The Prisoner (TV Series) Arrival (1967) User Reviews

Village fate

[Lejink · 9/10 · 22 September 2018]

Love how the title sequence with that terrific Ron Grainer theme welling up behind it encapsulates in three minutes the who!e premise for what was to follow.

A top-level secret agent (possibly John Drake- a case of art imitating life imitating art?) angrily resigns his position but is then kidnapped and placed in an apparently sleepy but ultra-modern village in an unknown location where he is expected to acclimate himself to the mundane unchanging way of life and also to give up information as to why he resigned. This brings him into contact with the ever changing Number 2, the village controller tasked with breaking the new Number 6 as the new arrival is termed and what follows is a succession of episodes where the individual puts himself against the system, not only asserting his own free-will but resisting the constant intrusion into his own privacy.

This classic scene-setter introduces Patrick McGoohan as the blazered, scowling, fiercely resistant Number 6 determined to beat every new Number 2 and eventually escape the Village. He tries every conventional method in this first chapter to get away only to be thwarted every time especially when he learns of the existence of "Rover" an absorbent roaring sci-fi bubble which acts as a sort of guard dog for the premises.

McGoohan is magnificent in the lead role in one of those rare TV shows which comes along and is completely unlike anything which has gone before. It baffled much of the public when first broadcast but makes more sense in today's more enlightened times.

Give it a chance and it will imprison your interest for all 17 episodes.

Inside the gilded cage

[Mr-Fusion · 9/10 · 22 September 2017]

"I will not make any deals with you. I've resigned. I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered! My life is my own!"

And so begins "the Prisoner", a pilot episode that hits the ground at full speed, the unnamed secret agent furiously slamming down his resignation and storming off - only to be gassed and awakened in a cheerily conformist seaside resort. And it never really slows down; this is bursting at the seams with plot and setup, infused with a primal energy as Number Six (Patrick McGoohan, stripped of individuality) saunters, paces and seethes with contempt. Who exactly did he work for, and why was his exit so bitter? Who runs the Village? What happens if he gives up their so-coveted information?

And what a peculiar place this is, as mystifying as it is idyllic, menacingly patrolled by a weather balloon. The world-building that goes on here is fantastic.

It's no wonder this show was a hit; it practically dares yo not to tune in next week.

9/10

The Premiere of the Premier Television Spy Drama

[darryl-tahirali · 8/10 · 1 April 2022]

Playing suave, efficient British intelligence operative John Drake, Patrick McGoohan rose to international fame in "Danger Man" (dubbed "Secret Agent" in the United States), the most realistic espionage television series of the spy-crazed 1960s, far more John le Carre than Ian Fleming even if McGoohan had been offered the role of James Bond in "Dr. No." (Obviously, he refused.)

However, McGoohan tired of the ultimately formula role and turned to creating a new approach to what was to him still a fascinating subject, the spy trade, particularly as the Cold War was still in full swing when his new series, "The Prisoner," premiered in the UK in 1967. With its 17 episodes in total, "The Prisoner" was really an extended miniseries and not intended to be a story in perpetuity, but even this relative handful of episodes remains provocative and controversial.

Indeed, debate still rages over whether McGoohan's protagonist in "The Prisoner" is simply John Drake from "Danger Man" (although one "Danger Man" episode, the chilling "Colony Three," does presage the concept behind "The Prisoner"); there is even contention about the "correct" running order of the episodes. However, there is no dispute that "Arrival," written by series' script editor George Markstein and David Tomblin, is the premiere of the premier television spy drama "The Prisoner."

Amidst the fanfare of Ron Grainer's stirring theme music, the expository tableau of how "The Prisoner" came to be that emerges: McGoohan drives to a London office complex, angrily pounds his resignation letter into the desk of a silent, impassive man (Markstein), then drives to his stylish townhouse, where dapper operatives tailing him apply knockout gas and disappear him. (An abridged version of this tableau became the visual component to the intro for almost all subsequent episodes.)

McGoohan awakes in "the Village," a bucolic seaside hamlet ringed by forest and hills ("The Prisoner" was filmed at the Italianate tourist village of Portmeirion, Wales), and quickly discovers that none of the villagers, including himself, are addressed by name, only by a number; his is Number Six, and when he meets village chieftain Number Two (Guy Doleman), you're not paying attention if you don't realize that Number Six must be a very big fish.

In fact, Number Two acknowledges that he has sensitive knowledge that makes him very valuable to other powers, which is why they want to know why he resigned. But who are "they"? Which side is running the Village? Number Six gleans that many of the residents at some point became a liability or a danger similar to him--but for whom were they working?

Following an escape attempt that lands him in the hospital, a result of running afoul of "Rover," the surreal white globes that police the Village, he sees an old colleague, Cobb (Paul Eddington), drugged or delirious, who soon jumps out the window. At his funeral, Number Six meets his lover (Virginia Maskell), who offers him an "Electropass," a device that would enable him to operate the Village helicopter, seemingly the only way out of town. But can she be trusted? Can the fetching maid (Stephanie Randall) cleaning his quarters and laying a sob story on him be believed? Why is there suddenly a new Number Two (George Baker) running the Village? And who is the silent, diminutive Butler (Angelo Muscat) gliding along the periphery? But as Number Six sees written on the wall of the labor exchange, "Questions are a burden to others; answers, a prison for oneself."

Apart from period furniture and fixtures, "The Prisoner" has dated very little because instead of focusing on Cold War mechanics, it delved into the psychology driving it, motives and ambitions and fears and betrayals inherent in human society that are timeless. And it all begins with "Arrival."

"I will not make any deals with you. I've resigned!"

[ShadeGrenade · 10/10 · 5 December 2008]

As I write this, a remake of the television classic 'The Prisoner' is nearing completion. Those of us who remember the original view the prospect with some trepidation. How many great movies/T.V. series have had their reputations sullied by remakes? Too many to name. Even the B.B.C. have gotten in on the act with 'Survivors', loosely based on Terry Nation's classic show.

With 'The Prisoner', its more worrying because the opportunities for failure are greater. Have they chosen the right man to replace Patrick McGoohan? Will the new location work out? Will the plots be dumbed down? Ah well, questions are a burden to others as someone once said, so let us wait and see.

The first episode of the original was aptly titled 'Arrival', and it was written by George Markstein and David Tomblin. An unnamed British secret agent resigns, and is swiftly abducted by unknown forces. He wakes up in a strange place known only as 'The Village'. Here other ex-agents have been incarcerated and are forced to live out their lives though with numbers in place of their names. Our hero finds himself lumbered with the number Six.

Attempts to escape from The Village usually end in failure. strange balloon-like creatures called 'Rovers' emerge from the sea, roaring like demented lions, to pursue and in some cases suffocate would-be runaways.

Number Six is told by the Chairman of The Village - Number Two - that he has only a short time to willingly co-operate, such as stating his reason for resigning, and that if he fails to do so, the information will be forcibly extracted from his mind. The local hospital is a front for a brainwashing centre. Number Six witnesses first-hand the horror of seeing people reduced to gibbering imbeciles.

The first part of 'Arrival' is devoted to setting up the premise of the show. The beautiful Portmeirion location contrasts magnificently with the cold and clinical interiors. Patrick McGoohan is, as you would expect, simply brilliant. His performance encompasses anger, confusion, wry amusement, and defiance. 'Number Two' is initially played by the late Guy Doleman ( 'Colonel Ross' in Michael Caine's 'Harry Palmer' films ) but half-way through the episode another actor - George Baker - assumes the role. Doleman's 'Number Two' is charming and polite, but Baker's is an altogether more unpleasant character. On a sad note, Virginia Maskell, who plays 'The Woman', committed suicide a short time after this was broadcast.

The second part deals with an attempt by Number Six to escape from The Village in a helicopter. Having managed to obtain an electro-pass from a woman who was emotionally attached to an old colleague called 'Cobb' ( Paul Eddington ), Number Six flies off, but as this is only the first episode it is reasonable to assume he does not get far.

'Arrival' presents us with a world where nothing is what it seems and where no-one can be trusted. Even the maps on sale in The Village shop do not tell the truth. On arriving in The Village, Number Six repeatedly bumps into the same man ( Oliver MacGreevy ) in different guises. No matter what Number Six does or where he goes, he always seems to find himself right back where he started.

I expect the new version to simplify the original's complexities, meaning it will probably not gain a cult following nor be the subject of discussion in thirty years' time. Superbly written, acted, edited, and directed, 'Arrival' is one of the greatest openings to a television series ever. If you only decide to watch one episode of 'The Prisoner', make it this one.

Be Seeing You!

Arrival

[Prismark10 · 10/10 · 11 February 2019]

They do not make them like this anymore. You would never get a series with such a long opening title sequence for a start.

I watched The Prisoner in the early 1980s. I was determined that I would understand it all. Some hope, even its main creative force, star and producer Patrick McGoohan could not figure it by the end. McGoohan did give an interview on television cryptically stating it was all in No 6's mind. A prisoner of the mind is the best it gets as far as an explanation goes.

McGoohan made his name on British television as John Drake in Dangerman. Here, we see McGoohan play an unnamed operative who quits British Intelligence. It is fair to assume he is Drake.

After he arrives home, he is gassed and he wakes up in the Village. It is like a self contained Butlins holiday camp. The Prisoner is assigned a number, the Number 6. He is controlled by Number 2, who explains the rules of the Village. Number 6 is a valuable commodity with the things he knows. Number 2 wants to know why he quit.

Number 6 just wants to escape and live a normal life. He is not a number but a free man. It is not possible, the Village is controlled. The inhabitants cannot be trusted and there are barriers in place to prevent any escape, especially the giant balloon, a rover that could disable you.

This is a mysterious, unnerving, even a psychedelic thriller. It is a one of a kind type of series. It was shot in an Italian style village in Portmeirion, North Wales.

Innovative, expensive to make and so well realised. There have been degree modules examining this series.

The opening episode just bolts out of the blocks. Number 6 is a pawn, friends who he knew are playing him. Even Number 2 changes midway because Number 6 is so determined to escape.

A classic opening to a television great.

Resignation

[AaronCapenBanner · 10/10 · 9 June 2015]

First episode of the classic British series that stars Patrick McGoohan as a mysterious British secret agent who, as the opening credits show, angrily resigns from service for undisclosed reasons, but it because of those reasons that he finds himself knocked out by a gas, then taken to a remote and regimented place called the village, where he is told by number two(who can change without notice...) no one has names, but numbers, and he is assigned the number six, which he utterly rejects, and vows to escape from this "prison", but that will prove to be most difficult indeed... Solid way to begin the series establishes "Six" quite well indeed, with fine acting and atmosphere throughout, creating true viewer interest in what this is all about.

Enjoy this more with a transitional TV experience ....

[mbanak · 10/10 · 16 September 2017]

When McGoohan started this series, he was capitalizing on the momentum he established for the main character, in another TV series in the 1960's. In the USA, it was known as "Secret Agent" and in the UK, it was known as "Danger Man". The lead character, John Drake, never lost, but for 2 profound episodes, and in yet another episode, he purposely scaled back his efforts for ethical reasons. IN certain episodes of Danger Man, you see a simmering Drake, ready to explode, often in reaction to some outrageous stunt performed by his handlers. In most episodes, this wasn't necessary. But you did get a taste of Drake's ethics. He was clean, likable and strong. Youngsters like me were stunned to see Secret Agent/Danger Man canceled, and replaced with this odd show, The Prisoner. Early manuscripts make it plain that McGoohan was considering The Prisoner a continuation of the John Drake character. Over time, that connection seems to fade, especially for the season finale of The Prisoner. Viewers like me, however, could not be fooled. It was the same John Drake and the same brilliance through nearly the entire series. If you want to go rushing into The Prisoner with an authentic experience from its original broadcast, I urge viewers to drink in a couple of episodes of "Danger Man" (aka Secret Agent) to get a glimpse of the character, before he winds up a prisoner in The Village. One or two episodes will do. At a minimum, watch "Whatever Happened to George Foster". That shows you the rebel Drake. Rebellious in a good way, bucking his unethical superiors. IF you want one more to round out the character, try "A Very Dangerous Game". Both of these episodes were directed by the very same director for this episode of The Prisoner: "Arrival". The highly skilled Don Chaffey. Enjoy!

The Setup

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 16 February 2015]

Patrick McGoohan plays Number Six. We don't know his real name, just that he is high profile spy who has chosen to "resign." Whatever the reason, he is drugged and placed in a kind of Club Med resort area which is actually a prison. There is a control center where Number Two watches over him with his cohorts. Being kind of a James Bond type, Number Six does what he can to escape but is unable to break the barriers. Everything is local and any conveyance for getting beyond the property is under the thumb of the authorities. We don't know their true motives, other than they want to know why he retired. He does everything any self-respecting Type A personality would do. He wrecks things, runs away, abuses people, but to no avail. The perimeter is patrolled by a gigantic white beach ball that has deadly capabilities. At one point he is captured by the thing and ends up in the hospital where he meets up with a former colleague. We are introduced to the participants in this drama which only ran for a single season. I watched it faithfully in the sixties and am excited to have another look.

Best First Episode of a Series Ever

[aramis-112-804880 · 10/10 · 29 April 2022]

A resigning spy (Patrick McGoohan, who played John Drake in "Danger Man" and "Danger Man/Secret Agent") is abducted and whisked away to a mysterious village with bizarre architecture, whose inhabitants range from child-like to zombie. Apparently, after telling the bosses everything they wanted to know their minds are reduced to that level. As long as they get along everything necessary for a comfortable existence is given them. But if they raise a ruckus or try to leave, a huge, white blob sets on them and when it attacks one winds up on the hospital--at best.

The place is ridiculous. Straw hats, pennyfarthing bikes, colorful taxis, brass bands, lava lamps (then the latest thing) . . . It's a lovely throwback where people have time to sit in sidewalk cafes, have liesurely chess games, and watch women in bikinis frollicking with beach balls, with the cheerful voice of Fenella Fielding pleasantly telling everyone what to do . . . Now!

To have an easy life all one has to do is collaborate, accept being numbered and lose one's identity.

And then there's no. 2. He apparently runs the place. Apparently.

Guy Doleman (Thunderball, the Ipcress File) was an inspired choice for the first no.2. He can be by turns jovial and old-boyish with a "play the game" attitude; and then quietly threatening.

Then the true nature of the village is revealed when Doleman's no.2 vanishes without explanation and is replaced by George Baker, who has a mean streak a yard wide (mark his delight when the new Prisoner tries to fly away by helicopter--beautifully sadistic, like a cat toying with a small animal it means to kill when it's had its fun).

This Village is a place where nothing can be trusted . . . And surveillance is constant. Not only is there no individuality, there's no privacy. The scene where the Prisoner says what he wants for breakfast only to have the little butler lift lids to show it's already there used to be spooky. Now we have internet ads pop up on our computers perfectly tailored to our preferences. Brrrr. Doesn't that scare anyone anymore?

This opening episode sets up what one expects from a series: the new Prisoner will spend his days trying to escape from the village in the midst of a constant battle of wits against a neverending line of number twos.

And one's expectations will have the rug ripped out from under them.

What's "The Prisoner" really about? That, as the children say, would be telling.

Made at the height of the Cold War, it's the sort of show Brits and Americans thought they were accustomed to.

After DINO president Kennedy won the confrontation about missiles in Cuba, then authorized attempts to kill Castro, started a proxy war against the USSR in Viet Nam and was shot by a Castro-loving Communist, tensions between the Free World and the Communists--who included a lot of fifth-column Americans--were at their height.

So this series looked like another entry in the post-Bond "Spy Race." Which "side" ran the village? Who was number One? Would "the Prisoner" escape?

But that sort of questioning would slowly become beside the point.

Subsequent episodes would prove fun and frustrating, hilarious and hellish. And overall, inconsistent. Many episodes, like "a change of mind," are more relevant in the twenty-first century than they were then, with speech codes being erected like so many Berlin walls to keep people from trodding on delicate toes (a sign in the Village reads, "A STILL TONGUE MAKES FOR A HAPPY LIFE").

We're all in the Village now. And we know who "which side" runs it. The side that erects speech codes.

But to quote Rosanne Rosannadanna, Never mind. "The Prisoner" (TV show) may meditate on issues of privacy and individuality and free thought and the horrors words otherwise seemingly innocuous words like "community" and "democracy" may lead to (if you're always crying out loud for democracy and think "freedom" is a trigger word, watch the episode "Free for All." It's all about you).

But "The Prisoner" rarely tackles issues in a pedantic way with "this side" being right and "that side" being wrong. I have friends on both sides of the current political divide in America who love this show and think it supports their views.

Too, it's shot through with people we today would call "stars." Though they might not all shine brightly. Fine actors, supporting players, the occasional beautiful ingenue.

What do I think? "The Prisoner" may be the most overrated TV show ever, probably because it's in so many ways inexplicable. Any art we can't understand has the illusion of depth.

But it's colorful, well-written and full of unexpected twists. And for those who enjoy them, it's also full of fistfights. But not car chases, and this first episode explains that via one of the cloned gardeners.

I love this show (up to the last couple of rotten episodes) even though I think the whole thing is an elaborate leg-pull. But I love a good joke.

A Decent Enough Start

[Samuel-Shovel · 6/10 · 17 June 2019]

In the pilot of The Prisoner "Arrival", a British agent resigns from his post, only to be knocked out and kidnapped by unknown assailants. He wakes up in a strange village seemingly completely isolated from the outside world. It sooner becomes apparent he's in some sort of luxurious prison where people with knowledge too important to be released are sent when they are deemed a liability. His resignation caused some red flags and, until they feel satisfied as to why he resigned, this man must stay here

He meets some of the other residents. Number Two appears to be one of his jailers, informing him they'll get the information out of his head one way or another. We also meet a doctor whose hospital is a front for some kind of brainwashing scheme of uncooperative residents.

Our hero Number Six (the number given to him) sees a man named Cobb in the hospital, an agent he knew from the outside. Cobb commits suicide shortly after their conversation. At his funeral, Number Six meets Cobb's grieving lover who gives him a pass that should be able to get him into a helicopter to escape. As he leaves the village, the helicopter is remotely controlled by HQ and re-lands where he originally stole it. It is revealed Cobb was alive the whole time and this was all a ruse to break Number Six of his rebellious tendencies.

I've heard a lot of good things about this show and can see immediately why it's a cult classic. The premise is super cool and the set design and location is absolutely breathtaking. That being said, this pilot is a bit of a mess. The camera work gave me a headache and sometimes we're moving so fast that it's too difficult for the viewer to keep up.

I have hope though that this will improve as the season goes along and we get a better understanding of the world building and characters in play. I'm not sure how I feel about Patrick McGoohan's acting chops. He's very herky-jerky in his movements and dialogue. It's too early for me to tell whether that plays into the role well or not.

Still, I'm definitely intrigued by the show and am going to give this 1 season show a go.

The opening episode stands out by oddity!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 8 December 2019]

I've always recognize Patrick McGoohan as a great British actor, even he quite often playing bad guys, in this new series ( at least for me) that I've never hear before, I've bought by Box-set for the main character, my first impression has a bit disappoint in this opening episode, when he as British secret agent is fed up with something and offers his dismissal, afterwards he was kidnapped to an unknown place called simply by the Village, where supposedly is impossible to escape, he was taken to be interviewed about their exactly reasons to let him drop out of the secret service, however the number six as they re-named him, didn't want give any information and trying run away from there, many them failed attempts, there he meets a former secret agent at hospital in the same condition , later he found dead, suddenly appears a widow's agent that has an unerring scheme to leave there, acceptable introducing series, what's coming up next, thus we can say more!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD/ Rating: 7.25

Weak.

[bombersflyup · 2/10 · 2 September 2019]

I must have missed all the entertainment everyone's talking about. Other than the balloon that crushes people to death, it's incredibly dull. The whole show's going to be this fake community, where people are assigned tasks by the boss and McGoohan trying to escape each week, I'll pass.

I use to watch this as a kid!

[mm-39 · 6/10 · 1 April 2022]

I use to watch this as a kid with my sister. I was on Tubi and rewatched the Arrival on fast forward. The prisoner is in a strange small town. No idea how he got there. Asks the inhabitants many questions and gets politician style answers. A former agent himself number six finds out there is no escape from the town which is the prison. Not badly acted, or directed. But yes there is a but done in a cheesy 60's way with sets, music and directing. One can see the story line and plot twists a mile away. Probably because the series has been done over so many times, which make the show predictable. 6 stars.

Somehow Disappointing

[mrdonleone · 4/10 · 25 December 2019]

For many years I was looking forward to see this great action series filled with fantasy and all these difficult different things I don't know your pussy cat ya no not a pussy gets yeah so anyway and then I'll see that I buy for my sweetheart and then all of a sudden it turns out to be such a stupid first Siri at first episode of the series and then of course you wonder if it's so silly and most silly over. Is everything the islands the behavior that the costumes the music or the lack of it and then especially those dangerous right balloons that are going up and down all the time and then during the people who try to escape and all these crazy things it's really not good and because of this you don't really want to see the rest of the series but then again the series is famous of being such a good series so definitely you will see it but you will it still a little bit it's like South Park the game is really not that good or not that great but the series is marvellous and the same thing with these are supposed to first episode really is not that good now but it wasn't those days of course when people didn't know so much about the Illuminati and the money hungry wolves of Hollywood but then again this is all how it goes and how it is by the way this is not Hollywood this is the UK but then again the media is all one big same thing look at The DaVinci code it says it right away and what can we say what can we do it's the way it is of course you need to be seen movies a bit more often to be able to come to this conclusion and if you come to the conclusion that you can only come to the same conclusion that life sucks it's not good and if you come to the conclusion that you get either incredibly paranoid or you live by yourself if you live by yourself you can see and choose the movies by yourself the ones you want to see and same thing with serious like this beautiful The prisoner which is actually beautiful series only the first episode wasn't so great but the ID is okay only the ID has been complicated and Storm by many and maybe this was the first time you don't know it but we shall see it in the future in sha Allah Allahu Akbar as Muslims we didn't like the first episode that we would like the rest inshallah