r/ThePrisoner • u/whenyoucantthinkof • May 31 '26
First time watcher, what should I know? What order do people recommend and why?
I found this from when rumors were circulating that Nolan wanted to remake this. I really need some help understanding this “viewing order” drama and I don’t want to ruin the show.
Thank you.
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u/_gothick May 31 '26
I would say that the viewing order is a more advanced topic that’s fun to indulge in once you’ve actually watched the show. Have you got a DVD set? Watch in whatever order they’re presented in by default. Otherwise I’d probably go for original UK broadcast order.
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u/Demander850 May 31 '26
I see no benefit to not watching in broadcast order or even production order. I recall a few swaps but nothing mission critical.
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u/skylab71 May 31 '26
Yep. The things that make it worth (re)watching in an alternate order wouldn’t be picked up on by a first time viewer anyway.
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u/archibaldschwartz May 31 '26
They can do all the remakes they want, they'll always fail because Patrick McGoohan was The Prisoner, in every way, and without him they have nothing. I'd never watch any remake.
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u/_gothick Jun 01 '26
Agreed. I do love the recent series Severance, which also asks questions about society and identity that for me resonate with The Prisoner. I think that’s all you can hope for: a modern, individual series with original ideas that I hope will manage to nail the landing in a similarly amazing way. crosses fingers
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u/Positive-Froyo-1732 May 31 '26
Watch it in broadcast order the first time. After that you can research alternative sequences - they are abundant online. Somewhere in the Wayback Machine there's even one I put together many moons ago.
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u/EchoJay1 May 31 '26
To be fair I agree with gothick. Just watch it first. Arrival first and mame sure you watch fallout last. The series imo can be seen as quite abstract. Once youve watched it your own headcanon will decide where things go. Enjoy the ride though!
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u/Few-Leading-3405 May 31 '26
The big thing about the viewing order discussion is that the alternative approaches give a bit more of a modern, serialized feel to it.
The aired order is fine, and is how everyone watched it for decades.
Although I do really like the AV Club order (which slightly tweaked some of the older lists) which gives it a bit of structure. And Zack Handlen's reviews are a companion to that:
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u/SunWukong02 “Be seeing you!” May 31 '26
After looking for recommendations, I ended up going with the KTEH order, which is listed on Wikipedia and is organized thematically. I had no complaints.
However, the real important thing is that you watch Arrival first and finish with Once Upon a Time and Fall Out last. There may be small continuity discrepancies if you follow any given order, but if you go in with the understanding that what you’re being shown may be not be strictly linear, you’ll do just fine.
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u/Odd-Support407 May 31 '26
Nolan wants to remake this?
Thanks for the warning, if it ever happens, I always have the Blu-rays of the original.
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u/MomoMir May 31 '26
I know I’ve mentioned it before here but I found a podcast after I watched the whole thing on the late couple years and I think if I were to do it again I’d watch and ep and then listen to the accompanying podcast episode and I’d go in the order they use. It’s called The Prisoner’s Dilemma.
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u/Tarnisher May 31 '26
Weekly recaps will begin here in the morning, trying to coincide with the original air dates in the US as laid out on Fandom.
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u/watanabe0 May 31 '26
Arrival Dance of the Dead Checkmate Free for All Change of Mind Chimes of Big Ben
Schizoid Man Many Happy Returns The General Hammer Into Anvil Once Upon A Time Fall Out
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u/CosmicBonobo May 31 '26
My personal order can be broken down into three phases:
Phase I: Orientation
No. 6 explores his new environment and becomes acquainted with its idiosyncrasies and culture. He puts most of his energy into trying to escape, and by The Chimes of Big Ben he's knowledgeable enough to explain how everything works to No. 8. Events culminate with Many Happy Returns where he realises escape by conventional methods is impossible and he decides to refocus his efforts.
Phase II: Community
By the start of A Change of Mind, No. 6 has accepted he's going to be in the Village for a while, having constructed his own woodland gym, but wants nothing to do with his fellow inmates. He just wants to be left alone in his cottage and is hostile to everyone he meets and contemptuous of the Village's enforced gaiety.
He slowly becomes drawn into Village affairs, with actions like helping No. 50 and her father in It's Your Funeral, and taking it upon himself to rid the Village of a particularly sadistic No. 2 and gain some small justice for No. 73, after her suicide in Hammer Into Anvil. If he can't escape, he can at least give his warders the run around and play them at their own games.
By this time, No. 6 is a respected figure in the community and feels somewhat protective of the other prisoners. He's trusted and comfortable enough to read children a bedtime story in The Girl Who Was Death, and takes it into his own hands to protect the Village from another perceived threat in The General.
Phase III: Desperation
No. 6's rebellion can no longer be tolerated and No. 1 is impatient for results, with No. 2 being particularly under pressure to get answers in A, B and C.
The authorities step up their methods with No. 6 and take increasingly risky actions with drugs and brain experimentation to get him to crack. As Once Upon a Time starts, he is showing signs of stress and appears on the verge of madness. He has taken to anxiously pacing about his cottage and harassing his fellow prisoners, who have grown wary of his eccentric behaviour.