Mr. X? He was a brilliantly created pseudonym by one Homer Simpson. During the 12th season of "The Simpsons" episode 6, "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes", Homer pays an abhorrent 5,000$ for his first computer, so that he can receive email. The episode carries on from there, in the tumultuous fashion that the Simpsons use to use to tell an irrelevant story to an attention deprived audience. Homer eventually takes on the Mr. X persona, that inevitably leads to his Pulitzer Prize and eventual downfall. (All within the span of 22 minutes).
Simpsons Eposode - The Computer Wore Menace Shoes
The part of this show that I never really quite understood, but simply passed off as an allusion to "The Avengers", was its bizarre conclusion. Homer gets drugged and dragged off to a mysterious island; Where him and a cast of characters who 'know too much', are doomed to spend the rest of their lives. The truth of this allusion however was only brought to light for the first time this weekend.
On Friday, I was reading the weekend entertainment insert to the Calgary Herald called "The Verve". There was mention of a cult classic BBC show called "The Prisoner", in which they briefly compared it to "The Avengers". The Verve article had piqued my interest with its comparison to shows like Dr.Who, so I figured it would be worth checking out. Of course it came as quite a surprise when it came to my attention that the show had already been parodied by the Simpsons. It was even more comical once you realize that Homer steals the protagonist's, number6's, long methodically planned method of escape. The show was British and it had aired in the late 60's. Like most everything from that era, it carried a solid camp quality. I guess that is mainly why it achieved its comparison to Dr.Who and The Avengers.
So if anything can be taken away from this, I guess it is the amazing lengths that The Simpsons used to go to, in order to parody nearly everything. After watching one episode of "The Prisoner", I have to say it is not a show for everyone. Not that it is a bad show, just a little strange. It achieves an eerie, strange world feeling, something that shows like Lost try to mimic. The kind of story that plays on the paranoia that people tend to have; Of the world being controlled by forces greater and unknown (in this case a secret agency).
I have attached a short clip below that doesn't really tell you much of the story, or even give you a proper feel for what the show is about. It is however the opening scene and just fun to watch for the feeling of the era.
