“Dance of the Dead” is episode eight of The Prisoner.
People enter Number Six’s cottage at night. In security, the Supervisor and a doctor, Number Forty, ware watching. Forty is taking responsibility and is doing this without orders. Six is attached to a machine and wakes. He’s contacted by a man in a wheelchair, Dutton, who Forty is telling what to say, in an attempt to get Six to talk. Number Two enters and tells them to stop and get Dutton back to the hospital. Forty thinks Six is about to talk; Two does not. Forty says that every man has a breaking point. Number Two doesn’t want Number Six broken. There are other ways.
Six wakes and Two is watching him from her room. Two gets a call and tells the caller it’s tomorrow night; they’re preparing it now. Yes, she wishes the caller could come to. A maid in a dress enters Six’s cottage and he queries her appearance. Then receives a special delivery, a request to attend the Village’s carnival and dance.
Number Six is watching a parade and stroking a cat when Number Two greets him. Carnival is an annual tradition. They are democratic. In some ways. Six should find himself a nice young lady for the carnival. Two suggests three young women; they are pretty and unattached. Six notices a woman, Number 240, watching and suggests her. Two says she’s quite unsuitable. 240 doesn’t want to be questioned and ends up leaving. Six follows, but gets a shock when he tries to follow her into the town hall. A man tells him the town hall is fussy about who it lets in.
240 is in the security room; another says that Six tried to follow her. 240 says that’s hardly her fault. The other thinks it’s funny; 240 is Six’s Observer.
Six finds that cat outside his house. The maid is not happy to find him giving it milk. Animals are not allowed. It’s a rule. Not a rule Six follows. He asks how it gets here. Everything. Does it come at night when everyone is asleep? A window box with flowers is hung up outside. Whether he wants them or not.
At night, another maid brings Six a drink and 240 orders his lights off. Forty speaks to Two; she’s giving a report. Not, it’s not about him. Forty would like a directive for Dutton. He’s being difficult.
Six is pacing his cottage in the dark. He sits and a light and a voice try to get him to sleep. Instead, he climbs out of the window. 240 calls Two and informs her; Two is not worried. Six heads to the beach, where Rover chases him until he collapses. Six wakes on the beach in the morning and finds a man’s body, cast up by the tide. He finds a wallet and a small radio on the body.
Carnival is decreed that evening. There will be happiness. By order. Number Six plans to use the body to send a message, but he’s always being watched.
Various things that happen in the episode suggest that this was one of the earliest episodes filmed – it was – and should have been shown earlier in the running order; Patrick McGoohan himself placed it as the episode after “Arrival”.