The Persener

I was watching a movie on AMC last night and noted that AMC is advertizing the hell out of the remake of The Prisoner. This'll probably blow my geek credentials to hell, but I have to come out of the closet and confess that I never liked The Prisoner.

Oh, I tried. I watched the show. I read the treatises on the symbolism of the bicycle-and-umbrella logo. I listened to the learned elders at science fiction conventions explain why The Prisoner was the most amazingly important TV show ever produced. But in the end, I had to admit that I had more fun watching re-runs of Daktari than The Prisoner. It made no sense, it seemed intentionally obtuse, and nothing ever seemed to happen. Compare this to Daktari, where stuff happened, animals were patched up, lions menaced the vets, and there was plenty of footage of specially-equipped Land Rovers driving across the Serengeti. Compare this to The Prisoner, where all you really get is a lot of formlessly portentious dialogue, enormous beach balls, and a sense of slowly-building ennui that eventually drives one to exclaim This is bullshit! This is overwrought bullshit!

Here's a thought. I never liked Doctor Who either, but I preferred it over The Prisoner.

Now that I'm out of the geek closet, I feel better.