Number 2 (Ian McKellen) stands over Number 6 in the Village clinic in AMC's remake of The Prisoner.

Last night was the conclusion of AMC’s much ballyhooed mini-series remake of The Prisoner. The six-episode, three-night event was interesting and thought-provoking. Starring Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen, the series did a stellar job of taking a cerebral subject and translating it into entertainment.

While AMC’s version of The Prisoner shares a lot in common with the British television series from the 1960s, it stands on its own. Yes, there are nods to the original show. The old man, 93, is wearing the same outfit that Patrick McGoohan (number 6 in the original) sported. The show’s signature catchphrase “Be seeing you” comes up again and again.

But while the 1967 television show – which lasted only 16 episodes – was a trippy story of paranoia and conformity, the new show branches out with modern questions of privacy, identity, and reality. The Village is not just a place where people go, it’s a concept, a reality of its own.

Spoilers ahead.

Caviezel stars as Number Six, a man who awakens in a desert with little memory of his life before that moment. As he tries to get his bearings, he sees an old man being chased by gunmen with dogs. The old man is clearly afraid for his life, and Caviezel’s character helps hide him. The old man commands his savior to “Tell 554 that 93 made it out” before he dies.

The young man makes his way through the desert to the nearest settlement, a community that seems designed by a fascist homeowners association. There is no individuality here, only conformity. And no one seems to have a name – only a number.

Soon, the young man is rounded up by the local authorities and told in no uncertain terms that he is a part of this community, The Village. He is number 6, and as number 2 (played by McKellen) tells him, there is nothing outside of The Village.

The show is simultaneously telling two stories. The first is of number 6 in The Village. The second, his life before he arrived. Although so many details of his previous life are never known for certain, the story tells of his resignation from a surveillance corporation and his chance encounter with a woman, Lucy. Interestingly, the story is not merely prelude to what happens in The Village, but seems to shape it. And in latter episodes, the reality of The Village seems to become prelude to the events in New York.

While the final two episodes (“Schizoid” and “Checkmate”) were a bit more challenging than the first four, they were no less entertaining. However, this is the type of show that will likely require a second viewing if there is any hope of understanding it.

For those who missed the original airing of the miniseries, AMC will likely repeat The Prisoner in the coming weeks. Or, you can wait for The Prisoner to be released on DVD in March 2010.

Did you love it? Hate it? Let me know what you thought of The Prisoner. Leave a comment below.