Living in Harmony
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| “Living in Harmony” | |||||||
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| The Prisoner episode | |||||||
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 14 |
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| Written by | David Tomblin & Ian Rakoff | ||||||
| Directed by | David Tomblin | ||||||
| Guest stars | The Kid: Alexis Kanner The Judge: David Bauer Kathy: Valerie French |
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| Original airdate | January 14, 1968 | ||||||
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"Living in Harmony" is an episode of the 1967-68 television series The Prisoner. It differs from most other episodes of the series in that it does not begin with the show's standard opening credits sequence. In fact, in a situation considered somewhat unique for a 1960s television program, the actual title of the series does not appear on screen until the closing credits, and there it is actually presented in Patrick McGoohan's acting credit as his character's name.
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[edit] Plot
This episode is an allegory of the other episodes of The Prisoner. There, Number 6 is a non-conformist and refuses to be a number, or blend in with the other members of the village. He refuses to accept things they way they are, wants to escape and expose the village. This episode applies those same concepts in a Wild West setting. In his book, Inside The Prisoner (Batsford Film Books, 1998, pp.81-86), Ian Rakoff, assistant editor on the episodes The General and It's Your Funeral, claimed that this idea was his and that he was responsible for most of the script, with David Tomblin's writing contributions limited to adding the lynching scene and a few minor revisions. Rakoff further wrote that during McGoohan's absence from this series' production while starring in the feature Ice Station Zebra, Tomblin not only grabbed the lion's share of the credit (which Ian did not complain about at the time because he found the lynching sequence very distasteful), but also tricked him into signing away his residuals. Rakoff does share an on-screen story credit with Tomblin, whose name comes first. Prisoner stuntman Frank Maher (Stuntman) has also claimed part of the credit for this episode in that he suggested at one point to Patrick McGoohan that the series should include an episode with a cowboy/western style theme.
The episode begins with a Western paraphrase of the regular opening sequence, with Number 6, dressed as a sheriff, turning in his badge and his gun (resigning). Leaving town, without a horse but still carrying his saddle, he is attacked by several men in the countryside as the episode title "Living in Harmony" appears on screen, where one would expect to see the series' name. Following this teaser, the usual "I am not a number" dialogue from other episodes is omitted. Number 6 wakes from his beating and finds himself to be in the middle of a strange town. A Mexican tells him that he is in the town of Harmony. Number 6 goes into a local bar and meets the mayor of the town, also called The Judge. He also meets with a silent young man known as The Kid who guards the jail. We are also introduced to a saloon girl, Kathy. After unintentionally stirring up some trouble and getting a mob after him, Number 6 is taken into "protective custody." To satisfy the mob's bloodlust, the Judge allows them to lynch Kathy's brother. Kathy, fearing for Number 6's life, goes into the jail, distracts the Kid, steals the keys then passes them to Number 6 who then escapes, only to be caught and brought back.
The Judge then sets up a trial. The Judge quickly announces that Number 6 is free to go as he was only in protective custody but Kathy is guilty of aiding a prisoner to escape, as she did not know he was just in protective custody. The Judge then makes Number 6 a deal, if he will become the sheriff of the town, Kathy is free to go. Reluctantly, Number 6 agrees and takes the badge. However, he refuses to wear a gun. The Judge, disappointed, thinks of a way to get him to carry a gun. He gets the Kid to kidnap Kathy. However, the Kid takes it too far and strangles her to death. Number 6 finds her and buries her. He then turns in his badge but picks up the gun and enters a shootout with the Kid. Number 6 wins and goes into the saloon to see the Judge. Number 6, the Judge and the Judge's gang get involved in a standoff. Although Number 6 picks off most of them, including the Judge, he is eventually shot. Suddenly, we see Number 6 in his normal clothes lying on the floor of the empty saloon. All the characters that he saw appear only to be paper cutouts.
After coming to his senses, he wanders out of Harmony and finds it is just part of the Village. Number 6 rushes to Number 2's office and finds the Judge is the new Number 2, the Kid is number 8 and Kathy is Number 22. When he learns that it was just an illusion created by hallucinogens, Number 6 immediately storms out. Number 22 is obviously distressed and seemed to have developed feelings for Number 6 and she rushes out as well. Number 8 follows Number 22 back to the saloon and starts strangling her. Number 6 hears her screams and rushes over, but it is too late. Number 22 dies in Number 6's arms. Number 2 also rushes in just as Number 8 throws himself from the balcony and commits suicide.
[edit] Additional guest cast
- Town elder: Gordon Tanner
- Bystander: Gordon Sterne
- Will: Michael Balfour
- Mexican Sam: Larry Taylor
- Town dignitary: Monti Delyle
- Horse dealer: Douglas Jones
- Gunman: Bill Nick
- Gunman: Les Crawford
- Third Gunman: Frank Maher
- Horseman: Max Faulkner
- Horseman: Bill Cummings
- Horseman: Eddie Eddon
[edit] Controversy
This episode was not broadcast during the original 1969 American broadcast of the series on CBS. According to Robert Fairclough in The Prisoner: The Original Scripts Vol. 2 (Reynolds and Hearn, 2006), the episode was pulled either due to its apparent anti-war stance or, the network's own stated reason, because of its drug use content. Fans have disputed this on the grounds that several other episodes of the series also make drug references, yet were still broadcast by CBS. However, this instance is unique. All the other drugs used by The Village against The Prisoner have very specific effects not related to so-called "recreational" (ab)use, and are furthermore acknowledged by Number Two and/or the involved scientists to be dangerous to administer. Neither statement is made here (there is one exception to each: In "A. B. and C.," simple knock-out drops render The Prisoner unconscious without any mention of potential harm, and in "A Change of Mind," a decidedly dangerous drug is used simply to muddle Number Six's thinking as part of a plan to convince him he has undergone a lobotomy--he slips a follow-up dose intended for him to the much smaller scientist, who "trips out"). A further factor may well have been the fact that the climactic fast-draw showdown between "The Sheriff" and "The Kid" is staged, filmed and edited in direct violation of US TV censorship policies of the time (when one man shoots and kills the other, both are on-screen in a single, continuous take throughout, whereas cutting from a shot of one to another of the other was among the anti-violence requirements in the aftermath of the spring 1968 assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.). Some twenty years later, CBS reran the series as part of their late-night line-up, and this time did include "Harmony."
