"Once Upon a Time" is the penultimate episode of the

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory t ...

British

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

TV series, ''

The Prisoner ''The Prisoner'' is a 1967 British television series about an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village, where his captors designate him as Number Six and try to find out why he abruptl ...

''. It was written and directed by Patrick McGoohan and sixth to be produced. It was first broadcast in the UK on ITV (

Scottish Television Scottish Television (now, legally, known as STV Central Limited) is the ITV network franchisee for Central Scotland. The channel — the largest of the three ITV franchises in Scotland — has been in operation since 31 August 1957 and is th ...

) on Thursday 25 January 1968 (it appeared on

ATV Midlands Associated Television was the original name of the British broadcaster ATV, part of the Independent Television (ITV) network. It provided a service to London at weekends from 1955 to 1968, to the Midlands on weekdays from 1956 to 1968, and ...

and

Grampian Grampian ( gd, Roinn a' Mhonaidh) was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. The region t ...

the day after) and first aired in the United States on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

on Saturday 14 September 1968. The episode starred Patrick McGoohan as Number Six and re-introduced

Leo McKern Reginald "Leo" McKern, AO (16 March 1920 – 23 July 2002) was an Australian actor who appeared in numerous British, Australian and American television programmes and films, and in more than 200 stage roles. His notable roles include Cla ...

as Number Two. McKern's Number Two had previously appeared in "

The Chimes of Big Ben "The Chimes of Big Ben" is an episode of the allegorical British science fiction TV series, ''The Prisoner''. It was written by Vincent Tilsley and directed by Don Chaffey and fifth to be produced. It was the second episode to be broadcast in th ...

" and would also appear in the last episode "Fall Out". The main theme of the episode is the use of regressive therapy to break Number Six's will.

Plot summary

The Number Two from the earlier episode "

" (

) returns to the Village. He calls his superiors and obtains permission to undertake a dangerous technique called "Degree Absolute" in a final attempt to break Number Six and learn why he resigned from his position as an intelligence agent. Number Six is put into a trance state, causing his mind to regress back to his childhood. He is taken to the "Embryo Room", deep below the Green Dome, filled with various props, as well as a caged room that contains living space and a kitchen. He, Number Two, and the Butler (

Angelo Muscat Angelo Muscat (24 September 1930 – 10 October 1977) was a Maltese-born British character actor. He is primarily recalled for his role as the silent butler in the 1967 television series ''The Prisoner''. Biography Muscat was born on 24 Septe ...

) are subsequently locked into the room via a timer that will unlock the room after one week. Number Two begins to use regressive therapy following

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Seven Ages of Man "All the world's a stage" is the phrase that begins a monologue from William Shakespeare's pastoral comedy ''As You Like It'', spoken by the melancholy Jaques in Act II Scene VII Line 139. The speech compares the world to a stage and life to a ...

, using the various props to enact a series of

psychodrama Psychodrama is an action method, often used as a psychotherapy, in which clients use spontaneous dramatization, role playing, and dramatic self-presentation to investigate and gain insight into their lives. Developed by Jacob L. Moreno and ...

s, with Number Two playing the authority figure (e.g., father, headmaster, employer) and Number Six the subject (child, student, employee). Each drama is aimed at trying to make Number Six explain why he resigned. During the first six of these, Number Two finds Number Six has developed an aversion to saying the word "six". Number Two also comes to like and respect Number Six as he learns more about him. On the final day, Number Two enacts the role of military jailer, harshly interrogating Number Six as a prisoner of war. Number Two's efforts seem to have effect as Number Six starts to blather on reasons for resigning, but he becomes concerned when Number Six says he knew too much, including about Number Two. Number Two becomes agitated, and Number Six continues to call him a fool and an idiot. Suddenly, Number Six starts counting down from "six", and by the time he has reached zero, has regained full control of his mind. Already exhausted from his efforts, Number Two is shocked. Now in control, Number Six explains that Degree Absolute, a well-known psychiatric technique, has its risks to the one performing the therapy if they have their own psychological problems. Number Six shows this understanding in a brief role reversal (by asking Number Two "Why don't you resign?"), much to Number Two's delighted amusement. Number Two recovers and joyfully offers Number Six a tour of the Embryo Room. They end at the door timer, finding only five minutes remain before the room unlocks. Number Two becomes scared and pleads with Number Six to tell him why he resigned. Number Six remains quiet as Number Two goes to the kitchen area and pours them both a glass of wine. Number Six suddenly closes the door to the caged area, locking a panicked Number Two inside. The Butler takes the key from Number Two. Number Two paces the caged area while a voice screams "Die, Six, die!", until the timer runs out. Number Two falls over, apparently dead. The door to the Embryo room opens where the Supervisor (

Peter Swanwick Walter Peter Swanwick (29 September 1922 – 14 November 1968) was a British actor best remembered as the "Supervisor" (sometimes called the Controller) in the 1967 TV series, ''The Prisoner''. Swanwick's film career began with bit parts in f ...

) waits. He tells Number Six they will need the body and then asks Number Six what he wants. Number Six only replies "Number One", and the Supervisor offers to take him there. He, Number Six, and the Butler depart the room.

Cast

* Number Two:

* Supervisor:

* Umbrella man:

John Cazabon John Forde Cazabon (3 August 1914 – 22 June 1983) was an English actor and stage writer whose career began in Sydney, Australia. History Cazabon was born in Hertford, Hertfordshire, to violinist and composer Albert Cazabon (1883–1970) and No ...

* Number Eighty-Six:

John Maxim John Maxim (20 July 1925 — 20 January 1990), sometimes credited as John Wills, was an English film and television actor. Career Between 1958 and 1988, he appeared in six films and nine television productions including the films ''The Fr ...

(scene deleted)

Broadcast

The broadcast date of the episode varied in different ITV regions of the UK. The episode was first shown on

Thursday 25 January 1968, on Friday 26 January on

and

Grampian Television Grampian Television was the original name of the Channel 3 service for the north of Scotland founded in 1961 and now named STV. The northern region's coverage area includes the Northern Isles, Western Isles, Highlands (except Fort William and ...

, on Sunday 28 January on

ATV London Associated Television was the original name of the British broadcaster ATV, part of the Independent Television (ITV) network. It provided a service to London at weekends from 1955 to 1968, to the Midlands on weekdays from 1956 to 1968, and t ...

, whose broadcasts were also taken up by

Southern Television Southern Television was the ITV broadcasting licence holder for the South and South-East of England from 30 August 1958 to 31 December 1981. The company was launched as 'Southern Television Limited' and the title 'Southern Television' was con ...

Westward Television Westward Television was the first ITV franchise-holder for the South West of England. It held the franchise from 29 April 1961 until 31 December 1981. After a difficult start, Westward Television provided a popular, distinctive and highly regar ...

and Tyne-Tees; on Friday 2 February on

Border Television ITV Border, previously Border Television and commonly referred to as simply Border, is the Channel 3 service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the England/Scotland border region, covering most of Cumbria, Dumfries and Galloway, the S ...

, on Saturday 3 February on

Anglia Television ITV Anglia, previously known as Anglia Television, is the ITV franchise holder for the East of England. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional news bureaux in Cambridge and Northampton. ITV Anglia is owned and operated b ...

and on Friday 23 February on

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...

in the North West. The aggregate viewing figures for the ITV regions that debuted the season in 1967 have been estimated at 9.2 million. In Northern Ireland, the episode did not debut until Saturday 6 April 1968, and in Wales, the episode was not broadcast until Wednesday 8 April 1970.

Notes

*"Once Upon a Time" was originally reported to be the final episode of the first of two series of thirteen episodes, but when ITC and McGoohan renegotiated to make just seventeen episodes, the closing was refilmed and it was held back to become the first half of a two-part series finale. However, the purported original script has been published, containing that ending.Fairclough, Robert (editor), ''The Prisoner: The Original Scripts, Vol. 2'', Reynolds & Hearn, 2006. *

(the Butler) receives "Guest Star" billing in this episode. *According to ''The Prisoner: The Official Companion to the Classic TV Series'' by Robert Fairclough, the strain of filming this episode caused McKern to suffer either a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

or a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

(accounts differ), forcing production to stop for a time. *A number of fans who speculate that Number Six is in fact John Drake from McGoohan's earlier series, ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again b ...

'' usually reference this episode. They claim that Number Two says "Report to my study in the morning, Drake!" when in fact he really says "Report to my study in the morning break." *Number Six's demeanour in this episode is significantly different from previous episodes. Previously, his initial fury and apprehension of the Village transitioned into a suave, obstinate rebelliousness and he carried himself with assurance and certainty in resisting the Village. But in this episode he reverts to the edgy and tense, pacing back and forth in his kitchen without his accustomed coolness. His interactions with the Villagers have become bizarre; for example, he accosts the Umbrella Man who seems eager to avoid him. As "Once Upon a Time" was shot among the first 13 episodes, and held back as a potential end-series cliffhanger, it may be that plans to develop Six's characterisation to this state were curtailed by the sudden cancellation. However, the published collection of all the series' original scripts indicates there was no re-purposing of this episode. *John Maxim's brief scene as Number Eighty-Six was cut from the episode. He is however still listed in the credits. *Contrary to all other uses of the distinctive font (a slightly modified form of

Albertus Albertus Magnus (c. 1200 – 15 November 1280), also known as Saint Albert the Great or Albert of Cologne, was a German Dominican friar, philosopher, scientist, and bishop. Later canonised as a Catholic saint, he was known during his life ...

) for the show's titles and credits as well as throughout the Village's signage, there is a dot on the "i" of the word "Time" in the title card of this episode. * A working title of this episode was "Degree Absolute" * According to the 2007 ''Don't Knock Yourself Out'' documentary, during production and filming of the episode both McGoohan and McKern became totally engrossed in their roles and almost achieved a near-psychotic state (cited by various people, including Leo McKern). * The episode is referred to by Number Two in the 1988 comic book sequel '' Shattered Visage'', when asked by Alice Drake whom Six killed.

References

Sources

* – script of episode

External links

* {{Subject bar , portal1= Television, portal23=United Kingdom, portal2= 1960s , commons=yes, commons-search=The Prisoner , q=yes, q-search=The Prisoner , d=yes The Prisoner episodes 1968 British television episodes fr:Il était une fois (Le Prisonnier)