The Prisoner returns!

[Ghoulish Delight]

Wow, just happened to catch an ad for this!

AMC is doing a remake of the Prisoner, with Jim Caviezel (of, among other things, Passion of the Christ) and Ian McKellen. First 2 episodes air back to back this Sunday, with 6 episodes currently slated to air.

It was not filmed in Portmeirion. Namibia instead.

I'm watching it. Definitely. I don't hold high hopes of its quality, but I definitely have to see what they do.

[BarTopDancer]

I saw the commercials and it looked like a MMP trailer. I'll watch.

[€uroMeinke]

I'm curious how they tweak this one. I downloaded the extended trailer on iTunes and it has me intrigued - seems a bit more action/adventure than psycho drama than than the original, but still seems to have a lot of psychodrama to keep me interested. I only hope they keep things mysterious/absurd and don't try to explain things too much. Also glad that Rover is still there, Bigger it seems through the brief clip makes him look like he might be a CGI construct instead of a weather balloon.

[Gn2Dlnd]

It was not filmed in Portmeirion. Namibia instead.



Do they still have a shortage of fondue sets?

[ozron]

I was a great Prisoner fan when it first aired, and when PBS broadcast it with a psychological commentary. It was a profound piece of work.

I've been anticipating this since I heard about it. I hope that they don't dumb it down for the modern audience, but I won't hold my breath.

[Alex]

Is six episodes all it will ever be or are they hoping to ramp up a regular series? A radio commecial today called it a "mini-series event" which I'd be up for, but if it is planned as a series then I'll likely wait.

[SzczerbiakManiac]

It's my understanding that this is a mini-series.

[SzczerbiakManiac]

Ouch (http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/23/anglophenia.jsp?bc_id=1525)!

[€uroMeinke]

The "definitive resolution" comment troubles me the most - I want monkey suits, the British motorway, dem bones, and all you need is Love

[Ghoulish Delight]

I detested the finale of the original series, however my issue wasn't that it didn't have a definitive ending, that's for sure. I was in no need of it wrapping up into a neat little package, I just didn't like the complete shift in tone and style the last couple episodes took on, it was jarring and didn't at all fit with the rest of the series, imo.

Although, in that sense, if the finale is a disappointment then I suppose they will have successfully recreated at least part of the original series experience for me.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Heh, actually, this may be closer to the original than we think:

"Six hours is at least four hours too long for me to sit through something this intentionally bizarre, something where plot logic or simple human logic is often accidental at best."Sounds a bit familiar ;)

[Alex]

Well, at least we'll finally answer the eternal question of who'd win in a Battle of Wills: Jesus Christ or Gandalf.

Both episodes are on DVR but the fact that I'm posting this about halfway through watching the first one and will soon go to bed instead of finishing isn't a great sign.

I wonder, though, what the house number of the married couple is.

[Not Afraid]

First two episodes down. I'm waiting until I watch all 6 before a final opinion, but I already dislike the lack of mystery that existed in the original. But, I don't like things handed to me in a neat little package. The references to the original have been fun, though.

[€uroMeinke]

I enjoyed the first two episodes, and am curious to see how this goes, though some things bother me.

So far not fond of the concept that people pretend there is no outside world like The Village or The Truman Show - I mean, the village lacks the necessary infrastructure to have an automotive industry, agriculture, brewery, etc. At least in the original, the outside world was acknowledged.

The families bother me also in this respect - and Alex's conundrum was one I also shared - who's number is on the house? But the family thing makes me thing we'll have some sort of Village reveal - which would only be better than the towers having some sort of 9-11 tie in.

I do like the homages to the original show - 93's jacket and apartment, the font, the set design of the shrinks' office, Big Ben, some of the dialog, including the comment that 6 needs to put some meat on "dem bones" and rubber mask wearing interns. I do hope we'll get an old fashion bicycle in one of the coming episode.

I'll keep watching, and then will probably pull out the DVDs from the original.

[€uroMeinke]

Oh and the annoying "come back in 30 seconds" for mysterious clues to be revealed is well - annoying. "Watch for who like to eat wraps" - lame. Seem to be trying to hard to be intriguing.

[Not Afraid]

Yeah, come back in 30 seconds and find out how 93 died (for those of you with short term memory loss or bad hearing). WTF?

[blueerica]

I'm on the fence but will watch the series. C's comments mirror my own if I were to write them down... I'm too headachey to do so at the moment.

(I should add that it's NA & C that aided my viewing of the original series)

Way Out ----->

[Ghoulish Delight]

Recorded it, will watch it tonight.

[€uroMeinke]

Night 2 nd I'm not sure if it got better or worse. I did get my old fashioned bicycle, and the whole absurdity of owning a pig for stability did amuse me a great deal. Part one reminded me of the Italo Calvino story about the village where everyone was a thief, and how an honest man brought the place to ruin - it had a nice spy versus spy paranoia to it. Part two though seemed disjointed from the story - perhaps acceptable as an episode, but for a mini-series I don't know. Of course if it turns out it was all just a dream, well...

Last night I did visit the website of the fake evil corporation, so my expectations have been lowered accordingly. But if nothing else the theme music to the original series has been playing on repeat in my head.

Be Seeing You

[Ghoulish Delight]

Watched the first hour last night. I don't hate it, but like Alex I wasn't exactly clamoring to see the 2nd hour. I think I might have liked it better if I didn't have the original to compare it to.

The 2 things that are disappointing me most are the requisite "grittiness" common to most modern sci-fi shows. I know they can't just recreate the original, I didn't expect Portmeirion, but the direction they went with it doesn't excite me.

Meanwhile, more imporantly, I dislike Caviezel as 6. And my dislike can be summarized by the fact that they have a huge star playing #2 - which means that he will remain #2 for the whole series. In the original, there was a new #2 ever episode. Why? Because 6 broke them. He broke them all. This 6 doesn't have the ability to break anyone, not the way McGoohan's could.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

This remake proves how awesome McGoohan was. Six WAS the show.

[€uroMeinke]

Well, he did write the original as well

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I kind of liked the end of the second hour, the brother/family wrap-up was good. Seemed a long way to go though, and the fact that the only person(s) 6 has cracked is 70, who was weak to begin with, and then gets cracked himself at the end of the hour was a bummer.

I am enjoying everyone's reactions to 2, and there are other good bits in there, but oh how I wish it were better.

[€uroMeinke]

Well the DVR burped and so I didn't intervene in time to capture the last two episodes, will have to try again tomorrow and watch on Thursday.

I'm reminded why I don't like watching broadcast TV - give me DVDs, or a useful "on demand"

[Alex]

I have the last four recorded, don't know if I'll get around them. But I which the descriptions included an episode number since conflicts required recording one episode out order and now I can't remember which one.

Easy enough to look up, but I'm guessing when I'm sitting on the couch thinking "do I want to go ahead and watch those" it will be an impediment difficult to overcome.

[€uroMeinke]

So I saw the conclusions tonight - totally different take, which is okay though not nearly as compelling. This version is definitely all about 2 - I think of all the people in the village, 6 was one I cared the least for. I miss the formula of the old series, 6 tries to escape but is thwarted, the new #2 tries to break 6 but is thwarted. In any case I did enjoy the penultimate episode, especially Not 2

[Cadaverous Pallor]

We could not get ourselves to watch the next episode. Too much commitment for too little pay off.

What is it about remakes concentrating on the foil, not the namesake? Burton's Charlie and the Choc Factory was about Wonka, not Charlie. Why would something called "The Prisoner" focus on anyone other than The Prisoner??

Sigh.

[SzczerbiakManiac]

But in a way 2 was the prisoner because he was kept away from his wife except for very short (dare I say conjugal?) visits.

I know, I'm reaching hard on that one. ;)

[Alex]

I got thoroughly bored halfway through hour five. I've still got them on DVR so may retry but it isn't likely.

[Not Afraid]

I'm glad I actually watched all 6 episodes, but it wasn't like watching a remake of a favorite show. It was entirely different and not quite as interesting. And, 6 was NOT very compelling as a character.