Comments on: Seek the Six

Seek the Six

Koko — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:05:08 -0800

Seek the Six / "We want information." / "You won't get it." / "By hook or by crook, we will."

Be seeing you.

By: Class Goat

Class Goat — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:23:22 -0800

There are some shows for which a remake is impossible. That show was of a time and place, and of certain actors. A modern remake, no matter how well intentioned, cannot possibly stack up. Have they run out of new ideas? What next, a remake of Blakes 7?

By: The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:33:10 -0800

> What next, a remake of Blakes 7? Yes.

By: Kid Charlemagne

Kid Charlemagne — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:34:00 -0800

By: mannequito

mannequito — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:34:53 -0800

Jim Caviezel is best known for his role in The Thin Red Line. That's certainly true for me - TRL is my all-time favorite war film - but I'd guess that the majority knows him best as Jesus

By: davemee

davemee — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:36:28 -0800

Blakes 8! Finally!

By: Class Goat

Class Goat — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:51:27 -0800

Class goat, have you been in London, or any other city, lately. Yes, the Prisoner was of a time and place, but given that every square inch of the first world has spent the past ten years or so morphing into The Village, I don't think a clever director is going to have any trouble at all making the time and place be here and now. You misunderstand my point. Maybe they can make a good story about societal mind control and attempts to make people toe the line. It might even be good. But it won't be "The Prisoner". It'll be something else trying to pretend to be "The Prisoner", and not succeeding. If I understand what I read, one big change they're making is that the same actor is going to play Number 2 all the way through the series, and that alone guarantees that it won't be remotely the same. Part of the original story was that 2's come and go, all different, yet deep down all the same. Seems to me that this will be like the movie version of "Starship Troopers". I haven't seen it, but I know some people like it. That said, it isn't the same story as Heinlein's book. It just borrows some character names, and a bit of an idea of the enemy, and tosses the essence of what made that book what it was. (I don't mean the powered armor, either; it's really about political philosophy.)

By: homunculus

homunculus — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:52:02 -0800

I am not a number! I am the way, the truth, and the life!

By: cavalier

cavalier — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:54:05 -0800

Oh wow. The first and only TV episodic I have in my DVD library. Gonna have to fire that up tonight... then annoy all my coworkers with "Be seeing you!" salutes this week...

By: Grangousier

Grangousier — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:11:56 -0800

Personally I'd have cast Hugh Laurie as Number Six and Stephen Fry as Number 2. Not that that's of any relevance.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:18:44 -0800

If the remake involves beating up Jim Caviezel every episode, it might be worth watching. Otherwise, I dare not spoil my good memories of the original.

By: jokeefe

jokeefe — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:37:45 -0800

Well.... I'm sure Ian McKellan will make a fine Number 2, but I'm a bit hesitant on this one. Will they film it in Portmeirion, and will they manage anything comparable to the mad set design of the original? *goes to RTFA*

By: X-Himy

X-Himy — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:09:03 -0800

Grangousier, your opinion intrigues me, and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

By: Legomancer

Legomancer — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:22:07 -0800

I predict this will be just as if not more successful than that movie version of "The Avengers"!

By: Eekacat

Eekacat — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:46:15 -0800

Maybe they can make a good story about societal mind control and attempts to make people toe the line. It might even be good. But it won't be "The Prisoner". It'll be something else trying to pretend to be "The Prisoner", and not succeeding. I can't agree with this more. "The Prisoner" was an amazing coming together of writing, acting and filming that told a story which not only fit the time, but also has stood up well to time. The producers of this certainly can come up with with their own ideas and an original show, but I think they are lazy. What this is simply put is branding. Taking a known success and banking on that to draw the viewers, rather than attempting to be creative and break new ground like the original series did. I can't say I'll be any more interested in this than the movie for "Wild Wild West." The original series was fantastic, and the final episode was one of the most wonderfully bizarre avant garde things to make it to mainstream television prior or since.

By: zengargoyle

zengargoyle — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:19:59 -0800

"Who is number 1" "You are number 6" muahahahaha

By: tyllwin

tyllwin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:41:21 -0800

Sure, it won't be the same. And it may be horrible. Remakes often are. But they can also be inspired. I'm getting the impression that they've taken enough time and care here that it's not simply cranking out a quick cash-in on people's memories. So, don't be unmutual. Let's hope for Battlestar Galactica, and not Wild Wild West

By: philip-random

philip-random — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:45:42 -0800

Will they film it in Portmeirion, Thanks for the reminder. I visited Portmeirion in 1995. Strangely enough, Supergrass were there, too, shooting this video. As for remaking The Prisoner, it's certainly got the thematic potential to speak to the here and now, but my gut tells me it won't be nearly weird enough.

By: cortex

cortex — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 17:09:09 -0800

Dem bones dem bones dem dryyyy bones

By: wittgenstein

wittgenstein — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 17:31:27 -0800

I'm psyched. It might be terrible, but I will watch it. Watching the PBS repeats of THE PRISONER was a highly important part of my high school years, almost as important as SPACE:1999.

By: Grangousier

Grangousier — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 17:37:37 -0800

A-and The Prisoner is my second TV memory (after Tomb of the Cybermen). I was able to establish (when they repeated the series in 1976), that the episode was Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling, probably the least interesting episode to have seen, but when you're four everything on television is interesting. I even used to watch the test card. I probably saw Fall Out, too, but it will have been quite difficult to differentiate from what was going on in my head anyway. I find the idea of it being remade to conform with 21st Century standards rather upsetting.

By: inthe80s

inthe80s — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 17:54:02 -0800

From the second link, it looks like a big no on Portmeirion for the second series Although Portmeirion will not be used as a location this time I'm sure that the second series will create new interest in the first series and bring this classic to a new audience." which is too bad really... not sure if it will be any good, but I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. AMC has run some excellent shows (Breaking Bad) and their involved with it, so I have hope.

By: Eekacat

Eekacat — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:16:01 -0800

Ohh, it made a huge impression on me as well from watching the series on PBS in the 70's. Rover freaked me the fuck out. There was a building in downtown Sacramento that had this huge ball on top of it, I imagine for an antenna of some sort, and I always thought of it as Rover, and always watched it carefully as we drove past in case it came bounding off the building after me. The original series was so brilliant and original, that a remake just seems... I don't know... arrogant.

By: wendell

wendell — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 21:34:10 -0800

In 1968 I was a misfit 12-year-old who devoured that show like it was my first meal after an endless fast (and for 1968 American TV, it was). A major breach with my parents occurred during our annual family vacation when I had to go back to the hotel room Saturday Night for my Must See TV that was too weird for the parental units (who were so square they weren't happy to have Saturday Night out without the kid... what's up with that?) To say the show had parallels with my growing-up years would not be totally far-fetched. And it was kind of a treat when I joined MetaFilter in its early days and Number One (Matt) issued me Number 206. Close enough.

By: TheOnlyCoolTim

TheOnlyCoolTim — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:42:59 -0800

Frankly any remake is not going to have such a superlative ending, thusly I disapprove of this project. I approve of the original especially as the ending is spoiled by the time you've reached the second episode, but you don't realize it.

By: Eideteker

Eideteker — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:24:42 -0800

"I dare not spoil my good memories of the original." Wait, what? Does watching new stuff erase your memory of old stuff, but only if the new stuff is almost but not quite the same as the original? Because otherwise, I'd imagine watching a bad remake just enhances your appreciation for the original by highlighting all the things they got right. It's one thing to say you won't waste your time, but spoil your memories? Are you expecting a crap remake to force you to find flaws in the original so that you can no longer enjoy it? Help me out; I'm not following you here.

By: CCBC

CCBC — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:43:22 -0800

tyllwin:...it may be horrible. Remakes often are. But they can also be inspired. Really? Name two.

By: rokusan

rokusan — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 01:37:38 -0800

it may be horrible. Remakes often are. But they can also be inspired. Really? Name two. Oh, oh, let me. :) A Star is Born Scarface

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 02:38:15 -0800

Does watching new stuff erase your memory of old stuff, but only if the new stuff is almost but not quite the same as the original? Wait, what? I said nothing of the sort.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:07:19 -0800

Oh, oh, let me. :) I'd be more convinced if you could name two inspired remakes made sometime in the last the past ten years? Or twenty? If you have to go back some twenty five years to find the last great remake, I think that rather proves the OP's point. I suppose The Departed wasn't bad, but it was no Infernal Affairs, IMO. Similarly, Cronenberg's The Fly. Good movie, but I always preferred the original.

By: gentilknight

gentilknight — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 05:56:30 -0800

Really? Name two. That would be telling.

By: gentilknight

gentilknight — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 06:00:41 -0800

I can hardly believe no one saw that coming.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 07:02:38 -0800

I've just thought of one. Reservoir Dogs is a better movie than Ringo Lam's City on Fire.

By: gentilknight

gentilknight — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 07:02:39 -0800

> I am not a number! I am the way, the truth, and the life! You just keep telling yourself that, Number 12845.

By: biscotti

biscotti — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 07:04:18 -0800

This is one of my all-time favourite series...my gut reaction is "DO NOT WANT!!!", but then I remember that I felt that way about the new Battlestar Galactica, until I actually watched it. It could be good, as long as they remember that their audience aren't idiots. "You are, number six."

By: panboi

panboi — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:02:07 -0800

The problem with Battlestar Galactica is that it improved on an original series that (arguably) could only benefit from improvement. The Prisoner is a much more tricky concept because it's regarded as a classic of its time - and also still stands up well today. It had elements that are going to be tough to improve on: the opening credits, the theme music, Portmeirion, Rover etc. What do you keep and what do you "reimagine"? Battlestar Galactica was clever enough to pay its dues to the original series while still establishing its own identity. I'd like to think that The Prisoner can do the same, but it's going to have to raise the bar quite a bit to achieve this.

By: The Great Big Mulp

The Great Big Mulp — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:45:50 -0800

I think the real question is whether or not there was going to be a machine gun battle to "All You Need Is Love".

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 16:45:41 -0800

I'd like to think that The Prisoner can do the same, but it's going to have to raise the bar quite a bit to achieve this. The Prisoner is a product of the times in which it was made, particularly with its simultaneous criticism and embrace of aspects of 60s "counterculture". It wouldn't be the same show, without that commentary. As culture is now much more homogenized, it seems difficult to see how a television could go further or in a different direction, in that respect.

By: Relay

Relay — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:38:43 -0800

I've really liked and appreciated this series since day one, but here's my general take on remakes, or cover versions of songs for that matter: If you are going to re-do something that already exists, what are you going to add to it that was missing from the original? OK, so "X" TV show or movie or whatever was cool. That's not reason enough. My guess is that the remake of The Prisoner will probably end up being a lot like Soderberg's remake of Solaris: If you haven't seen the original, it might strike some pople as OK, but it will pale in comparison to the original.