The New “Prisoner” Mini-Series–Number 6 is in Prison, but We Do the Time

I am a huge fan of the original “Prisoner” television series produced in the 1960s. I first saw it in college years ago and it still continues to amaze me with its intelligence and wit. Most of which comes from Number Six himself.

The original Six demonstrates a bone-dry sense of humor, remarkable force of will and a drive to succeed that is boundless. Oh, and he has some serious spy training too. When the village’s Number Two causes a woman to commit suicide through his manipulations, Number Six seeks justice on her behalf. Six does not resort to violence or threats, he spends a couple of days slowly driving Number Two insane with a non-existent plot against him. Number Two then turns himself in to village authorities for “re-education.” Six was the ultimate expression of a man with a mission and the skills to get the job done.

Sadly, after sitting through the first two hours of the new “Prisoner,” it is very clear that Number Six lost a great deal in translation. I will not go into spoiler territory with this post, but Six is really pathetic in the new effort. He doubt his own mind and spends his time taking people on excursions on buses and flirting with the cute doctor. I will finish the rest of the series, but I am deeply unimpressed so far.

Oh, one other major difference is Patrick McGoohan could act, unlike the cardboard cutout that currently has the role.

I tend to give these “re-imagined” TV series the benefit of the doubt (Battlestar Galactica turned out very well), but in this case I am now certain that “The Prisoner” should be left as an artifact of the 1960s and never remade.

Trask, The Last Tyromancer

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trask

Trask is a long-time gamer, world traveler and history buff. He hopes that his scribblings will both inform and advance gaming as a hobby.

One thought on “The New “Prisoner” Mini-Series–Number 6 is in Prison, but We Do the Time

  • November 22, 2009 at 1:41 am
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    That’s a shame. I’d hoped that a remake of “Prisoner” would feature the same solid quality of plot, but minus the beach-ball hokeyness.

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