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Fall Out (The Prisoner)
Encyclopedia
"Fall Out" is the seventeenth and final episode
of the allegorical
British
science fiction
series The Prisoner
, which starred Patrick McGoohan
as the incarcerated Number Six
. The episode originally aired in the UK on ITV
on 1 February 1968, and was first broadcast in the United States
on CBS
on 21 September 1968.
"Fall Out" generated controversy when it was originally aired, because the last third of the episode was designed to be very obscure and be open to interpretation. The reception forced McGoohan, who wrote and directed the episode, to go into hiding for a period of time because he was hounded at his own home by baffled viewers demanding explanations.
This episode omits the usual long opening and instead shows a recap of the penultimate episode, "Once Upon a Time
". This is also the only episode in the series in which the show's main outdoors location, Portmeirion
, is given a specific credit in the opening titles. This came about as a result of an agreement with Portmeirion's architect, Sir Clough Williams-Ellis
, that the location would not be revealed until the final episode.
's will from "Once Upon a Time
", Number Six
asks The Supervisor to "meet Number One". After being allowed to change into his own clothes, Number Six is led to a cavernous chamber bearing resemblance to a British
courtroom
, including a presiding judge
and a large assembly, its members wearing masks and robes; The Supervisor joins its ranks after directing Number Six to his seat. The room also contains a large cylindrical object with a mechanical eye watching the room, and is labeled "1". The judge announces that Number Six has passed the ultimate test and won the right to be an individual, and with that occasion, there are many matters of ceremony to be completed in the "transfer of ultimate power".
The caged room from "Once Upon a Time" is lowered into the chamber and Number Two's body is taken into a laboratory in the chamber. His body is revived, and he is given a make-over. Both he and Number 48, a young modishly-dressed man, are seemingly put on trial. Number 48 refuses to conform, and causes a ruckus in the chamber by causing the assembly to sing along to "Dem Bones
" before he is restrained, while Number 2 questions why he was revived and defies the authority of the process. Both are taken away.
The judge shows Number Six that his home is being prepared for his return, and gives him a large sum of money in traveller's cheques
, his passport
, the keys to his London home and his car, and a purse of petty cash. The judge then offers Number Six to address the assembly, but Number Six can only utter "I feel..." before the assembly rambunctiously drowns him out by clapping and pounding on their desks. Number Six is then given the opportunity to meet Number One by ascending in the metal structure after seeing 48 and 2 held in tubes labeled "orbit 48" and "orbit 2" next to an empty tube labeled ominously "orbit" with no number (noteworthy as 6 had been told he's no longer to be referred "a number of any kind"). Number Six sees the hooded figure of Number One watching surveillance videos of Number Six; Number Six tries to unmask the figure, first revealing a chimpanzee mask, then what appears to be a crazed version of Number Six (suggesting that Number One was, somehow, a perverted element of Number Six's personality) before Number One leads Number Six on a chase, eventually locking himself in a room above the surveillance floor. As he leaves the metal cylinder Number Six realizes it is a rocket and starts its launch sequence, sending the assembly and the Village
into a panic and mass evacuation.
As Number Six leaves, he helps to free Numbers Two and 48, and along with the Butler they successfully engage in a gun battle with the armed guards, killing several of the guards in the process. Number Six and his three confederates then make their escape in the caged room, revealed to be on the back of a Scammell Highwayman low loader. As they leave the Village, the rocket launches overhead. The last shot of the village in the series shows it completely evacuated, except for Rover
which is destroyed upon activation by the flames of the rocket. As the escapees drive along the A20 road towards London
, Number 48 gets off and proceeds to hitch-hike
. The remaining three stop outside of the Palace of Westminster
; Number Two thanks Number Six and enters the building via the peers' entrance, while Number Six and the Butler return to Six's former home and find The Prisoner's car. As he drives off, the door to his home opens for the Butler in the same electronic/automatic manner as the doors in the Village. The number on the door is 1. (This was also the case in the standard opening sequence when Number Six returns to his home just prior to being gassed into unconsciousness, and in "Many Happy Returns
", when Number Six was temporarily allowed to "escape" from the Village.)
The final moments repeat the show's normal opening sequence without the music (or the cloudy sky shot), showing Number Six driving in his Lotus 7 car towards the camera.
Shattered Visage interprets the inauguration of Number Six in this episode as psychologically entrapping him. Where before the Village sought to crush any sense of free will Number Six possessed, here its administration claims to respect his self-identity and offers him the reward of leadership. This position, however, requires that Number Six accept that he is a number - Number One. According to the comic, Six's acceptance of the number and abhorrence for being a number breaks his mind. It is implied that all this is initiated by the Degree Absolute interrogation process of the previous episode.
Series finale
A series finale refers to the last installment of a series with a narrative presented through mediums such as television, film and literature. In many Commonwealth countries, the term final episode is commonly used in regards to a television series...
of the allegorical
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
series The Prisoner
The Prisoner
The Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series first broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory and psychological drama.The series follows a British former...
, which starred Patrick McGoohan
Patrick McGoohan
Patrick Joseph McGoohan was an American-born actor, raised in Ireland and England, with an extensive stage and film career, most notably in the 1960s television series Danger Man , and The Prisoner, which he co-created...
as the incarcerated Number Six
Number Six (The Prisoner)
Number Six is the central fictional character in the 1960s television series The Prisoner, played by Patrick McGoohan. In the AMC remake, the character is played by Jim Caviezel, renamed "Six"....
. The episode originally aired in the UK on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
on 1 February 1968, and was first broadcast in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
on 21 September 1968.
"Fall Out" generated controversy when it was originally aired, because the last third of the episode was designed to be very obscure and be open to interpretation. The reception forced McGoohan, who wrote and directed the episode, to go into hiding for a period of time because he was hounded at his own home by baffled viewers demanding explanations.
This episode omits the usual long opening and instead shows a recap of the penultimate episode, "Once Upon a Time
Once Upon a Time (The Prisoner)
"Once Upon a Time" is the title of the 16th episode of the British science fiction-allegorical series, The Prisoner, starring Patrick McGoohan as Number Six...
". This is also the only episode in the series in which the show's main outdoors location, Portmeirion
Portmeirion
Portmeirion is a popular tourist village in Gwynedd, North Wales. It was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village and is now owned by a charitable trust....
, is given a specific credit in the opening titles. This came about as a result of an agreement with Portmeirion's architect, Sir Clough Williams-Ellis
Clough Williams-Ellis
Sir Bertram Clough Williams-Ellis, CBE, MC was an English-born Welsh architect known chiefly as creator of the Italianate village of Portmeirion in North Wales.-Origins, education and early career:...
, that the location would not be revealed until the final episode.
Plot summary
After breaking Number TwoNumber Two (The Prisoner)
Number Two was the title of the chief administrator of The Village in the 1967-68 British television series The Prisoner. More than 17 different actors appeared as holders of the office during the 17-episode series .The first...
's will from "Once Upon a Time
Once Upon a Time (The Prisoner)
"Once Upon a Time" is the title of the 16th episode of the British science fiction-allegorical series, The Prisoner, starring Patrick McGoohan as Number Six...
", Number Six
Number Six (The Prisoner)
Number Six is the central fictional character in the 1960s television series The Prisoner, played by Patrick McGoohan. In the AMC remake, the character is played by Jim Caviezel, renamed "Six"....
asks The Supervisor to "meet Number One". After being allowed to change into his own clothes, Number Six is led to a cavernous chamber bearing resemblance to a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
courtroom
Courtroom
A courtroom is the actual enclosed space in which a judge regularly holds court.The schedule of official court proceedings is called a docket; the term is also synonymous with a court's caseload as a whole.-Courtroom design:-United States:...
, including a presiding judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
and a large assembly, its members wearing masks and robes; The Supervisor joins its ranks after directing Number Six to his seat. The room also contains a large cylindrical object with a mechanical eye watching the room, and is labeled "1". The judge announces that Number Six has passed the ultimate test and won the right to be an individual, and with that occasion, there are many matters of ceremony to be completed in the "transfer of ultimate power".
The caged room from "Once Upon a Time" is lowered into the chamber and Number Two's body is taken into a laboratory in the chamber. His body is revived, and he is given a make-over. Both he and Number 48, a young modishly-dressed man, are seemingly put on trial. Number 48 refuses to conform, and causes a ruckus in the chamber by causing the assembly to sing along to "Dem Bones
Dem Bones
Dem Bones, Dry Bones or Dem Dry Bones is a well-known traditional spiritual song, used to teach basic anatomy to children. The melody was written by African-American author and songwriter James Weldon Johnson . Two versions of this traditional song are used widely, the second an abridgment of the...
" before he is restrained, while Number 2 questions why he was revived and defies the authority of the process. Both are taken away.
The judge shows Number Six that his home is being prepared for his return, and gives him a large sum of money in traveller's cheques
Traveler's cheque
A traveler's cheque is a preprinted, fixed-amount cheque designed to allow the person signing it to make an unconditional payment to someone else as a result of having paid the issuer for that privilege.- Usage :As traveler's cheques can usually be replaced if lost or stolen A traveler's cheque...
, his passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
, the keys to his London home and his car, and a purse of petty cash. The judge then offers Number Six to address the assembly, but Number Six can only utter "I feel..." before the assembly rambunctiously drowns him out by clapping and pounding on their desks. Number Six is then given the opportunity to meet Number One by ascending in the metal structure after seeing 48 and 2 held in tubes labeled "orbit 48" and "orbit 2" next to an empty tube labeled ominously "orbit" with no number (noteworthy as 6 had been told he's no longer to be referred "a number of any kind"). Number Six sees the hooded figure of Number One watching surveillance videos of Number Six; Number Six tries to unmask the figure, first revealing a chimpanzee mask, then what appears to be a crazed version of Number Six (suggesting that Number One was, somehow, a perverted element of Number Six's personality) before Number One leads Number Six on a chase, eventually locking himself in a room above the surveillance floor. As he leaves the metal cylinder Number Six realizes it is a rocket and starts its launch sequence, sending the assembly and the Village
The Village (The Prisoner)
The Village is the fictional setting of the 1960s UK television series The Prisoner where the main character, Number Six, is held with other former spies and operatives...
into a panic and mass evacuation.
As Number Six leaves, he helps to free Numbers Two and 48, and along with the Butler they successfully engage in a gun battle with the armed guards, killing several of the guards in the process. Number Six and his three confederates then make their escape in the caged room, revealed to be on the back of a Scammell Highwayman low loader. As they leave the Village, the rocket launches overhead. The last shot of the village in the series shows it completely evacuated, except for Rover
Rover (The Prisoner)
Rover is a fictional entity from the 1967 British television program The Prisoner, and was an integral part of the way 'prisoners' were kept within The Village. It was depicted as a floating white ball that could coerce, and, if necessary, disable inhabitants of The Village, primarily Number Six...
which is destroyed upon activation by the flames of the rocket. As the escapees drive along the A20 road towards London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Number 48 gets off and proceeds to hitch-hike
Hitchhiking
Hitchhiking is a means of transportation that is gained by asking people, usually strangers, for a ride in their automobile or other road vehicle to travel a distance that may either be short or long...
. The remaining three stop outside of the Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
; Number Two thanks Number Six and enters the building via the peers' entrance, while Number Six and the Butler return to Six's former home and find The Prisoner's car. As he drives off, the door to his home opens for the Butler in the same electronic/automatic manner as the doors in the Village. The number on the door is 1. (This was also the case in the standard opening sequence when Number Six returns to his home just prior to being gassed into unconsciousness, and in "Many Happy Returns
Many Happy Returns (Prisoner episode)
Many Happy Returns is the seventh episode of the television series The Prisoner.-Additional guest cast:* Group Captain - Brian Worth* Commander - Richard Caldicot* Gunther - Dennis Chinnery* Ernst - Jon Laurimore* Gypsy girl - Nike Arrighi...
", when Number Six was temporarily allowed to "escape" from the Village.)
The final moments repeat the show's normal opening sequence without the music (or the cloudy sky shot), showing Number Six driving in his Lotus 7 car towards the camera.
Critical reception
At the time "Fall Out" was first broadcast there were only three television channels available in the UK and the long-awaited final episode of the series had one of the largest ever viewing audiences seen until then for a television program. As VCRs did not become generally available until some years later, most consumers did not have access to any video recording equipment and the fleeting glimpse of No 1's face was missed by many viewers. This, along with the intentional ambiguity of the finale caused bafflement and a great deal of anger amongst the public and McGoohan claimed he was ‘hounded’ out of the country after the episode was shown. The popular press joined in the ‘protest’ against this ‘rubbish’ McGoohan had foisted on the viewing public and he never worked in Britain again.Additional guest cast
- Supervisor: Peter SwanwickPeter SwanwickPeter Swanwick was a British actor best remembered as the "Supervisor" in the 1967 TV series, The Prisoner...
- Delegate: Michael Miller
- The Butler: Angelo MuscatAngelo MuscatAngelo Muscat was a character actor.Muscat was born in Malta. He appeared in 14 of the 17 episodes of the sixties cult television series The Prisoner, in which he played the famously mute Butler...
Shattered Visage
The comic book sequel mini-series Shattered Visage (1988) opens with the text of a classified intelligence report on the Village. It describes the events of this episode and the previous as "a theatrical tour-de-force involving actors as well as hallucinogenic drugs," organised by Leo McKern's Number Two, in which Two "staged his own death and resurrection." Further explanation of this episode is suggested when Number Two narrates the life of Number Six and recounts how a psychologically broken Six was convinced to choose a number - Number One. The comic suggests that the final sequences of this episode, from the gun battle to Six driving his Lotus Seven, represent a skewed perception of actual events.Shattered Visage interprets the inauguration of Number Six in this episode as psychologically entrapping him. Where before the Village sought to crush any sense of free will Number Six possessed, here its administration claims to respect his self-identity and offers him the reward of leadership. This position, however, requires that Number Six accept that he is a number - Number One. According to the comic, Six's acceptance of the number and abhorrence for being a number breaks his mind. It is implied that all this is initiated by the Degree Absolute interrogation process of the previous episode.
Cast notes
- Leo McKern, Alexis Kanner, and Kenneth Griffith all appear in previous episodes of the series. While McKern's Number Two is the same one that previously appeared, Kanner's Number 48 is almost certainly a different character to the one(s) he played in "Living in HarmonyLiving in Harmony"Living in Harmony" is an episode of the 1967-68 television series The Prisoner. It differs from most other episodes of the series in that it does not begin with the show's standard opening credits sequence...
" and "The Girl Who Was DeathThe Girl Who Was Death"The Girl Who Was Death" is a television episode of the British science fiction-allegorical series, The Prisoner. It originally aired in the UK on ITV on 18 January 1968...
", but it is unclear whether Griffith's character is the same one that was the Number Two in the latter episode. It is, however, reasonably common in The Prisoner for actors to play different characters in different episodes. - Leo McKern's hair is trimmed much shorter in this final episode than in "Once Upon a TimeOnce Upon a Time (The Prisoner)"Once Upon a Time" is the title of the 16th episode of the British science fiction-allegorical series, The Prisoner, starring Patrick McGoohan as Number Six...
" (and his beard is absent entirely) because he changed his appearance during the year-long production gap between filming the two episodes. The show accommodated this by showing McKern's face covered in shaving cream and being shaved before he is revived. - All six main stars of this episode are now dead - Peter SwanwickPeter SwanwickPeter Swanwick was a British actor best remembered as the "Supervisor" in the 1967 TV series, The Prisoner...
(The Supervisor) died in 1968, Angelo MuscatAngelo MuscatAngelo Muscat was a character actor.Muscat was born in Malta. He appeared in 14 of the 17 episodes of the sixties cult television series The Prisoner, in which he played the famously mute Butler...
(The Butler) died in 1977, Leo McKernLeo McKernReginald "Leo" McKern, AO was an Australian-born British actor who appeared in numerous British and Australian television programmes and movies, and more than 200 stage roles.-Early life:...
(Number Two) died in 2002, Alexis KannerAlexis KannerAlexis Kanner was a French-born Anglo Canadian actor, most notable for appearing in the ground-breaking TV series The Prisoner....
(Number 48) died in 2003, Kenneth GriffithKenneth GriffithKenneth Griffith was a Welsh actor and documentary filmmaker.-Early life:He was born Kenneth Reginald Griffiths in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Six months after his birth his parents split up and left Tenby, leaving Kenneth with his paternal grandparents, Emily and Ernest, who immediately adopted...
(The Judge) died in 2006, and then finally Patrick McGoohanPatrick McGoohanPatrick Joseph McGoohan was an American-born actor, raised in Ireland and England, with an extensive stage and film career, most notably in the 1960s television series Danger Man , and The Prisoner, which he co-created...
(Number Six) died in 2009.
Production notes
- This is the only episode to feature a pop song. As Number Six approaches the large "court" chamber and again during the gun battle, The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "All You Need Is LoveAll You Need Is Love"All You Need Is Love" is a song written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was first performed by The Beatles on Our World, the first live global television link. Watched by 400 million in 26 countries, the programme was broadcast via satellite on 25 June 1967...
" is played in the background. - According to the book The Prisoner by Robert Fairclough, McGoohan was informed that production was canceled on the series immediately following filming of the preceding episode "The Girl Who Was DeathThe Girl Who Was Death"The Girl Who Was Death" is a television episode of the British science fiction-allegorical series, The Prisoner. It originally aired in the UK on ITV on 18 January 1968...
" and was given only a week to write a finale to conclude the storyline started in "Once Upon a Time", which had been filmed a year earlier. (Fairclough's account is, however, in contradiction to virtually all others, which state that McGoohan knew when he left for AmericaUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to act in the Hollywood film, Ice Station ZebraIce Station ZebraIce Station Zebra is a 1963 thriller novel written by Scottish author Alistair MacLean. This was the last of MacLean's classic sequence of first person narratives which began with Night Without End, and represented a return to that earlier novel's Arctic setting...
, that there would be only four more episodes produced from that point, starting with "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My DarlingDo Not Forsake Me Oh My DarlingDo Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling is the thirteenth episode of the television series The Prisoner, produced while Patrick McGoohan was in America filming Ice Station Zebra. As a workaround to McGoohan's absence the writers contrived to have Number Six's mind implanted in the body of another man , who...
" during his absence and ending with a finale; indeed, most agree that this last happened because a scheduled production break was scrapped when two series of 13 episodes were reduced to one of seventeen due to ITCITC EntertainmentThe Incorporated Television Company was a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by Lew Grade.-History:...
chief Lew GradeLew GradeLew Grade, Baron Grade , born Lev Winogradsky, was an influential Russian-born English impresario and media mogul.-Early years:...
deciding that the actor/producer was taking too long and spending too much money.) In order to save time and cut costs, "Fall Out" reused several sets from "Girl", most notably the rocket control room. Two guest actors from the episode, Kenneth GriffithKenneth GriffithKenneth Griffith was a Welsh actor and documentary filmmaker.-Early life:He was born Kenneth Reginald Griffiths in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Six months after his birth his parents split up and left Tenby, leaving Kenneth with his paternal grandparents, Emily and Ernest, who immediately adopted...
and Alexis KannerAlexis KannerAlexis Kanner was a French-born Anglo Canadian actor, most notable for appearing in the ground-breaking TV series The Prisoner....
, were also recruited to play different characters in "Fall Out" (this was in fact Kanner's third appearance on the series in only a few weeks, as he previously played Number Eight alias "The Kid" in the WesternWestern (genre)The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
themed episode "Living in HarmonyLiving in Harmony"Living in Harmony" is an episode of the 1967-68 television series The Prisoner. It differs from most other episodes of the series in that it does not begin with the show's standard opening credits sequence...
"). According to Fairclough, McGoohan was so pressed for time that Griffith was asked to write his own dialogue. - Patrick McGoohan receives no onscreen acting credit in this episode. The episode opens with the series title superimposed over the first moments of the "Once Upon a Time" recap, with the location credit, episode title, guest stars, David TomblinDavid TomblinDavid Tomblin was a producer and assistant director born in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England. He was probably best known as the producer, director, and writer of The Prisoner .-Director:...
's producer credit and McGoohan's "written and directed by" credit over aerial footage of Portmeirion following that sequence. At the end, after the names of Kanner, McKern, and Muscat appear as captions over the actors themselves (still in character), an extreme aerial shot of the Lotus on London streets (the driver is not actually recognizable) is captioned simply, "Prisoner". Nor does McGoohan receive his usual executive producer credit; in "Living in Harmony" and "The Girl Who Was Death" it is replaced with a large "Starring Patrick McGoohan as The Prisoner" credit, but here his name appears onscreen only as writer/director. - McGoohan has very little dialogue in this final episode, save for brief exchanges with the Judge and Number 48, his unintelligible speech at the podium (only the words "I feel, that despite..." can be heard, the rest being drowned out by the "jury"), and a few slogans heard in the archive footage.
- The jukeboxes featured in the alcoves of the cave as Number 6 is led to the court room are a Seeburg LPC480, Seeburg Mustang Discotheque, Seeburg SS160 Stereo Showcase, and a Wurlitzer 2300.