Fall Out – or Will Lost Go the Way of The Prisoner?
Like Lost, The Prisoner (if you are not familliar with The Prisoner you may want to read my post ‘That Would Be Telling’) was a show that garnered a huge fan base that was extremely devoted to the show. It was quite an accomplishment for a show that only had 17 episodes. Patrick McGoohan, who played No. 6, was also the creator of the series and wrote and directed many of the episodes. ‘Fall Out,’ The Prisoner’s final episode, is notorius for being one of the most confusing final episodes for any series and seemingly doesn’t answer the questions many fans had. I believe that a theory that I recently read about ‘Fall Out’ on prisonor.gigacorp.net may point the way for how Lost may end. On the surface we may not have any of our questions answered but when we dig deeper the end will prove to be firmly grounded in the premise of the show, we’ll just have to use our minds to make sense of it.
As I stated before, Patrick McGoohan wrote many of the episodes of The Prisoner. By the time he was writing ‘Fall Out’ he was routinely being hounded and harrassed by the fans for answers to The Prisoners many mysteries. Some of these mysteries were why did No. 6 resign? Where was the Village? What government or agency ran the Village? And finally, who was No. 1? What McGoohan came up with to answer the fans questions was to present a final episode that was full of symbolism, was on the surface confusing at best, and seemed to mock the fans who loved the show. In one episode McGoohan managed to shatter and destroy every icon and aspect of the show. No. 6 proved not to be the super-spy he was thought to be, Rover was killed, the Village was evacuated and then destroyed, and No. 1, who at first seemed to be a clone of No. 6, was shot into space. It had seemed that McGoohan decided to give the fans the finger and not allow them any satisffaction. Or did he?
The main theme that ran through out The Prisoner was that of being an individual, thinking for yourself, and not conforming to what Society wants, something which I think is being echoed in Lost with Jacob saying that you always have a choice. McGoohan felt that by giving in to the incessant demands of The Prisoner’s fan’s for satisfactory answers would be an act of conforming to the fan’s expectations. This would have been very hypocritical to the premis of The Prisoner and would make the whole series a total waste of time. The fans wholly expected that an authoritarian government was behind the Village and No. 1 was the head of this government. The robed figures in the episode who represented the controlling faction of the Village in fact represented the fans of the show. The figures proclaimed No. 6 their leader and No 6. rejected them because by taking control of the Village would have been conforming to the Village. In the end McGoohan is saying that Society and the members of Society are the Village and No. 1. The only way to rebel is to think for yourself and make your own decisions.
So how does this tie into Lost? I believe a similar theme is being presented in Lost. No matter what the situation we find ourselves in we have a choice. Jacob basically tells this to Ben at the end of season 5. Ellie knew what would happen to her son if he went to the Island but she still chooses to send him. In the room 23 scene we see two slides that proclaim “We are the cause of our suffering” and “Think about your life.” I believe these two phrases echo the theme that we are in control of our lives and not some outside force. This may be the point that Jacob is trying to make his Adversary realize.
I also feel that events in Lost may be showing that the ending may be similar to the way The Prisoner ended. Already the Other’s society has been severly disrupted by the Losties and their leader has been killed. The Losties haven’t fared to well either. Most of the people who survived the crash of 815 are now dead and those who made it off the Island did not live happily ever after. In the end Lost may very well conclude with everything we like destroyed, but it may be done in a way that is in keeping with the ideas that have been presented on the show.
I do agree with you totally about your theory.Jacob to me believes in free will and every man can choose between right or wrong and change the course of his life on the daily basis. in fact he never interferes with people choises he might drive them on the right path but at the
end it’s up to them.What if our destiny was really already written,I really wouldn’t like so: then Hurley would have known what to answer Miles.If Charley had died the first time Desmond saved him he wouldn’t have done what he did in the underwater station(sorry I can’t rremember the name Looking glass maybe). Then it was his choise to do that and be heroic in order to save all his fellows. What do you think?
Achalli, great ideas. firstly, i do believe that lost will have an ending where, i hope, 90% of the questions raised will be answered.
also, in your penultimate paragraph i think you emphasise that the fact that the future can be changed due to freedom of choice, contrary to what desmond and faraday say. just because today i have a shower in the morning doesn’t mean that under the exact same circumstances, and events leading up to it, that tomorrow i will have a shower in the morning again.
what i’m getting at is that the first events in the 70s in dharmaville are different to the ones we witnessed in S5 due to the fact people have a free choice and the ones they made this time are different to last time. this, i believe, is the progress Jacob was referring to.
I_Am_Jacob, I’m glad you liked this. The Prisoner is the only show that I would say is better than Lost. For a show that was done in the 1960’s it was way ahead of it’s time in subject matter and the way the story was told. You didn’t say whether or not you have seen the show so I’ll assume you haven’t. I strongly urge you to seek out The Prisoner and watch it, in many ways Lost is The Prisoner set on an island. AMC is showing a 6 part reimagining of The Prisoner in November.
As to the question of choice I would say that it will always be the variable in anything done in life. It would also be the only constant, that you have a choice. I think this is what both Jacob and The Prisoner were trying to tell us.
Achalli, you guessed right, i have never watched The Prisoner but i will now. I am sure there is a site where i can watch it – this is how i watched S5 of Lost as i dont have sky.
like you mention at the end, the only constants are the variables which is quite a nice paradox.
I_Am_Jacob, I believe the AMC site has the orginal episodes on there. Like I mentioned they are doing a new version as a mini-series in November. You’ll be amazed at the parallels between the two series.
Achalli, I will expound more on your thoughts at a later time.
But, what strikes me is, that part of what was said about “we are the cause of our own suffering”. The battle that is fought is, always the battle from within, for that is where the true enemy lies! So, the part about “think about your life” is relevant to the previous statement.
I somehow think that regardless of how Lost ends, there will be a huge ‘moral’ statement made.
Some really good thoughts!
PS: Please make your next ‘FUN’ post to include bunny rabbits. I can really relate to hopping around like one right now.
Dabs, the “we are the cause of our own suffering” slide is what prompted me to make a connection to the general consensus that most Prisoner fans have about ‘Fall Out.’ The theory on the Prisoner site I mention (prisoner.gigacorp.net The names of the people who did it are Reed, Kent, and Kirby Meyer.) takes that idea a step further.
I do have another ‘Fun’ post coming but I’m not sure I can fit the bunnies into it. I will do a post that does include them for you in the future, my mind is already churning from your suggestion.
I just stumbled on another Lost site I think you would be interested in. It is http://www.lostisagame.com and it was put together by a woman who has developed an extensive theory about Lost as a video game. It is amazing, she has all the rules about gameplay figured out and accounts for virtually all aspects of the show. In fact she has it so well developed that she can predict events based on her theory. You should check it out.
Hi Achalli: You have peaked my interest in this show and I will definitely be checking it out come November.
I did a little surfing to see if I could find out a bit more about this show, and I come across an article where Carlton Cuse mentions how The Prisoner was an influence in the construction of Lost. Please let me know if you would like the link.
Achalli, I will definitely be watching the mini-series, because I have forgotten so much from the original.
elsewhere, if you could cut & paste the quote from the writers, that would be helpful.
“It was my dream to create a television show that created a culture around itself”…
Elsewhere I would love that link. thanks for mentioning where to go for it.
Here you go Achalli. http://www.bafta.org/learning/island-fever,786,BA.html
The part that I copied and pasted was pretty much it in regards to The Prisoner, but atleast you have your confirmation that it was an influence.
Achalli: I provided the link for you… But, I guess as soon as it’s approved it will show up.
Also, I discovered the itsagame site about 2 years ago. It really is an amazing site! You can tell that she is one truly dedicated Lost fan and has put a lot of time and effort into that site. I highly recommend that everyone check it out even if you don’t subscribe to the game theory itself!
Thank you Elsewhere. That site is just astonishing and full of information. You’re right, everyone should check it out.
Elsewhere I just checked out the link. Thanks again. I swear ther are times I think that the DI is just doing R & D for a new Village.
DABS! ELSEWHERE! Go to http://www.theprisoneronline.com ASAP. They have a new 9 minute trailer for the Prisoner miniseries. Rover looks awesom. Here’s the link http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1119352258?bctid=30345659001
Achalli: Thanks for that… Unfortunately I’m still living in the stone ages with a dial-up connection. A 9 minute video would take me about 2 days to view 🙁
I’ll come back here later to see what Dab’s has to say about it.
Achalli, thanks for providing the link to the ‘trailer’. It looks amazing! I will definitely be tuning in for that mini-series!
How could they go wrong with Sir Ian McKellan and Jim Caviezel acting in it?
I’ve already seen things in that trailer that I think can be applied to Lost, most notably when No. 2 tells No. 6 that the answer lies within.
I can see Ben now in the Village trying to get No. 6 to break.
Elsewhere, if you go to http://www.prisoneronline.com you’ll be able to find a much shorter trailer plus a whole lot of info about the Prisoner.
Im pretty impressed with the trailer…will be waiting for the premier of that one…
I found a 16 second trailer that took 24 minutes to load… What I saw looks good. I absolutely adore Ian McKellen. I think he is one of the best actors around. I can’t wait…
I’ll take everyones word on the awesomeness of the longer trailer. Not even going to attempt it.
By the way I also recomend going to http://www.seekthesix.com That’s how I got the number that now appears on my profile. This site will show you six groups of pictures and you have to find the picture with the six in it. Get all the answers right and you will be assigned a Village number.
Hey Achalli, I don’t know if you already brought it up but, I was wondering if you ever caught the mini-series and what were your thoughts?
All I have to say about it is “Meh,” and that’s being kind. lol! But, I did really enjoy the Brian Wilson music.
Elsewhere, I did see the mini series and have mixed feelings about it. First, Rover looked great and I would bet my money for him to beat Smokey anyday. Rover shows up and dispatches his victims without the fuss like Smokey’s makes.
The mini series contained a lot of the concepts that the original had but I think the Village works better as an actual place. I really disliked the fact that No. 6 ended up staying in the Village. Even though he ends up running it he has still subcombed to it. But maybe the lesson there is that we will always be a prisoner in our own minds.
If you get the chance you should watch the original show.
I did manage to watch the first 10 episodes of the original series. I would have watched all 17 but, by the time I realized that the original series was available for viewing through the on-demand feature of my cable, it was already too late. I only had 2 days left to try and watch them all. And, I didn’t make it. Maybe this is why I didn’t really enjoy the mini-series. These 10 episodes were still fresh in my mind, leaving me a bit disappointed with the mini-series…
Now, there is something that I’m not too sure of… In the mini series there was mention during the classroom scene as to why there wasn’t a number 1, reason was because of ego. But, during the ending they all start chanting, six is the 1… So, was 6 really number 1 or did he really become the new # 2, and the chanting was because he was the one that would replace # 2? As, I kind of took that last scene on the beach as though he was really #1, because his ego seemed to be highly inflated…
P.S. I think I’ll have to go with Smokey!
I tried responding to your comment through my phone but for some reason it didn’t go through. Here I go again. They were chanting because Two told them that Six was the one who would save the Village. Six then became the new No.2. And if you really think about it, Mike(six in the real world) is actually No. 1 and his other self in the Village is No. 2.