5 out of 5

Director: Various British TV people

Yes, the series loses its way for episodes 13, 14, and 15 before coming back to form for the two part closer, but regardless, the overall quality is there, and thus worth the five stars. The Prisoner was a wacked out spy show, concerning a secret agent (whose real name we never know) who is kidnapped and taken to The Village after placing his resignation. The Village looks like a resort, but is actually a prison where everyone is given a number, and where No. 2 (a different actor in almost each episode) tries to discover No. 6s (our hero) reasons for resigning using various means of persuasion. No. 6 refuses to be a number, and continually attempts to escape, failing, but thwarting each No. 2s attempts at information thievery. For its core episodes, The Prisoner was chock-full of amazing visuals and subtext and besides the general British spy feeling, has aged amazingly well. Even those few episodes that stray are worth more attention than most TV today. It will drive anyone insane looking for a rational explanation, as Patrick McGoohan (the main character, and a driving force behind the show), while passionate about the program, was apparently interested in making something more rawly thought-provoking and emotional than straight-forward. But this is also part of the draw: its not just beginning, middle, end. But its not just unexplained weirdness either. Rare is it that a show combines such surrealism with such wit and action and intelligence (like an amped-up Twin Peaks). Great music, great visuals, and a snapshot of genius.