"The Prisoner" The Girl Who Was Death (1968)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

David Tomblin

Writers:

Terence Feely (written by)
David Tomblin (idea)

TV Series:

"The Prisoner" (1967)

Original Air Date:

21 January 1968 (Season 1, Episode 14)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Back in London, Number 6 is trying to track down a crazed scientist who is protected by his homicidal daughter. |

Plot Keywords:

Explosive Device | Car Chase | Steam Bath | Colonel | Machine Gun

Cast

Patrick McGoohan	...	Number Six
Kenneth Griffith	...	Schnipps / Number Two
Justine Lord	...	Sonia
Christopher Benjamin	...	Potter
Michael Brennan	...	Killer Karminski
Harold Berens	...	Boxing M.C.
Sheena Marshe	...	Barmaid (as Sheena Marsh)
Max Faulkner	...	Scots Napoleon
John Rees	...	Welsh Napoleon
Joe Gladwin	...	Irish Napoleon
John Drake	...	Bowler
Gaynor Steward	...	Little Girl
Graham Steward	...	First Little Boy
Stephen Howe	...	Second Little Boy

Trivia:

This episode was originally written for "Danger Man" (1964).

Goofs:

Continuity: In Number Two's headquarters, we see Number Two turn off the monitor he's using to watch Number Six. After Number Two briefly speaks with his colleague, the shot changes and shows that the monitor is back on, and we see and hear Number Six again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
The Prisoner: Busy, Potter?
Potter: [disguised as a shoeshine boy] It's our form of Siberia.

Sweet Dreams

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

A spy who looks a lot like Number Six (Patrick MaGoohan) is assigned "Mission Impossible"-style to look into the murder of a British scientist. Soon he finds himself the next target of a comely assassin named "Death" (played Justin Lord with a touch too much eye makeup). Among the unkind things she does to him, Lady Death locks the spy in a steam bath, leaves him dangling over a bed of spikes, and traps him in a room full of poison-emitting candles which will explode if he blows them out.

As a framing device, each step in this "trail of Death" is illustrated in a children's storybook with the tale eventually leading to a madman with a Napolean complex plotting to destroy London.

In the final moments of the episode, the mad genius and his daughter, Death, are blown to bits by the heroic spy. Then we discover this has all been an elaborate bedtime story told by Number Six to a roomful of little children. We also see that the would-be Napolean and Lady Death are actually Number 2 and his assistant. As they spy on Number Six from the control room of The Village, the two grumble about the failure of this latest plan, for even among a group of innocent children Number Six will not let his guard down.

This one is considered something of an oddity because it spends so little time within the mysterious Village. It's also far less dramatic in tone than other episodes, and though "The Girl Who Was Death" is essentially played as a spoof, it does feature some very exciting action sequences with MaGoohan cleverly getting himself out of one tight scrape after another.

While it may not be completely in keeping with the approach of most episodes of "The Prisoner", it seems acceptable to have such a change-of-pace entry in what was essentially a very experimental series.

Plus, it also nicely showcases star Patrick MaGoohan's abilities, both as an action star as well as a comedic actor. You can definitely see here why he was the original choice of producers to play James Bond and how tremendous he would have been in that role.