Writer: Anthony Skene
Director: Don ChaffeyCast: Patrick McGoohan (Number Six), Mary Morris (Number Two), Duncan Macrae (Doctor), Norma West (The Observer), Aubrey Morris (Town Crier), Bee Duffell (Psychiatrist), Camilla Hasse (Day Supervisor), Alan White (Dutton), Michael Nightingale (Night Supervisor), Patsy Smart (Night Maid), Denise Buckley (Maid), George Merritt (Postman), John Frawley (Flower Man), Lucy Griffiths (Lady In Corridor), Angelo Muscat (The Butler) & William Lyon Brown (Second Doctor)
Number Six discovers a dead man washed up on the beach and later receives an invitation to attend the Village carnival..."Questions are a burden to others. Answers a prison for oneself."
-- The Observer (Norma West)
There's a lot going on in Dance Of The Dead, an episode that rewards those who investigate its symbolism and finer points afterwards, but will likely infuriate most people because of its wilfully bizarre nature. It doesn't help that this episode was designed to be the second episode and had its ending (the basis for the title) rewritten at the behest of co-creator/star Patrick McGoohan...
I'm not a fan of this episode, but it's certainly intriguing at times. It starts with Number Six (McGoohan) discovering a drowned man washed up on the beach with a wallet and radio in his jacket. He drags the body to a nearby cave and later fastens a life-belt around the corpse, together with a rescue note, and pushes it back out to sea.
But Six has been spotted by Dutton (Alan White), an old work colleague, who is also captive in the Village and being used by the new Number Two (Mary Morris) to retrieve information on Six, whilst being mentally broken by the regime. Six is also followed by The Observer (Norma West), a woman who begins to have feelings for him; despite the fact her mission is to betray him.
Eventually, Six is invited to the annual Village Carnival in the Town Hall by Number Two, and therefore given a "fancy dress" costume of his regular tuxedo. In stark contrast, Two dresses as Pete Pan (alluding to the Village as a kind of Never-Never-Land), Observer goes as Little Bo Beep, and everyone in attendance dresses in bright attire. The Carnival quickly turns into a makeshift court, as Number Six finds himself charged with stealing a radio (from the dead body washed ashore) and must fight his corner. He eventually calls Dutton to the stand, only to find his one-time friend has been subjected to mental tortures and is now a pale shadow of his former self, made to dress as a jester.
Six is found guilty by the carnival court and sentences to death. He is chased through the Town Hall by all the revellers and manages to give them the slip, meeting Number Two – who tells him he's "dead", in the sense that all the Villagers are "dead" to the world, so he might as well accept his situation. Originally, the episode would have ended with Six and Observer dancing with the other "dead" carnival-goers, but McGoohan was against Six having intimate scenes with women in the Village, so the ending was rewritten entirely.
Ultimately, this episode is more interesting if it sparks some discussion afterwards, as the actual episode itself left me quite cold. I appreciated some of its symbolism and quirks (like Six not being given a fancy dress costume – or was his tuxedo the costume?) and Mary Morris is one of the more intriguing Number Twos in her portrayal. But, while many episodes of The Prisoner are rather bizarre and open to interpretation, I just felt like this story kept the viewer adrift and disinterested. I'm aware Dance Of The Dead is considered one of the core episodes of the show, but it's also one of the most exasperating and isn't an easy watch.
Trivia
-- The opening dialogue between Number Two and Number Six is different, in that the word "information" is repeated only once and Number Two chuckles before saying "you are Number Six."
-- Duncan Macrae sadly died shortly after filming this episode on 23 March 1967. This episode aired 8 months later.
-- Free for All, Many Happy Returns and It's Your Funeral also feature female Number Twos, this is the only episode in which a female Number Two plays a pivotal part.
-- Along with Leo McKern, Colin Gordon and Peter Wyngarde, Mary Morris is one of only four Number Twos to have their voices added to the interrogation scene in the opening credits.
First Aired: 26 November 1967
