The Prisoner

Episode aired Dec 4, 1960
TV-PG
26m

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

121

YOUR RATING

Action Adventure Crime Mystery Thriller

After receiving a death sentence in a foreign country, American James Carpenter has spent the last five years seeking refuge in an American embassy. It is secret agent John Drake's task to g... Read allAfter receiving a death sentence in a foreign country, American James Carpenter has spent the last five years seeking refuge in an American embassy. It is secret agent John Drake's task to get Carpenter safely out of the country. For his mission, Drake goes in search of a similar... Read allAfter receiving a death sentence in a foreign country, American James Carpenter has spent the last five years seeking refuge in an American embassy. It is secret agent John Drake's task to get Carpenter safely out of the country. For his mission, Drake goes in search of a similar-looking man to Carpenter, and finds a perfect dead ringer in concert pianist Oscar Schuma... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

121

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

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Trivia
There is no mention of NATO in the opening titles, and Drake indicates he is working for the American intelligence services (using the phrase "our embassy" at one point), much as he did early in the series (ie. Josetta (1960)).

Goofs
When James Carpenter first meets his double, Oscar Schumak (pronounced by Drake as; 'SHOO-mac'), he tells Drake he doesn't wish to get 'mister Sumac' (pronounced; 'SUE-mac') involved.

User reviews4

Review

Featured review

7/10

Identical strangers!

"The Prisoner" is an ironically named episode, as this would be the name of Patrick McGoohan's strange spy series from the late 1960s. The show begins with a guy going nuts and trying to escape from a building--only to get the snot knocked out of him! It sees Mr. Carpenter has been a virtual prisoner at the embassy, as his own country won't let him go and vow to arrest him when he leaves the building. He's now been there five years--hence his going stir crazy at the beginning of the show.

Drake (Patrick McGoohan) is brought in to the case to find a way to sneak him out safely. Unfortunately, the show relies on a very old TV cliché--the identical or nearly identical stranger gimmick. Drake finds a famous concert pianist who is a dead ringer for Carpenter. So, he gets the pianist invited to this dictatorship and arranges for the men to switch places.

As I said, the show does rely on a bad cliché. Still, despite this, it is a pretty good episode and is worth your time.