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Sunday 9 March 2014

More Village!

    If it isn't ‘the Prisoner,’ then what is it? It’s a reinterpretation of the original series, after all what would the point be in making a remake, no point at all. Even the opening scene of ‘Arrival’ when the Prisoner is waking up in the desert is a reworking of the scene when the Prisoner wakes up in the original series, in what he thinks is his own home, but finds that it isn't. The disorientation of the subject is the same, even in different environments. On the one hand an Italianate Village, on the other a desert and mountains!
    Even though THEPRIS6NER is set in modern times, of it’s time, the Village is a retro place, having the feel of the 1950's and 60's about it. Vehicles seen in the Village are from both Great Britain and America stemming from the 50's and 60's, even a Caterham Super 7 puts in an appearance, but not a Village taxi {Mini-Moke}. And some citizens homes are retro of the 1950’s and 60’s eras. And yet the buildings of the Village, although not Italianate, their decorations, especially of the Solar Café, are reminiscent of Portmeirion.
    One thing for sure is, THEPRIS6NER has not left an indelible mark in the minds of fans of the original series, and I'm sure that the majority of fans will not grieve for THEPRIS6NER’s passing. And yet……and yet, there seems to be a turning of the tide of antipathy towards the 2009 series, so I am hearing. Some hard and fast fans of the original series who originally turned their back on the 2009 series, have decided to give it a second chance, and like it now.This year sees the 5th anniversary of THEPRIS6NER, and I for one will be celebrating with a screening of the series in April, my ninth screening in fact. So there is only another five years, and perhaps THEPRIS6NER-09 series will have caught up with that of the original, and become a cult series in it’s own right. After all it took ten years for people to appreciate Patrick McGoohan’s series of ‘the Prisoner,’ such was the general antipathy shown towards the series on both sides of the Atlantic at the time.
  Holes have begun appearing in The Village. So far the "official" explanation given is, that they are weather anomalies. But to my mind the holes show a serious instability of The Village, and it's very worrying for the majority of citizens. It has been advised that Citizens should "Keep A Pig," in fact be doubly protected why not keep two pigs, some are a "two pig family" as it has been scientifically proven that Pig breath can help in maintaining the weather stability of The Village. Rubbish! And what about the methane created by the back end of the pigs? And another thing, pigs are famous for their destructive powers by digging holes!
    There is the sad death of 147's daughter 832, who was playing out in the back yard when she fell into one of these holes, and has been lost forever. Later in the day, Six's one time fiancée quite literally throws herself into one of the holes! Six was going to go into one of these holes in order to try and get 147's daughter back, even though Six had no idea of what it was at the bottom of these holes.
  So why do holes appear in the Village? Each time M2 wakes up from her dreaming, while she is awake, the holes begin to appear in the Village. And yet, it’s not M2 that’s dreaming the Village, it is her other self Helen in New York surely. So perhaps when M2 wakes in the Village, it’s really Helen waking up in New York, hence the holes, and M2 merely reflects that act.
   Originally Curtis and his wife volunteered for the experiment of the Village, because they couldn’t physically have children. They thought that if they went to the Village, they could have the child they had always craved, the child turned out to be 11-12. But 11-12 never gets to know his mother M2, because she is always in a sedated state of mind. What kind of life does she have in the Village? None whatsoever. I’ve always thought that M2 should be awake, enjoying her life with her husband Two, and her son 11-12 in the Village. And it’s no better for Two, always having to keep his wife sedated, only snatching a few valuable moments with her from time to time when he brings her out of her sedated sate.
   On the surface Village life looks to be perfect, and yet, look deep enough and you will always find some unhappy people there. Village life is far from perfect, just ask the likes of Two, 313, 147, 11-12, and Six.

Be seeing you

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