“Fall Out” is episode seventeen of The Prisoner and the series finale.
No introduction this time, only clips from the previous episode, “Once Upon a Time”, which led to the death of Number Two and the Supervisor agreeing to what Number Six desired. To be taken to Number One.
The Supervisor, Six and the butler are first taken to a room where Number Six’s suit is being kept, then through a passage full of jukeboxes playing a Beatles song, before finally coming out into a large cavern. In the cavern is a throne, armed guards, what look to be medical personnel and people in white robes and black and white masks sat on benches with a plaque in front indicating what they represent. Six enters to applause as the Supervisor puts on his own robe and mask.
A man dressed like a magistrate welcomes Six and says they have a session to deal with a matter of democratic crisis, a revolt. He presents Number Six, who has survived the ultimate test and will no longer be referred to as Six or by any number, having won the right for an individual to be an individual. Before the transfer of ultimate power, there will be a tedious ceremony and would Six, now referred to as ‘Sir,’ care to observe the preliminaries from the chair of honour. Six ascends to the throne.
The magistrate says he will be as brief as possible. Number Two’s body is taken off on a gurney. A cylinder with ‘1’ written on it has an eye-like device, a cross between a camera and a light it seems, open to the sound of siren-like noises. The magistrate orders Teo to be resuscitated.
The magistrate says revolt takes many forms. Here they have three specific instances. Number Forty-Eight is to plead his case before the assembly. Forty-Eight starts singing “Dem Bones” as the assembly erupts into turmoil and the magistrate shouts until 1’s cylinder makes more sounds. Forty-Eight ends up singing again and running around the place until Six intervenes, saying ‘Young man.’ 1 intervenes again and the magistrate agrees to the new form of address temporarily.
The magistrate and Forty-Eight have a confusing conversation, leading into more singing of “Dem Bones” and the jury of robed people dancing. Forty-Eight is deemed guilty and the magistrate asks Six if he approves the proceedings. Six notes them. Forty-Eight will be held until after Six’s inauguration and is taken away.
The magistrate apologises. The next revolutionary is a different kettle of fish. The former Number Two, with his beard removed, leaving only a moustache, and his hair trimmed, is now alive. His testimony makes perhaps as much sense as Forty-Eight’s. Which didn’t really make any. And then things get confusing.
The reaction to this, a grand finale of a series and one of the earliest grand finales, was ‘?’ Along with outrage and demands to know what the heck happened. It doesn’t answer any questions and makes little sense and was, indeed, said to be written by Patrick McGoohan to confuse. Even decades later, it makes little sense. However, if it wasn’t for this utterly bizarre final episode, if everything had been neatly wrapped up with a bow, even a series as strange as The Prisoner would not have made as much impression as it does. By leaving matters open, unsolved and with the definite possibility that nothing was real, it has kept the question of The Prisoner ongoing.