A few years ago, at the fest, Ryan (one of our regular attendees such as myself) swore to me up and down that the show THE PRISONER was a ride into surrealism that was just as impressive as Twin Peaks, and the ending was just as mind-blowing.

So, I watched the show from the 60s starring the great Patrick McGoohan.  WHAT AN AWESOME SHOW.  The last 2 episodes will make your brain melt!  Wow!  However, I read a critical analysis that compared the ending of the show to SOME elements in ending Twin Peaks...and I have to agree....the elements are definatly there. 

The remake/revisioning/partial sequel, has just come out...and it was mind blowing as well...although it lacked the ending element of the 1st show that compares to Twin Peaks.

Has anyone else seen this amazing show?  Do you know if LYNCH has ever seen it? 

Some sites (here is a perfect link to what I mean http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/11/the-prisoner-an-all-star-appreciation/

.....some sites say that without THE PRISONER...there would have been no Twin Peaks, no Lost, no Carnivale...they said it influenced The Beatles, the rolling stones....but I can't find anything that says Lynch even SAW the show. 

Does anyone else LOVE this show and do you know if Lynch has ever commented on it?

What do you think of the show?  It is like James Bond meets Twin Peaks meets Lost.  I love it!

Be seeing you.

Here's what a bunch of us had to say about The Prisoner in 2008:

http://www.2000revue.com/community/topic.cfm?topicid=3761

Sigh, I grow so weary of the constant need to compare things to what has come before.
The Prisoner has two things in common with Twin Peaks: too many episodes and the finale is the most over-rated of them all.

Sigh, I grow so weary of the constant need to compare things to what has come before.
The Prisoner has two things in common with Twin Peaks: too many episodes and the finale is the most over-rated of them all.

You're probably right. I think both shows realised they didn't have a proper ending so decided to impress us with how unbelivably insane they could be. They did well...

I was thinking about watching the Prisoner episodes again because they have just been relased on BluRay, but I think I'd have to skip some of them (as I would with a TP re-watch). I might just watch the 7 original eps, throwing in a couple of the ones I remember as being good from the 'unessential' episodes.

I might just watch the 7 original eps, throwing in a couple of the ones I remember as being good from the 'unessential' episodes.

If I remember correctly there are two escape episodes (one being part of the original episodes), and the escape element would have to be in the series, but neither episode worked for me.
Maybe if you watched it when it originally aired, but knowing that there are more episodes to come it just becomes pointless to watch.
I'd take the "unessential" The Schizoid Man over the escape episode.

I might just watch the 7 original eps, throwing in a couple of the ones I remember as being good from the 'unessential' episodes.

If I remember correctly there are two escape episodes (one being part of the original episodes), and the escape element would have to be in the series, but neither episode worked for me.
Maybe if you watched it when it originally aired, but knowing that there are more episodes to come it just becomes pointless to watch.
I'd take the "unessential" The Schizoid Man over the escape episode.

 Do you  mean the 'Checkmate' episode, with the human chesspieces? Yeah, I was thinking The Schizoid Man was the best of the other episodes.

Has anyone here watched the new AMC remake? What is it like? I've read some decent, and some very bad reviews.

 Do you  mean the 'Checkmate' episode, with the human chesspieces? Yeah, I was thinking The Schizoid Man was the best of the other episodes.

Has anyone here watched the new AMC remake? What is it like? I've read some decent, and some very bad reviews.

 Do you  mean the 'Checkmate' episode, with the human chesspieces? Yeah, I was thinking The Schizoid Man was the best of the other episodes.

 That is what prompted me to make this conversation.  The remake is good....not to mention it has Gandolf VS Jesus!  lol

Truly, it is a good mini-series.  If you like shows like LOST, you will like the Prisoner Remake.  A wonderful little piece of art.  Check it out!

I think I'd have to skip some of them (as I would with a TP re-watch). I might just watch the 7 original eps, throwing in a couple of the ones I remember as being good from the 'unessential' episodes.

 So you would SKIP episodes of Twin Peaks if you watched the show?  I don't get that.  If I have a show I love so much I join a message board and like to talk about it, I am surprised that anyone would skip even the weaker moments, as they are still part of Twin Peaks.  To each his own, but I think both these series have true brilliance to them.

However, did you see the NEW Prisoner mini-series that just came out?  3 days only (each day contained 2 45 minute segments), complete story...ect...ect...  Reminds me alot of J.J. Abrams style of filmmaking.

 

Here's what a bunch of us had to say about The Prisoner in 2008:

http://www.2000revue.com/community/topic.cfm?topicid=3761

 Ah, but in 2008 the new episodes that just came out didn't exist yet.  This prompts new conversation I thought would be interesting.  I loved seeing the new ROVER.  Giant Ball instead of a little glowing one.  

Sigh, I grow so weary of the constant need to compare things to what has come before.
The Prisoner has two things in common with Twin Peaks: too many episodes and the finale is the most over-rated of them all.

There is no "CONSTANT NEED" to discuss this sort of thing....I just thought it would be fun.  I always thought the reason for having a section on the Twin Peaks message board devoted to other movies and shows, was so you could post about those type of things and talk about them.   If this makes you "sigh"...then why even check out the conversation?  I loved the end of both Twin Peaks AND the Prisoner.  I just want to have a nice conversation about the show.  If you didn't mean to be negative, and I am misreading your post, then I am sorry....but why join in a conversation just to complain about being so weary that someone is comparing a tv show (in a tv show section) AND comparing it to the very show the main website is about?  Who would have thought this was a bad thing?  I truly hoped this would be a fun conversation.

Anyway, the similarities mentioned have to do the revealing of the doppleganger kind of crazed, insane, evil double, which was used at the end of TP, the Prisoner, AND Carnivale.

Here's what a bunch of us had to say about The Prisoner in 2008:

http://www.2000revue.com/community/topic.cfm?topicid=3761

 Ah, but in 2008 the new episodes that just came out didn't exist yet.  This prompts new conversation I thought would be interesting.  I loved seeing the new ROVER.  Giant Ball instead of a little glowing one.   Loving all of these shows (The Prisoner, Carnivale, and Twin Peaks), I am glad to have fun talking about them.  I referenced the past conversation so it could sort of be brought into the present conversation.  I figured you'd enjoy reading what others have had to say about the original Prisoner.  I don't own a TV, so I won't be able to see the new version (until it finds its way into cyberland.)  But that is very funny, Gandalf and Jesus!  I did see an image of Caviezel exhausted on the beach in front of the giant Rover, and found that to be an improvement.  In the extras with The Prisoner box set, a producer talks about the technical difficulty of finding what would work for Rover, the final result being unsatisfactory to everybody, but it was the best they could come up with.  About the only episode from the original that I found hard to take was the "Western" (Living in Harmony, I think.)  But I still love to watch them all...

Has anyone here watched the new AMC remake? What is it like? I've read some decent, and some very bad reviews.

 Do you  mean the 'Checkmate' episode, with the human chesspieces? Yeah, I was thinking The Schizoid Man was the best of the other episodes.

 That is what prompted me to make this conversation.  The remake is good....not to mention it has Gandolf VS Jesus!  lol

Truly, it is a good mini-series.  If you like shows like LOST, you will like the Prisoner Remake.  A wonderful little piece of art.  Check it out!

I think I'd have to skip some of them (as I would with a TP re-watch). I might just watch the 7 original eps, throwing in a couple of the ones I remember as being good from the 'unessential' episodes.

 So you would SKIP episodes of Twin Peaks if you watched the show?  I don't get that.  If I have a show I love so much I join a message board and like to talk about it, I am surprised that anyone would skip even the weaker moments, as they are still part of Twin Peaks.  To each his own, but I think both these series have true brilliance to them.

However, did you see the NEW Prisoner mini-series that just came out?  3 days only (each day contained 2 45 minute segments), complete story...ect...ect...  Reminds me alot of J.J. Abrams style of filmmaking.

 

Here's what a bunch of us had to say about The Prisoner in 2008:

http://www.2000revue.com/community/topic.cfm?topicid=3761

 Ah, but in 2008 the new episodes that just came out didn't exist yet.  This prompts new conversation I thought would be interesting.  I loved seeing the new ROVER.  Giant Ball instead of a little glowing one.  

Sigh, I grow so weary of the constant need to compare things to what has come before.
The Prisoner has two things in common with Twin Peaks: too many episodes and the finale is the most over-rated of them all.

There is no "CONSTANT NEED" to discuss this sort of thing....I just thought it would be fun.  I always thought the reason for having a section on the Twin Peaks message board devoted to other movies and shows, was so you could post about those type of things and talk about them.   If this makes you "sigh"...then why even check out the conversation?  I loved the end of both Twin Peaks AND the Prisoner.  I just want to have a nice conversation about the show.  If you didn't mean to be negative, and I am misreading your post, then I am sorry....but why join in a conversation just to complain about being so weary that someone is comparing a tv show (in a tv show section) AND comparing it to the very show the main website is about?  Who would have thought this was a bad thing?  I truly hoped this would be a fun conversation.

Anyway, the similarities mentioned have to do the revealing of the doppleganger kind of crazed, insane, evil double, which was used at the end of TP, the Prisoner, AND Carnivale.

 Well, I just don't like TP after Leland dies. There was already mediocre storylines by this point, but at least there was the central Laura/Leland/Cooper story to keep you watching. Post-ep 16, I don't even like the Cooper story (Owl Cave and Heather Graham), let alone Evelyn, Nadine and Windom Earle. So yeah, I'd skip  straight to around three episodes before the end. That may be surprising seen as I'm a member of the Gazzette, but I'm not actually a huge fan of TP. I'm more of a Lynch fan. I just stick around here because the people are cool! This is a pretty intelligent board as things go...

I'm struggling to remember the doppleganger at the end of Carnivale... I know there's that bit where Justin peels off his face in the mirror to reveal Ben. But that's just a one-off vision. Ah, it still pains me even to talk about Carnivale. I can't get over the cancellation lol. I definitely don't skip any Carnivale episodes when I rewatch it!

IMHO, don't waste your time with the Prisoner remake. You could watch Inland Empire again, twice!, instead. You can rent the originals on Netflix, if you only watch one episode, make it "The Schizoid Man".

QUOTE. I'm struggling to remember the doppleganger at the end of Carnivale... I know there's that bit where Justin peels off his face in the mirror to reveal Ben. But that's just a one-off vision. Ah, it still pains me even to talk about Carnivale. I can't get over the cancellation lol. I definitely don't skip any Carnivale episodes when I rewatch it!

I was wondering what Hyde was referring to as well.  Perhaps Sophie could be seen as facing a doppelganger--she struggles with her good and evil sides throughout the two seasons, but at the end (sniff, sniff, premature "end") she seems to be overtaken by the evil, shooting Jonesy and healing Justin.  

QUOTE. I'm struggling to remember the doppleganger at the end of Carnivale... I know there's that bit where Justin peels off his face in the mirror to reveal Ben. But that's just a one-off vision. Ah, it still pains me even to talk about Carnivale. I can't get over the cancellation lol. I definitely don't skip any Carnivale episodes when I rewatch it! I was wondering what Hyde was referring to as well.  Perhaps Sophie could be seen as facing a doppelganger--she struggles with her good and evil sides throughout the two seasons, but at the end (sniff, sniff, premature "end") she seems to be overtaken by the evil, shooting Jonesy and healing Justin.

Yeah, but that was just her becoming the Omega because she was Justin's daughter.

I suppose there is the Light/Dark thing, with Scudder being Management's opposite, and Justin being Ben's opposite.

 

   But that is very funny, Gandalf and Jesus!  I did see an image of Caviezel exhausted on the beach in front of the giant Rover, and found that to be an improvement.  In the extras with The Prisoner box set, a producer talks about the technical difficulty of finding what would work for Rover, the final result being unsatisfactory to everybody, but it was the best they could come up with.  About the only episode from the original that I found hard to take was the "Western" (Living in Harmony, I think.)  But I still love to watch them all...

 Yes...Gandalf VS Jesus! 

As far as the new Rover...yeah..it looks alot better.  The old one was CRAZY to make.

I'm struggling to remember the doppleganger at the end of Carnivale... I know there's that bit where Justin peels off his face in the mirror to reveal Ben. But that's just a one-off vision. Ah, it still pains me even to talk about Carnivale. I can't get over the cancellation lol. I definitely don't skip any Carnivale episodes when I rewatch it!

I was wondering what Hyde was referring to as well.  Perhaps Sophie could be seen as facing a doppelganger--she struggles with her good and evil sides throughout the two seasons, but at the end (sniff, sniff, premature "end") she seems to be overtaken by the evil, shooting Jonesy and healing Justin.  

 exactly!

(SPOILER ALERT!)

Sofie gets locked in this cabin she can't get out of......when she sees her DARK self (a double of herself with black eyes) and at the end is turned SOMEWHAT into that shadow self.   Kaufmen admitted he used Lynchian imagery in Carnivale.  Peaks was a great inspiration to him....and of course, you always have Mike Anderson calling Carnivale "Twin Peaks with logic".