TV Verdict

“If The Village is all that there is, and now there are newcomers, how can they say that is possible?”

They can, and a busload of newcomers arrives in The Village as The Prisoner, Episode 6, “Checkmate,” opens. “Our way of life is becoming the very consciousness of the universe,” No. 2 tells his son. Read on, but be aware that there will be spoilers …

“You choose. This life–or no life.”

The choice has just been put to No. 6, and already he’s starting to get ill. Meanwhile, 313 has seen the Other Place, and No. 2 tells her she must block it out “for Six’s sake.” No. 147 thinks he knows someone who might have a cure.

“People usually like to be early for Mr. Curtis.”

In his New York flashback, a car is waiting for No. 6, and 147 is driving. It turns out Mr. Curtis is No. 2; his wife Helen is a biochemist investigating multiple layers of consciousness.

No. 6–now Michael–learns that he unwittingly helped Curtis and Helen select residents for a Utopia in one of those other layers of consciousness: The Village. They’re all troubled people, in The Village to be “fixed.” Everything’s happening in someone’s mind–but it’s not quite just a dream.

“Six is the one we’ve been waiting for.”

No. 6 learns that everyone, including 313, will be going back to their troubles if The Village is destroyed. His love, 313, makes the choice that leaves No. 6 in The Village as the new No. 2, hoping to reform The Village.

At least that’s what I took from this last episode. There was a lot of mumbo-jumbo in there. But then, the original’s ending didn’t make all that much sense, either. As for the metaphorical elements, these six episodes have taken all the luster off any Utopias anyone could sell you, but free will and its burdens look pretty miserable, too.

It’s been a fascinating ride, but the last few miles were a downer. There may be some way to get an uplifting message after it, but I’d like to think about that some more.

While I was a little disappointed by the ending, the new Prisoner, for the most part, kept up with the original as an action show about ideas. It’s a worthy successor to the 1960s classic.

Better yet, there’s a new catchphrase for skeptics everywhere, when presented with a dubious idea: “Let’s keep pigs.” Go back a couple of episodes for the explanation to that one.

It looks like there could be a sequel, if the ratings permit. There will also be a DVD release next year, advertised last night, in case you want to watch that ending until it makes sense–or your head explodes.

If you can’t get enough, go to AMC’s Web site for a graphic novel, some memory games, and background on the new series. You can also watch the original version of The Prisoner, and I highly recommend it if you’ve never had that experience.