The Prisoner's Dilemma

We wrap up our coverage of The Prisoner by answering some of your questions. Thanks for listening! --- Matthew's list of Prisoner-alikes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1olVZvAkpC6qTYzt-XvLE1DNpnZY24lP6rN69BcXgS1g/edit?usp=sharing --- http://the-prisoners-dilemma.com Music by Devin Nelson. http://devindecibel.bandcamp.com Art by Si Sweetman. https://sifsweetman.carrd.co/

We reach the final episode of The Prisoner as Number Six comes face to face with rebellion, authority, and a curious sort of praise for his private war in the name of individuality. But who's running the Village, anyway? And what will Number Six do now that he's won? He HAS won, hasn't he? Join us for a long discussion of the contentious, curious final episode: FALL OUT. Send your questions to the...

Content warnings for: alcohol abuse, motor accidents, psychological manipulation, nervous breakdowns A clash of wills! A favorite Number Two returns to put the screws to Number Six. Will the secrets of the spy's resignation be revealed with regression therapy? What will reveal about Six's life - or McGoohan's? Who really IS Six in this scenario, anyway? Learn all this and more as we go back to sch...

Sometimes, when The Prisoner plays with the format of the show, it produces some interesting results - results that can give you a new lens with which to view the show. Sometimes it results in an episode like this one - a spy farce with uneven budget, odd performances, and even odder costume choices. Join us to find out how Number Six deals with THE GIRL WHO WAS DEATH  Next time: ONCE UPON A TIME....

The Prisoner! You know, the show about spies. Right? Or is the spy story simply one context of many? A genre that serves to surround the tale, a medium that serves to surface the message - that any of us might be made prisoners at any time, any where? Maybe even in a place far from here, in the frontier, where the might made right at the end of a shiny revolver. Join us for a trip to the old West...

An American nuclear sub... A sky full of Russian paratroopers... a race for the secrets buried in the Arctic! In 1968, McGoohan was already looking ahead to what would happen beyond the Prisoner. Would military thrillers of Hollywood lie in his future? Would the spy that he'd played so well for so long translate to the big screen? Judge with us as we watch ICE STATION ZEBRA. Next time: LIVING IN H...

What happens to The Prisoner when you take Patrick McGoohan out of the equation? Has he used his power as auteur and leading man to create the scaffolding necessary to drive the show forward in his absence? Or does everything devolve into a form familiar for the era, where spies, ciphers, and sloppy kisses are the order of the day? Find out in the globe-trotting carnival that is DO NOT FORSAKE ME...

Content warnings for lobotomies, aversion therapy I can't stand a podcast that doesn't know how to make a decent description. A lesson: The premise, rinsed out. Tease the plot, always. Now, the details: one for me, one for thee, one for the SEO, one for luck. Boiling interest, let stand for one moment - pour the milk, won't you? - cup, saucer, sugar, pour: A CHANGE OF MIND. Next time: DO NOT FORSA...

Someone's going to assassinate you! I know, it sounds crazy, but you must believe me! A stranger told me about it! Now, I know that doesn't sound super credible, but I had my hands on the bomb itself! What? No, I didn't do anything with the bomb. Why would I? Look, if you don't want to believe me, that's fine. After all .... IT'S YOUR FUNERAL. Next time: A CHANGE OF MIND. http://the-prisoners-dile...

We take a break from McGoohan's most iconic work to examine the television that he'd be most known for in his later career: playing murderous villains in the murder mystery series COLUMBO, opposite Peter Falk as the scruffy, awkward, eponymous detective. Nic Tringali ( @nictringali.bsky.social ) joins us to talk about what makes the show work, how McGoohan's touch can be felt, and the price of che...

We often joke that it's a Number 2's greatest ambition to get Number 6. You know, to REALLY get him. But what if ... just this once ... it was Number 6 who was doing the getting? What might that reveal about this strange little place we call the Village? Find out as Michael Hansen (@modality.bsky.social) joins for HAMMER INTO ANVIL. http://the-prisoners-dilemma.com Music by Devin Nelson. http://de...

This week, Number 6 gives up the solo-secret-agent act in favor of being a battlefield commander: a strategist who moves his pieces across the board, anticipates his enemy's moves, and lays traps to ensure victory. But who is he playing against, really? Em from Abnormal Mapping ( http://www.abnormalmapping.com ) join us to decide who's making moves in CHECKMATE! http://the-prisoners-dilemma.com Mu...

Sorry for the last minute notice, but no episode this week, due to some sickness and conflicting schedule. We'll be back in two weeks with CHECKMATE! http://the-prisoners-dilemma.com Music by Devin Nelson. http://devindecibel.bandcamp.com Art by Si Sweetman. https://sifsweetman.carrd.co/  

Why must Number 6 always try and escape? Why don't we just get to see him sample the local culture, or some modern radio? Why not simply enjoy some tranche de vie? Or must there be the thunder of rebellion, the crash of conflict? No, no. Have a drink, relax, and get swept up in the DANCE OF THE DEAD. http://the-prisoners-dilemma.com Music by Devin Nelson. http://devindecibel.bandcamp.com Art by Si...

Fellas, has this ever happened to you? You sail across the seas eating nothing but beans and you get to your home and a cool lady has moved in and bought your hand-built car? And she offers you tiny sandwiches and shows you her lease and offers your her dead husband's nice clothes? This happens to me all the time, and it will happen to Number 6 in MANY HAPPY RETURNS. http://the-prisoners-dilemma.c...

It's exam time. Have you studied? Ha ha, yes, of course, I studied too - by watching my television!! What kind of sick, twisted world is this? Find out as we enter a world of fast facts and puzzling paradoxes, domineered by ... THE GENERAL. http://the-prisoners-dilemma.com Music by Devin Nelson. http://devindecibel.bandcamp.com Art by Si Sweetman. https://sifsweetman.carrd.co/

I'm not you, I'm me! I mean, wait - I'm you! Except you're me! Wait, no, you're not me! Wait, which one are you again? Well, whoever you are, join me as we tune in for Patrick McGoohan and his co-star, Patrick McGoohan, in THE SCHIZOID MAN. http://the-prisoners-dilemma.com Music by Devin Nelson. http://devindecibel.bandcamp.com Art by Si Sweetman. https://sifsweetman.carrd.co

We take a break from Number 6's plight in the Village to examine the entirely-unrelated career of John Drake, who is a... secret agent ... guy? Fellow? A man employed by ... government? To solve ... dangers? Look, who he is doesn't matter. What matters is: what to drink? Pour a glass and join us as we watch DANGER MAN. From S1: View from the Villa, Name Date and Place From S3: Are You Going to Be...

It's election season, and you know what that means: it's time for some good old fashioned brainwashing. Just really scrub that thing down until it's as clean as a whistle. We're joined by Karla Zimonja (@zusty) to talk about the chaos of living in a democractic Village in FREE FOR ALL! http://the-prisoners-dilemma.com Music by Devin Nelson. http://devindecibel.bandcamp.com Art by Si Sweetman. http...

This is a dreamy party, baby! Just the sort of place for some classic Cold War cat-and-mouse. But why's the logic of this place feel a bit ... unnatural? Could this be a dream? A dream specifically architected to steal secrets from my MIND? Find out as we watch A, B, and C. http://the-prisoners-dilemma.com Music by Devin Nelson. http://devindecibel.bandcamp.com Art by Si Sweetman. https://sifsweet...

"The Chimes of Big Ben" shows us that Number 6 seems to have come around on being captured quite nicely! He's settling into the Village, getting along with everyone, doing some woodwork, and having a nice time with a cool lady. Or so it all just a farce to please his boyfriend, Number 2? http://the-prisoners-dilemma.com Music by Devin Nelson. http://devindecibel.bandcamp.com Art by Si Sweetman. ht...

"Arrival" sets the stage for The Prisoner: a man, a secret, a village, and a rotating cast of overseers. We talk a little about who McGoohan is, what led him to create this show, and what happens in it. http://the-prisoners-dilemma.com Music by Devin Nelson. http://devindecibel.bandcamp.com Art by Si Sweetman. https://sifsweetman.carrd.co/

Coming soon - THE PRISONER'S DILEMMA.