After the derby, we went to great mustache-themed party, where I washed down many chips worth of my spicy queso dip with tasty margaritas. I considered shaving my beard down to just a mustache for it, but in the end was too lazy.
Sunday, we had a nice hike in the Wissahickon, then heading home to watch AMC's new version of The Prisoner. Given that I was a diehard fan of the original as a teen, I thought they did a pretty good job modernizing it. James Caviezel plays a man who wakes up in a strange place with distorted memories and no real idea of how he got there. He's brought to The Village, a charming town whose residents are seemingly unaware of the outside the world. Some of them seem to have grown up there, others are only pretending, and others are likely victims of induced amnesia. Everyone has a number instead of a name. He's Number Six and the village's leader Number Two (played by the always excellent Ian McKellan) wants more out of Six than just his quiet acceptance of the situation. Rounding out the cast is 313, the village doctor and Six's potential love interest played by Ruth Wilson, whom I quite enjoyed in the recent BBC production of Jane Eyre.
It's definitely less of a surreal mindfuck than the original, but still nicely stylized in it's own way. It's less clever, more earnest. I noticed distinct echoes of Lost and the film Dark City in it, both of which could be seen as descendants of the original series. The show's biggest weakness is probably the star. Caviezel is like Billy Crudup, a brooding, inscrutable pretty boy, but without any of the goofy boyish charm that balances out most of Crudup's performances. Don't get me wrong, Caviezel might be perfect for this role. I'm just not sure how interested I am in watching him.
