The Prisoner: Fallout (1968)

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Perhaps one of the most fascinating and maddening 48 minutes ever committed to television broadcast, "Fall Out" was the 17th and final episode of the British sci-fi/fantasy series The Prisoner. Having survived the ordeal of Degree Absolute in the previous episode "Once Upon a Time", Number Six is rewarded with the right to become an individual once more. With the begrudging blessing of the defeated Number Two (Leo McKern), Number Six is given back his original clothes, the key to his old house, a million pounds' worth of travellers cheques, and an international passport. But this is not enough for Number Six: He insists upon learning the identity of the enigmatic Number One, who was responsible for his ordeal in The Village. From this point on, the episode's already pervasive surrealism reaches a fever pitch, festooned with cryptic messages, verbal and visual puns, "reunions" with past antagonists, Beatles tunes in the background, and various "types" wandering around in white masks. One of these masked figures is the elusive Number One. . .and that's all that can be said without giving the game away (if indeed, the game could ever be given away). Written and directed by series star Patrick McGoohan, "Fall Out" was originally telecast in England on February 4, 1968, and in America on September 21, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi