The Slaughtered Prisoner

As one who prefers entertainment that generates a reaction as opposed to something quickly dismissed, I have to say that The Prisoner was certainly a success in that regard. To say that the final two episodes touched a nerve with the Wednesday night crowd would be an understatement. I'm not sure what sort of resolution folks were expecting, but certainly not what Patrick McGoohan delivered.

I still feel that the one-two punch of Once Upon a Time and Fall Out are a fitting conclusion to what remains a very challenging program for viewers. Perhaps this is in part due to the fact that I was originally introduced to the show when the television landscape had never seen anything like it.

Shows such as Twin Peaks, which still ranks for me as the greatest television program of all time, owe a debt to The Prisoner, just as so many contemporary shows are here today due to the ground broken by David Lynch and Mark Frost.

Sure, measured against today's television spectrum, The Prisoner is almost quaint. That said, I don't think you'll find a more thought provoking show provided that you're willing to engage it.

Who is number one?

You are, number six.

Brilliant.