History Series / ThePrisoner

The series deals with the conflict between individuality and authority, told through an unnamed man's attempts to escape from a surreal {{Dystopia}}n penal colony. Almost uniquely (for a series of that era not based upon a novel), it had a distinct StoryArc. The episodes had no clear progression, but the series did have a distinct beginning, middle and end, capped off by the GrandFinale "Fall Out".

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Kenneth Griffith wanted his character in "The Girl Who Was Death" to be based on [[ThoseWackyNazis Hitler]]. Thankfully, Patrick McGoohan [[DudeNotFunny didn't think this was funny,]] and made him change it to [[NapoleonBonaparte Napoleon]].

* RecycledScript: "The Girl Who Was Death" is adapted from an unused ''Series/DangerMan'' script, which is why it feels so much like a ''Danger Man'' episode, at least at first. This fact is also used as ammunition by those who believe No. 6 and John Drake are the same character.

* StuntDouble: Patrick McGoohan's stunt double was Frank Maher who, as well as doing the physically demanding stuff, would also stand in for Patrick McGoohan in long shots where the character was just running (this was also McGoohan to concentrate on his other duties as writer/producer/director). He was also featured prominently in the episode 'The Schizoid Man' which featured No. 6's Doppleganger.

'''Prisoner:''' Who is Number One?\\

* PurelyAestheticGender: Outside of "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling" (produced when [=McGoohan=] largely wasn't there) the characters' genders make no real difference to the plot.

* CommonKnowledge: When the character of the Prisoner is referenced in other works, it is common to see him placed in his black vest with white piping and the number six lapel pin. This may make serve to make the reference clear, but the original Prisoner took the No. 6 pin off practically as soon as he was given it; he ''never'' wore his number willingly, except under extreme duress (like being brainwashed into campaigning enthusiastically for himself in "Free For All").

* {{Hero Ball}}/{{WhatAnIdiot}}: Although No. 6 is the show's OnlySaneMan ''most'' of the time, it's hard not to FacePalm while watching "Many Happy Returns" when he [[spoiler: ends up at Beachy Head with its famous lighthouse and ''doesn't recognise it'', falls asleep on a truck without even bothering to hide himself, and subsequently goes straight back to his own home, even though he already ''knows'' from previous episodes that his former friends are after him.]]

* '''The Supervisor''': A nearly-emotionless balding gentleman with thick square glasses who runs the security room. He appears in many but not all episodes (and in a few of them his appearances are StockFootage).

* GainaxEnding: After footsying around with metaphor and allegory for the entire series, the GrandFinale goes ''completely'' allegorical... so much so that there's actually a fairly good case for calling this trope the Fall Out Ending or the Prisoner Ending instead.
* GenreBuster

* XanatosRoulette: Many of the ploys designed by the Number Twos involve ''very'' convoluted chains of events to work. "It's Your Funeral" really stands out for the circular logic required to justify Number 6 being involved in the story (a group planning to assassinate Number 2 wants 6 to learn about them, so he can warn Number 2 and not be believed, rather than just staying secret in the first place).

** "Arrival" is definitely ThePilot and "Fall Out" is definitely the GrandFinale (with "Once Upon A Time" directly preceding its events, making it the second half of a two parter of sorts). Other than that, no one can really say beyond a reasonable doubt what order the episodes should be watched in.[[hottip:*:some fans will even argue that since every episode except "Fall Out" begins with Number Six being abducted and confronting that episode's Number Two for the first time, every individual episode is actually in a different AlternateUniverse]]

* GovernmentConspiracy: Exactly who the conspiracy ''is'' is a complete mystery, and No. 6 is frustrated in early efforts to determine which side of the ColdWar is running the Village. One No. 2 suggests that it really doesn't matter, as the two sides of the ColdWar are becoming increasingly similar. However, No. 6's superiors are shown to be in league with the Village.
** ''One'' of his superiors works for the Village, and that could easily be explained by him simply being a double agent or TheMole.

* AllJustADream: The resolution of two of the later episodes, where the majority of the episode is revealed to be a simulated dream or a fictional story being improvised by a character. And then there's the episode where Number Two decides to invade Number Six's dreams...
** And arguably, the final episode... or the entire series.
* AnachronicOrder: "Arrival" is definitely ThePilot and "Fall Out" is definitely the GrandFinale (with "Once Upon A Time" directly preceding its events, making it the second half of a two parter of sorts). Other than that, no one can really say beyond a reasonable doubt what order the episodes should be watched in.[[hottip:*:some fans will even argue that since every episode except "Fall Out" begins with Number Six being abducted and confronting that episode's Number Two for the first time, every individual episode is actually in a different AlternateUniverse]]

* ArcWords: While the series didn't last long enough to form full story arcs, the General is name-dropped well in advance of appearing.

* BadassBoast: In "The Chimes of Big Ben," Number Six claims he can do even better than escape the Village: he'll come back, wipe it off the face of the earth, obliterate it, and Number Two with it.

* Music/TheBeatles: Use of "All You Need Is Love" in the finale is a rare example of an original Beatles recording (as opposed to a cover) used in a soundtrack. Also very creepy.

* BecomingTheMask: The real threat represented by the Village. Yes, the people running it might torture or brainwash you, but eventually, they may not need to: the prisoners and jailers appear interchangeable, and the setting idyllic, with some prisoners eventually liking the place and choosing to serve it. [[spoiler: Leo [=McKern's=] No. 2 is eventually revealed to be a former inmate.]]

* BondOneLiner: Subverted. On the surface, Six is a DeadpanSnarker like Bond, but his "jokes" are always deadly serious.

* BoxedCrook: Number Six is unknowingly used as one in "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling."

* ButYouWereThereAndYouAndYou - One episode turns out to be a story Number Six is telling to a group of children, and the two villains in the story are played by the same actors as Number Two and his assistant.

* CurbStompBattle: Number 6 vs. Number 2 in "Hammer Into Anvil".
** made all the more awesome in that he doesn't even touch him. It's sort of a Curb Stomp BatmanGambit.

* DeadpanSnarker: With The Village being an overpowering, Orwellian superpower, Number 6 does most of his fighting with words. Needless to say, he's very, very good at it.
** But so are most of the Number Twos.

* {{Determinator}}: Number 6. He ''does not give up''.
** In "A. B. and C.," it's revealed that his dreams are an endless loop of his resignation...and nothing else. He doesn't even quit when he's asleep.

* DrivingADesk: Used in "The Girl Who Was Death", one of the few episodes with much car-driving in -- and lampshaded when something surreal happens that's very easy to achieve with back-projection but would have been much more difficult with live driving.

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: For Number Six - escape the Village. For Number Twos - to break Number Six.
** The finale elaborates on this. [[spoiler: Number Six gets home, and doesn't notice when a door in his old flat opens exactly the same way as the ones in the village. [=McGoohan=] later confirmed this was intentional.]]

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Leo [=McKern=]'s No. 2 and the Butler]] in the GrandFinale.
** At least, it appears that way.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Number Six's method of looking for potential allies in "Checkmate" is the very thing that thwarts that episode's escape attempt.

* IronicNurseryTune: 'Pop Goes the Weasel' shows up with creepy frequency in both the soundtrack and in the story, but there's also 'Humpty Dumpty', 'Jack and Jill', 'The Duke of York', and several more. The show seems to fairly empty Mother Goose of her rhymes.

* LargeHam: Leo [=McKern=] as No. 2.

* {{Leitmotif}}: In "Hammer Into Anvil" and "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling".

* {{Lobotomy}}:

* {{MacGuffin}}: The real reason for Number 6's resignation. In two ways:

* NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine: He's often invited to dinner or breakfast or lunch with Number Two, but he seldom accepts outright. Naturally, since they know nearly every detail about Number Six's life, it's always YourFavorite.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: [=McGoohan=] was a staunch Catholic, and Six never resorts to a fight unless forced, never womanizes, and refuses to compromise his beliefs.

* TheReveal: ''Many'' in "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling". We get to see 6's boss, daily life, code names, friends, and ''fiancee''. But they still manage to avoid revealing his real name, even when 6 meets his fiancee.
** [[spoiler: It's been suggested that the answer to the big question was given within the first few minutes of each show if you add one comma..."Who is Number 1?" "You are, Number 6."]]
*** [[spoiler:Also, take a look at the number on Number 6's door when he finally arrives home at the end of "Fall Out". That's right... it's No. 1. (To be specific, 1 ''Buckingham'' Place, if you please!)]]

* ShoutOut: In "The Girl Who Was Death," Number Six receives his orders in a manner mimicking that of Jim Phelps in ''Series/MissionImpossible''.
** The episode also includes more than a few nods to ''Series/DangerMan'' since it was adapted from an unused script for the series.

* SoundtrackDissonance: Some truly masterful MindScrew examples in the GrandFinale ranging from Carmen Miranda to "Dem Bones" to Music/TheBeatles' "All You Need Is Love".

* SpottingTheThread:

* TakeThat: Many of the elements of the show (as well as [=McGoohan=]'s previous show, ''Danger Man'') were deliberately designed as counterpoints to the growing popularity of the Franchise/JamesBond franchise: Bond's an expert gunsman (Six has moments of being a TechnicalPacifist), Bond is a walking example of AManIsNotAVirgin (Six is a CelibateHero), and Bond and Six are deeply, deeply divided over PatrioticFervor. Both characters are also superspies with pithy humor, and both feature over the top gadgets that suffered heavily from {{Zeerust}}. To hammer it home, [=McGoohan=] was one of the original picks to play Bond, but turned it down because he disagreed with the philosophy behind the character. Though it would have made him far richer, he reportedly never regretted the decision.

* XanatosRoulette: Many of the ploys designed by the Number Twos involve ''very'' convoluted chains of events to work.
** "It's Your Funeral" really stands out for the circular logic required to justify Number 6 being involved in the story (a group planning to assassinate Number 2 wants 6 to learn about them, so he can warn Number 2 and not be believed, rather than just staying secret in the first place).

** Colin Gordon appears as No. 2 in the episodes "A, B and C" and "The General", being the only actor besides [=McKern=] to play No. 2 more than once. However, given the nature of the series, there is actually a case to be made that Gordon is playing two ''different'' No. 2's, if one compares elements such as characterization. The one-off appearance of Village workers in "Arrival" who look exactly the same (possibly twins, possibly clones) is cited as possible evidence in support.
*** The Colin Gordon question may depend on which order you watch the episodes. If "A, B and C" is seen before "The General", as it was during the show's original run, they may be different. If that order is reversed, they appear to be the same character who goes from highly confident to desperate to avoid punishment for failure.
*** It should also be noted that "A, B,and C" is unique as the title sequence contains the line "I am No. 2" rather than "The new No. 2", suggesting that episode was meant as the 2nd episode featuring that No. 2, as there'd be no need to reintroduce himself then or indicate anything had changed. This correlates with the above reasoning for the change in his behavior.
*** It's worth noting that Colin Gordon's two episodes were filmed consecutively, with "The General" being filmed first and "A,B and C" second.

* TakeThat: Many of the elements of the show (as well as [=McGoohan=]'s previous show, ''Danger Man'') were deliberately designed as counterpoints to the growing popularity of the Franchise/JamesBond franchise: Bond's an expert gunsman (Six has moments of being a TechnicalPacifist), Bond is a walking example of AManIsNotAVirgin (Six is a CelibateHero), and Bond and Six are deeply, deeply divided over PatrioticFervor. Both characters are also superspies with pithy humor, and both feature over the top gadgets that suffered heavily from Zeerust. To hammer it home, [=McGoohan=] was one of the original picks to play Bond, but turned it down because he disagreed with the philosophy behind the character. Though it would have made him far richer, he reportedly never regretted the decision.

* HeroBall / WhatAnIdiot: Although No. 6 is the show's OnlySaneMan ''most'' of the time, it's hard not to facepalm once he [[spoiler: ends up at Beachy Head with its famous lighthouse and ''doesn't recognise it'', falls asleep on a truck without even bothering to hide himself, and subsequently goes straight back to his own home, even though he already ''knows'' from previous episodes that his former friends are after him.]]

* SalvagePirates: episode "[[http://tinyurl.com/4gj59w Many Happy Returns]]". Number 6 escapes the Village on a raft and encounters a [[strike:fishing]] gun-running boat whose crew steals his belongings. He ends up fighting them and eventually captures them.

** Confusing things further, in the late 1960s three original novels were published based upon the series. The first two of these: "The Prisoner" by Thomas Disch and "Number Two" by David McDaniel, explicitly refer to No. 6 by the name Drake. It is unknown whether the novels were ever considered "canon" with the TV series.

* MindScrewdriver - The ''Shattered Visage'' comic. As stated before, however, it's canonicity is uncertain.

* LogicBomb: how the Prisoner defeats the General. [[spoiler: It turns out that the General is a room-sized computer which can answer any question. The Prisoner asks it "Why?". The General overheats and explodes trying to come up with an answer. This is probably the TropeCodifier for the "ask the AI an open-ended philosophical question" version of the trope.]]

** [[http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/11/the-prisoner-an-all-star-appreciation/ The band loved the series]] (which is why they authorized the use of their recording), and were going to make a film before ''Magical Mystery Tour'', directed by [=McGoohan=], based on ''The Prisoner''- it never happened.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Happens a few times. In ''Fall Out'', No. 2 appears to say "Be seeing you" to the camera - or is he talking to a guard? At the end of "The Girl who was Death", No. 6 turns to the camera and says "Goodnight children, everywhere." He's talking to No. 2 who is monitoring him, but he could be speaking to the audience as well.

** "Pop Goes the Weasel" is used throughout the series. The episode ''Once Upon a Time'' establishes "POP" as an acronym for [[spoiler: protect other people]] and originally "POP" was to be a featured element of the show's closing credits, but this was never broadcast (you still see it in the early edit versions of some episodes that have been released on DVD).

* PurelyAestheticGender: Outside of ''Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling'' (produced when [=McGoohan=] largely wasn't there) the characters' genders make no real difference to the plot.

* SpyDrama: an actually ''dramatic'' drama, not just "will he kill the bad guy and get the girl"; indeed this trope is subverted at every turn.

** Christopher Benjamin appears as different characters in "Arrival" and "The Girl Who Was Death", and in the latter actually reprises a character named Potter that he played in an episode of ''Series/DangerMan".

* ComicBookAdaptation: A sequel miniseries (later collected into a [=TPB=]) called ''Shattered Visage''. Among other things, it provided an explanation for the show's infamous GainaxEnding. It also comes close to performing a GenderFlip by featuring n a new No. 6 who, this time, is a woman ([[spoiler: in this story, the original No. 6, apparently driven mad, takes on the role of No. 2 - at least, until one of the original No. 2's returns to the Village]]). As for whether it's canon, well...the most [=McGoohan=] ever said about it was that he "didn't hate it".