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The Prisoner: It's Your Funeral

Series Summary

A secret agent resigns from his job, and when he gets home he is kidnapped and brought to a strange village populated by other people who had classified positions and know too much to be let free. The people in charge of the village want the answer to one question: "Why did you resign?". He refuses to answer, and is determined to escape. However, the people in charge have very elaborate methods to prevent escape and fooling him (now known only as "Number 6") into answering their question. But are their methods good enough for Number 6?

Episode Summary

A well and truly twisted but ingenious story. No. 6 finds a pretty blonde girl in his bedroom one morning. So what does he do with her? He wakes suddenly, grabs her by the wrists, grapples her to the bed and then asks what she wants, of course. She asks for his help to prevent an assassination. No. 6 is not totally convinced about her story and her motives. The whole scene is being witnessed by the Supervisor. He knows that he must insure that No. 6 becomes interested.

The scene switches to a computer room and in walks a very authoritative Computer Assistant (played by our Wanda) requesting an activity prognosis on No. 6 immediately. No. 6's movements are monitored the whole day for analysis.

No. 6 speaks with another inmate and finds out about 'Jammers'. They were people who, in the past, would concoct make-believe assassination plots and Control would always have to check up on these stories. After awhile, Control knew who these people were and stopped bothering with them.

The next day, the Computer Assistant has a meeting with No. 2 and No. 100. No. 100 is dressed like another prisoner but is actually working under cover. The Assistant goes through a fantastical prognosis of No. 6's daily routine. No. 2 is searching for something. He stops her when she says that between 11:40 and 11:50, No. 6 will go to the gym for his weekly Kosho practice. No. 2 tells No. 100 what he has in mind.

While No. 6 is playing a wacky game of Kosho, No. 100 opens No. 6's locker and replaces No. 6's watch with an identical one that does not work. So, No. 6 goes to the little watchmaker to get the watch fixed. While the watchmaker repairs it in the back room, the Prisoner notices a detonation device which can explode by radio signal. As No. 6 walks out of the shop, he encounters the pretty blonde girl he met the day before in his bedroom. She turns out to be the watchmaker's daughter. The old watchmaker is planning to assassinate No. 2. It is called Plan Division Q.

Armed with this information, No. 6 comes to warn No. 2 there is a plot against his life. This meeting is captured on camera. The Prisoner is told that the watchmaker is a Jammer so Control is not worried about him. 'Appreciation Day' will go ahead as planned.

That evening, No. 6 and the watchmaker's daughter find out that her father is making a replica of the Great Seal of Office which is filled with explosive.

The next day, when No. 6 goes to call on No. 2, he meets a more mature gentleman. This older No.2 is aware that No. 6 has informed his predecessors about plots against their lives. It must be true because of the excerpts he shows the Prisoner. No. 6 says the film is fake and probably this time it is No. 2 they are trying to convince. And he does begin to believe No. 6 might be right. The powers that be aren't interested in pension plans. They use assassinations to get retiring colleagues out of the way.

No. 6 realises the whole scheme has been manipulated by No. 2's own people. He asks that Appreciation Day is postponed so innocent people won't be blamed. But the big day arrives and it is time to say goodbye to the departing leader.

The watchmaker is up in the tower waiting to detonate his device in the Great Seal. No.6 and the watchmaker's daughter successfully stops him from exploding the device.

At the ceremony, the seal is put on the retiring No. 2. He looks worried but delivers his speech. The new No. 2 is concerned because the bomb should have gone off by now. He has a communication device in his glasses and instructs No. 100 to find out what has happened. But No. 6 has run off with the detonation device as the seal is now transferred to the sweaty looking new No. 2.

The ceremony is now finished and No. 6 hands the retired No. 2 the detonation device while the rigged Great Seal is still around the new No. 2. It is the older man's passport to freedom. He leaves very quickly!

The story ends by the Prisoner telling the new No. 2 that he is sure that they will arrange something equally suitable for when it is his turn to retire.

Comments

It's interesting to note that Wanda Ventham's small role in this episode is very similar to her role in the UFO episode REFLECTIONS IN THE WATER -- which, by the way, was written and directed by THE PRISONER producer David Tomblin! In both episodes, she is the computer expert who is trying to coax information out of an uncooperative computer, and seems rather frustrated by her superior's reactions. UFO fans will also notice that the new Number 2 is played by Derren Nesbitt, who played Captain Craig Collins in the UFO episode THE MAN WHO CAME BACK.

Images

The computer attendant collects computer predictions about Number 6's activities for the day

She goes to Number 2 with the information

Number 2 listens to the computer predictions, but doesn't believe them

To check the predictions, they monitor Number 6's current activities

Waiting to see if the computer is right... it is!

Number 2 finds out what he needs to know, and the computer attendant is dismissed.

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Credits & Episode Summary by Suzanne Sutherland, Scotland, UK (suzanne@smasher.demon.co.uk).
Series Summary, Comments & Images by Marc Martin, WA, USA (marc@ufoseries.com).