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Lunkhead's Lair • View topic - Prisoner Episode #6 - The General

Prisoner Episode #6 - The General

Episode Discussions

Moderator: Xenorama

Prisoner Episode #6 - The General

Postby Lunkenstein on December 3rd, 2006, 12:29 pm

The Village is conducting an educational program called Speed Learn, a miracle process where students acquire knowledge worthy of a college level degree in just three minutes. This is achieved by watching telecasts of a kindly looking gentleman known as the Professor, while data is subliminally planted onto the student's brain. For now, the information is merely historical facts, but Number 12 (a Village administrator) helps Number 6 discover and expose what is really happening - an experiment in total mind control over the masses.

This is a very interesting episode. It warns of the danger of perverted science and that some things in life require more than just fast and easy shortcuts. It also reveals there are indeed others in the Village that Number 6 can trust. Colin Gordon (of episode “A. B. AND C.”) returns and is the only other actor besides Leo McKern to play Number 2 in more than one episode. John Castle is very good as the sympathetic Number 12. As always, the music, writing, and direction are wonderful. This episode also holds a nostalgia factor for me. Back in 1969 at age 14, I was into recording theme music from television shows on my old reel to reel tape recorder. This is the first Prisoner episode I recorded the theme and some sequences to listen to. I was really starting to get into the show at this point and recorded the entire next episode, “MANY HAPPY RETURNS”.

As for Prisoner vs. Village, this is another victory for Number 6 though two innocents meet a sad demise.

"It's insoluble for man or machine... WHY?" ~ Number 6

PRISONER SCORE BOARD:

Village: 3
Number 6: 3

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Last edited by Lunkenstein on March 1st, 2007, 11:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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The General

Postby Exile on December 7th, 2006, 7:52 pm

This is one of the few episodes that really seem dated when watching them now.

First of all, the computer is actually comical. It takes up an entire wall and you know that an I-Pod probably has more computing power.

Second, I don't understand why the computer would destroy itself when presented with an insoluble problem. It seems to be a product of the sixties (I believe something similar was used in the Mudds Women episode of Star Trek).

The episode isn't a total write off though. In fact, everything but the last ten minutes are actually very clever. The concept of "Speed Learn" being used to brain wash the masses is particularly effective.

This episode has some very good points, but isn't the best.
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Postby Lunkenstein on December 7th, 2006, 11:29 pm

True, the computer technology is dated here, but back in 1967, large computers were the norm and they were probably thinking "bigger and better" would equal some kind of super-duper computer for this story. Smaller mainframes were less powerful when compared to the big boys, and the shrinking hardware days were years away, let alone PCs.

As far as the insoluble problem causing a fatal overload, I'm guessing they were trying to credit the computer with achieving some form of artificial intelligence with cold pride ala, I'll solve this damned thing if it takes every circuit and tube I've got! Sounds far-fetched today I admit, but as you say, it was the '60s and technology was just emerging. Computer intelligence themes continued into the '70s with films like COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT (1970) and DEMON SEED (1977). In the later, the super computer actually succeeds in impregnating the wife of its creator so it can evolve [a bit of a pre-cursor to V'ger merging with Captain Decker in STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979)]. Wild concepts, but fun to watch.
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computers

Postby Xenorama on December 9th, 2006, 12:30 pm

computers were HUGE in the mid 60s- i just watched an episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea in which a computer took over Seaview to run some tests and they had to install three 5 foot banks to hold all the info needed. it cracked me up to think that was probably true until the invention of microchips a few years later.

this is an interesting episode. the concept is definitely unusual, but i would hope a former spy would be suspicious of any kind of "teaching" this Village would employ.

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Last edited by Lunkhead on January 3rd, 2008, 7:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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