What is the Prisoner?

Image Courtesy :Kipp Teague
http://www.retroweb.com/prisoner.html

A TV series that first aired in 1967. The shortest description I can give beyond that is, take the world of James Bond and turn it sideways. Then ask, "Where do secret agents go when they retire or resign?" When one turns the world of James Bond sideways, the answer one finds is The Village. A place where the line between right and wrong can not be seen, a place where people have no names only numbers, a place where those in power try to take one's individuality, and a place where there is no freedom. In such a world nothing is what it seems, and the only defense one has is the spirit.

The series questions the forms and institutions that make up society. First it uses numbers to identify people, giving the main character the number 6. Interesting, today we all can be identified by numbers such as credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and most important of all social security numbers. Second taking a look at democracy, the series shows in the Village the media makes the candidates and it does not matter what they stand for in the end they are all the same. No matter how much one wants to change the system he can not; the system will change him. Now, in our two party system, we have two parties because they are what the media cover, one can not tell one party from the other as time goes by. Education is the third institution questioned by the series. In the Village, one can get a university level degree in 3 minutes through a process known as Speed Learn the information is imprinted on the brain without any effort on the part of the student. The implications are that no more learning will take place, for the basis of education is to ask questions. With Speed Learn one knows society wants him to know and there no need for questions or change, Is our educational system heading in this direction?

Be Seeing You

Number 2 Click on

Number 6 Click on

This is a new video, I found to replace the other, for it is no longer accessible. It is somewhat cheesy, but not without interest.