My Ten Favorite TV Characters: Number Six (#7)

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I'm continuing with my countdown of my ten favorite TV characters. Today the focus takes a dramatic shift from previous days, where the characters had a high humor content. Today's character is the most interesting man in the countdown. (No Dos Equis provided ) #7: Number Six Yeah, tell me I should've had Number Six at #6 on the countdown. One of the greatest, most mind-boggling TV series ever made, The Prisoner was -- and remains -- the stuff of legend. Created by series star Patrick McGoohan, The Prisoner has been discussed and debated by fans and critics alike for nearly 50 years. Who was Number Six? What was this show about in the first place? Don McLean was always asked what "American Pie" meant. His comical reply: "It means I never have to work again." I guess you could say the same thing about The Prisoner: it pretty much solidified McGoohan's legacy. Much like the Eagles' song "Hotel California" (especially the line, "You can check out any time you like but you can never leave"), The Prisoner is wide, wide open to interpretation. And that's one of the things that makes Number Six so fascinating. In the beginning of the 17-episode series a man is shown resigning from a government position in London. Things are heated, although there's no dialogue: he's got this scowl on his face (that's another thing about this show: the opening sequence, especially that walk down the darkened corridor, is spectacular), he's pounding the desk so hard that the tea cups rattle, then he slams his resignation down. As he heads home his picture is marked up with a big typed "X" and dumped in the "Resigned" drawer. As he starts to pack a man who followed him in a nice Rolls shoots gas through the keyhole, rendering the man unconscious. When he wakes up, he's in "The Village," and he's been given a new "name": Number Six. At the conclusion of every opening sequence he shouts, "I am not a number! I am a free man!", followed by Number Two laughing at that silly notion. What makes Number Six so terrific is his stubbornness. He survives all sorts of physical and psychological torture and never gives them what he wants. There's one episode where members of The Village are human chess pieces ("Checkmate," which featured Peter Wyngarde [who is marvelous in any villain role I've ever seen him in] as Number Two), and that's a good description of the entire series. It's a psychological drama, a game of wills. The end of every episode (save the last one) showed Number Six's face behind prison bars with the sound effect of the bars slamming shut. But dang his tenacity was wonderful. Number Six Portrayed by Patrick McGoohan From The Prisoner ITC (England)/CBS (US), 1966-67 Here's that wonderful opening sequence: