[competentone]

Horrible ending. What an insult.

I thought the metaphor through out the remake (at least in the first two episodes) was initially good -- though it wasn't as strong as the original series' theme focused around the subject of individualism vs. collectivism -- but the ending "spat in the face" of individualism.

In the original, the prisoner, "Number Six," resisted both the "masters" (portrayed by the ever-changing "Number Two") and "subjects" (those who had surrendered their minds to the authority of "The Village"). In the original final episode, Number Six, and a few others who resist authority, escape the prison of The Village and leave as free men.

In this "re-make," Number Six "resists" both the masters and subjects initially, but in the end accepts a "master" role and becomes the "new ruler" of the "Village" (which in this series is more of a condition of "mind rape" than any "physical place.")

The re-make's ending reinforces a common theme from modern collectivists: That one only has two choices of action in this world, that of being a "master" or a "slave" -- any option of "free men" interacting with each other on a voluntary basis simply doesn't exist.

In the ending of this remake, "Number Six" becomes one of the "chief mind-rapists" controlling the village. "Number Two" -- with his biochemist wife who had been "dreaming the village into existence" retire peacefully, without opposition from Number Six, despite the fact that they engaged in repeated "mind rape" of individuals they had targeted for "treatment" and had even murdered Number Six's chief love interest (one he had just met in his real life before he was "mind-raped" into the village).

We are left with the vision of Number Six planning on building a "new and better" village with the help of the drug-induced "dreams" of his new girlfriend -- who takes the place of Number Two's maniacal biochemist wife -- who was the previous "chief dreamer" and started the whole village to create a "virtual child" for herself since she couldn't have a real child -- her "virtual child" murdered her and commits suicide in her "village" (which I thought was quite appropriate).

It is a sick, twisted, anti-individualist ending supporting the idea that people (the villagers) really CANNOT take care of themselves, they NEED a "master" to control their lives.