Television Review: Checkmate (The Prisoner, S1X09, 1967)

Checkmate (S01E09)

Airdate: November 24th 1967

Written by: Gerald Kelsey
Directed by: Don Chaffey

Running Time: 50 minutes

The Prisoner is one of the most innovative and groundbreaking television series of its era, a surreal masterpiece that redefined psychological drama through its exploration of individual freedom versus institutional control. Yet even this visionary programme could not entirely escape the practical limitations of 1960s television production. The series suffered from a cavalier attitude towards narrative continuity and the frustrating habit of networks airing episodes in non-chronological order—a practice that significantly impacted "Checkmate," the ninth episode broadcast but among the first produced. This temporal dislocation creates a jarring experience for viewers, as the episode presents a Number Six who appears freshly arrived in the Village, despite having been established as a long-term resident in previously aired instalments.

These continuity inconsistencies manifest most clearly in Number Six's apparent unfamiliarity with Village protocols. The opening scene perfectly encapsulates this disorientation: Six stands bewildered as Rover—a mysterious, weather-balloon-like surveillance device—rolls down the street, compelling every resident to freeze in place except for a single elderly man leaning on a walking stick (the distinguished character actor George Coulouris, best known as Thatcher in Citizen Kane). This moment captures Six's outsider perspective, yet contradicts his established knowledge from earlier broadcast episodes. Such narrative dissonance reflects the production realities of the time, when episodes were often written and filmed as standalone units without strict sequential planning.

The elderly man is present at one of The Prisoner's most iconic sequences: a human chess game played on a giant board in the Village square. Number Six finds himself conscripted as a pawn in this living spectacle, where he observes two significant figures—the rebellious Rook (Ronald Radd), who deliberately refuses to follow commands, and the formidable Queen (Rosalie Crutchley), whose regal bearing masks deeper vulnerabilities. The Rook's defiance earns him a grim fate: transportation to the Hospital for Pavlovian conditioning experiments, a procedure Number Six is forced to witness by the new Number Two (Peter Wyngarde) as psychological intimidation.

Despite this warning, Six remains undeterred in his escape plans. Number Two counters by having the Queen conditioned to develop an obsessive affection for Six, transforming her into an unwitting surveillance asset. Yet Six's ingenuity proves superior—he not only evades her watchful gaze but successfully recruits the Rook, revealed to be an electronics expert, for an elaborate escape scheme. Their plan involves constructing a makeshift radio transmitter to fake a distress call about a crashed airliner, thereby summoning a rescue vessel that could extract multiple prisoners. The operation gains momentum with additional conspirators joining the cause, only to collapse catastrophically when the Rook betrays Six, convinced the entire scheme was merely another Village loyalty test.

As one of the earliest produced episodes, Checkmate represents The Prisoner at its most conventional, deliberately eschewing the surrealism and science-fiction elements that would later define the series. Instead, it functions as a straightforward 1960s spy thriller, complete with Ron Grainer's jazzy, Bond-inspired score and traditional physical action sequences—most notably Six's takedown of guards at a searchlight post and his confrontation with the boat crew. This conventional approach, while accessible, ultimately dilutes the programme's unique identity. The episode struggles to make a lasting impact partly due to its handling of the Queen character, whose storyline serves as an underdeveloped red herring despite Crutchley's powerful performance. Conversely, Radd's Rook resonates more effectively precisely because he embodies an ordinary man thrust into extraordinary circumstances—a stark contrast to Six's almost superhuman resourcefulness.

Peter Wyngarde, one of Britain's most charismatic actors of the period, delivers a masterclass in villainy as Number Two. His character's meditation sessions and karate practice—filmed with deliberate exoticism—perfectly capture the spiritual fashions of Swinging Sixties London, anchoring the episode firmly in its cultural moment. Wyngarde's performance elevates the material, investing Number Two with both aristocratic charm and chilling menace.

While Checkmate may not rank among The Prisoner's finest episodes, it remains one of the series' most fascinating and memorable instalments. The human chess sequence alone secures its place in television history—a visually stunning, thematically rich set piece that transforms the Village's central square into a literal and metaphorical battleground. This scene has achieved such iconic status that dedicated fans have established an annual tradition of reconstructing the human chess game at Portmeirion, the Welsh resort that served as the Village's physical manifestation.

Checkmate ultimately represents The Prisoner in transition—a series discovering its unique voice while still relying on familiar genre conventions. Its narrative inconsistencies and occasional formulaic elements reflect the growing pains of a revolutionary show finding its footing. Yet within these limitations lies the embryonic brilliance that would flourish in later episodes: the psychological warfare between captor and captive, the exploration of freedom through constraint, and the persistent question of whether escape is ever truly possible within a system designed to anticipate and neutralise resistance.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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