In TV-Shows: The rules of 'The Prisoner'

• Rule 1: You do not escape from the village
• Rule 2: No. 2 is in charge
• Rule 3: In the village, you are just a number
• Rule 4: The red phone is in charge of No. 2
• Rule 5: If you run, the white ball will probably get you
• Rule 6: If you don't get mindf*cked every single day, something is probably wrong
• Rule 7: No. 2 is replaceable
• Rule 8: Appearances can deceive, especially those of your fellow prisoners
• Rule 9: If you reveal your secret, you will be retired
• Rule 10: Everything is possible, but most improbable things are probably attempts to mindf*ck you.
• Rule 11: You do not escape from the village

My favourite episode of 'The Prisoner' is the one called "Many happy returns," in which No. 6 find the village to be completely deserted and escapes. The show, which was made in 1967 and only had 17 episodes, is a classic and has inspired plenty of other science fiction, including 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Gallactica,' as well as countless of other shows and movies, some of them probably presenting you with the main character waking up to a deserted environment. Every episode presents you with a new opportunity to see No. 6 being tricked into revealing his information, as well as, originally, a new No. 2 to worry about. Every No. 2 has a different personality and maner or dealing with No. 6, and each of them is, equally originally, introduced towards the end of the 3 min. long introduction to the 45 min. show. Slightly different from 'Lost,' it's most apparent cousin, where the intro takes… a second?

The attraction of the show is three-fold, I think. Most obviously, its lead character (and creator), Patrick McGoohan, is a charming hero. Second, it is a battle between human nature and "the system." And third, that, like in 'Lost,' nothing is actually revealed of the plot (or the point), which makes you want to see the next episode and the next.