"The Prisoner" Fall Out (1968)

Director:

Patrick McGoohan

Writer:

Patrick McGoohan (written by)

TV Series:

"The Prisoner" (1967)

Original Air Date:

4 February 1968 (Season 1, Episode 16)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Plot:

After witnessing the trials of Number 2 and Number 48 and meeting the President of the Assembly, Number 6 escapes during the chaos that follows. |

Plot Keywords:

Chaos | Supervisor | Midget | Mask | Back From The Dead

Cast

Patrick McGoohan	...	Number Six
Leo McKern	...	Former Number Two
Kenneth Griffith	...	The President
Alexis Kanner	...	Number Forty Eight
Angelo Muscat	...	The Butler
Peter Swanwick	...	Supervisor
Michael Miller	...	The Delegate

Runtime:

USA:60 min

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Buckingham Palace, Westminster, London, England, UK

Company:

Everyman Films

Trivia:

Further debate revolves around Patrick McGoohan's failure to give himself a credit in the final minutes of the show. His co-stars all receive on screen credits long before the closing sequence begins, but McGoohan's credit simply reads "Prisoner".

Goofs:

Continuity: Number Six walks past the same jukebox twice. It is easily identifiable by the Lesley Gore record in it.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Supervisor: We thought you would feel happier as yourself.

Soundtrack:

September Ballad

McGoohan's Revenge

As is now better known to the general public, this episode was hatched by McGoohan after he was told that the series was to be canceled. Originally, the preceding "Once Upon a Time" was to be the final episode of the first season. McKern was to die, The Prisoner was on his way to see Number 1, and the audience would have to wait the summer to find out what happens.

McGoohan, whose political and social viewpoint was by then clear to everyone who had watched the series from its inception, was as should be expected miffed by its termination, and decided to give audience and producers alike a run for their money. The surrealism of this episode is never matched again until the finale of 'Twin Peaks'(qv). I give it a 9 rather than a 10 because the preceding episode is im(ns)ho one of the greatest pieces of television drama ever written, and therefore should not ever have another piece from the same series given equal appraisal.