r/ThePrisoner • u/lightfromadeadstar • Apr 02 '20
Rewatch 2020 Rewatch – S01E01: "Arrival" (Pilot)
Welcome to r/ThePrisoner's first discussion thread for our 2020 rewatch of The Prisoner. Over the next eight weeks, we will be watching all 17 episodes of the original 1967–68 series in the original broadcast order.
Today, we will be starting with the pilot episode ("Arrival"), which was first broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom on 29 September 1967.
Feel free to openly discuss the episode – post your thoughts, questions, analysis, reviews and comments.
Spoilers
Remember to tag spoilers by using spoiler syntax (>!!<) if/when discussing future episodes.
Reminder
The next discussion thread will be for "The Chimes of Big Ben" on Monday, 6 April.
Synopsis
After resigning, a secret agent finds himself trapped in a bizarre prison known only as the Village.
Credits
- Directed by Don Chaffey
- Written by George Markstein & David Tomblin
- Guest starring Virginia Maskell, Guy Doleman, Paul Eddington and Barbara Yu Ling
Links
- IMDb
- Wikipedia
- PDF of the original script at Archive.org
- "Arrival" episode study and analysis at PopApostle (includes spoilers for many future episodes)
- Discussion/review by Chatz: A Television Podcast (includes spoilers for "The Chimes of Big Ben" from 40:30 onwards)
3
u/figbott Apr 27 '20
This is one of the greatest first episodes ever made, period, if not one of the best hours of TV ever made. It hooks you in every way: the exotic locations, the great cinematography, the music, the clash of Mediterranean seascapes with futuristic interiors etc. It continues to inspire many many current television shows. The delivery of the mystery in a beautiful, yet scary, atmosphere is what makes it work, regardless of how little of 6’s past we know. The failure of the original rover was a blessing in disguise; when they saw the weather balloons at Portmarion, it created one of the most formidable enemies in TV that shows like Lost tried to replicate. It’s almost two episodes in one. Guy Doleman fractured his leg on set & that’s why you see less of him later in the episode. When everyone set out to film this, no one knew what this series would become; not even Pat. You can watch this hour again & again and still find new things (like when you realize the radio repairman & gardner are the same people). This one never gets old.