, and eventually just pleaded with 2. Also, what was up with anti-2, aka 2 times 2? Did he actually exist? I dont think so, i just think 2 wanted a little fun, especially because you never see the normal 2 when all of that is going on. HE just tells everyone that there is another version of him out there so he could get away with having one caarefree and peaceful day.
I liked the review, though.