The Prisoner

and

The X-Files

I watch a lot of television, but only two shows have inspired me to actually devote web pages to them-- those are "The Prisoner" and "The X-Files." They're two of my favorite shows and never cease to amaze me.

I started watching "The Prisoner" shortly after "The X-Files" came on the air, and I was already a major fan of "The X-Files" when "The Prisoner" started to air on the sci-fi channel. I didn't make any connection between the shows at the time. However, on thinking about it I'm beginning to see what it is I love about both of them:

• Both shows involve main characters who command a great deal of respect even if they may occasionally do things with which viewers have moral qualms.
  
  
• Both shows involve routine interactions between the main characters and forces that are of unknown origin, motivation and allegiance.
  
  
• Both shows play to our own senses of paranoia and distrust.
  
  
• Both shows are much more focused on their main characters' wit and intelligence to resolve plot lines than how many bad guys (or monsters, creatures or machines) they can beat up, though sometimes direct violence is the only solution left.
  
  
• Both shows have heroic characters who frequently fail at their tasks and yet remain heroic in their own way.
  
  
• Both shows refuse to pander to the need to wrap everything up into nice clean and tidy boxes at the end of every hour.
  
  
• Both shows have most episodes good enough to watch multiple times without getting boring.

What I also have to say about them is that these shows have really challenged me on an intellectual level, and reading the newsgroups about them has helped. I am not used to looking for subtle intracacies in television shows. But "The X-Files" is so subtle that I have to watch some episodes four or five times to catch all the little cues and hints. And even though I've not seen any Prisoner episode more than three times, I'm still spotting things that had not come to mind on previous viewings.