'Once Upon A Time' is another episode that encapsulates "The Prisoner". Number 2 exacts "Degree Absolute" on Number 6, and with that, the gloves are off. Both men are locked in a room in a concentrated battle of wills until one of them breaks . Leo McKern is back, and it plays as a clash of two outsized actors. Really, McKern was the only Number 2 worthy of such a story.
One of the show's famous pieces of trivia is that McKern suffered a nervous breakdown from the performance; and that bit of life imitating art really bolsters the authenticity. Still, the whole episode's heated and you can see the toll right there on his face the entire time. It's why this isn't easy to watch. But it's one of the most intense episodes of the show; not to mention dark, despite the playroom setting and rhyme-infused dialogue. As the penultimate episode, it sets up a great two-parter finale. Number Six leaves the room with the promise of finally unmasking Number One.
There's no beating that.
9/10
One of the show's famous pieces of trivia is that McKern suffered a nervous breakdown from the performance; and that bit of life imitating art really bolsters the authenticity. Still, the whole episode's heated and you can see the toll right there on his face the entire time. It's why this isn't easy to watch. But it's one of the most intense episodes of the show; not to mention dark, despite the playroom setting and rhyme-infused dialogue. As the penultimate episode, it sets up a great two-parter finale. Number Six leaves the room with the promise of finally unmasking Number One.
There's no beating that.
9/10