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Thursday 7 July 2016

Citizen No.2


    You’ve dropped your persona of Number 58 with her incomprehensible language. Her friendly charm and girlish behaviour, it was a fine performance. Who would have thought you were Number 2 all the time, as you stand there with a symbol of power wound about your neck. And you speak English perfectly. I take it you are English? I wonder what your term in office was like? What had you in store for Number 6, I bet it was something brutal. You look stern, severe, unfeeling, the dead opposite of your former persona, Number 58. Well at least you didn’t damage the tissue, you just saw to it that it was bruised a bit. I take it you arranged for the two motor mechanics to take out their revenge on Number 6 in that cave. You are a hard faced bitch, and that’s putting it plain! Don’t worry all will be satisfactory in the end, that’s what you told your predecessor said as he was departing from The Village. Well you haven’t been in The Village yourself for five minutes. You’ve a lot to understand about Number 6, he wasn’t ready to talk when he was brought before you. If you thought the information could be beaten out of him, you’ve another think coming!

Be seeing you

4 comments:

  1. Hi David,
    I found it interesting that Patrick McGoohan was supposed to have made up the strange language that Number 58 spoke...but there were several times that Number 2 and even Number 6 spoke to her in English, and she understood them!
    Number 6's first phone call to Number 2 in Free For All was because he couldn't get rid of her...and she doesn't even speak ENGLISH!!!
    Number 2 told Number 6 that he thought HE would like to have her because she was new, and didn't speak any ENGLISH.
    So...there should not have been any scenes where she understood what either of them told her.
    Also, when Number 6 was served drinks by Number 58, and he wanted her to drink first...and then he started speaking HER language... he suddenly acted like he was coming out of a trance or a drugged state...and that's when he ran away from her and down to the beach to jump on the speedboat...why do you think that his speaking HER language caused him to "come to" and how did he figure out what to say?

    It sure looked like Patrick McGoohan falling off of the boat...if so, he could have been hurt badly!

    I liked the contrast in the Number 58 character...another portrayal of the two sides of a person...one who can be innocent appearing and "friendly" and then cold, calculating and vicious.

    In stating that he had nothing else to do while he waited, maybe Number 6 was goaded into running for office to keep him busy...and to show him that things in the Village would be difficult to figure out...who's a prisoner..who's a warder....who's in charge?

    Best Regards,
    Karen

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    Replies
    1. Hello Karen,
      Actually the language spoken by Number 58 was made up by Rachel Herbert herself. It seems like complete gibberish, yet has a basis on the sound of "Yugoslavian" as the country was then. Her brother at that time had a girlfriend who came from Yugoslavia, who helped her make the language up as spoken by Number 58.
      It’s reasonable for Number 2 to know the language spoken by Number 58, and so to speak it himself, but its inexplicable how Number 6 is able to speak it! As for Number 2 and Number 6 speaking to Number 58 in English, it doesn’t seem unreasonable for her to pick up a smattering of English, after all The Village might well be International, but the prime language spoken is English. What’s more all the Village signage is in English, not French, Polish or Czech. So really for anyone brought to The Village who cannot speak just a little English, and cannot read English, there’s very little hope for them to understand The Village or its community at all!

      I think it wasn’t so much that Number 6 wanted to get rid of Number 58 because she didn’t speak English, and that he had a job getting her to understand him, it might have been more to do with the fact that he was annoyed by her, that she wouldn’t go away. Precisely, and that’s why Number 2 chose her for Number 6. It was because of 6’s prejudices in regard to the regular drivers. Number 2 thought she was delightfully charming. As for there shouldn’t be any scenes in which Number 58 understood what either of them told her, as I say in a community that has English as it dominant language its hardly surprising that she picked up a little English. Even though she was new in The Village!

      Number 58 wasn’t serving Number 6 with drinks, she had brought him his breakfast again, and pours out a cup of tea for him. When Number 6 says “try it” he’s not referring to any drink, he wants her to try saying “Be seeing you” in English, of course 58 feigns not to understand.
      And when Number 6 acts as though he was coming out of a trance or a drugged state, perhaps he is, perhaps the drug he has been given is wearing off at that point! I think he runs away because he’s coming to his senses, not because he was able to speak in her language, but simply because the drug was wearing off. But how Number 6 is able to speak “Be seeing you” in 58’s language, well its inexplicable, I’ve never been able to figure that one out!

      That person falling off that boat is not Patrick McGoohan, but a local man to Porthmadog, who played the role of Number 6 at the wheel of the boat and eventually ended up in the water, because Patrick McGoohan couldn’t go into the water then as he had an ear infection at the time.
      I like the character of Number 58, she is quite charming, as for her character of Number 2, I’d hate to think what she’d like to do to Number 6. I bet she could think of many ways and means to bring hurt and pain to Number 6!

      I don’t think Number 6 was goaded into standing for election, I like to think it was a mixture of gentle persuasion and Number 6’s predictability. They knew that Number 6 wouldn’t be able to resist standing for office, because the vote for No.6 placard, and other placards had already been fabricated. Its interesting how Number 6 told the electorate that he intended to discover who the prisoners and who the warders, but it isn’t until ‘Checkmate’ that he discovers who some of them are!

      Best regards
      David
      Be seeing you

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  2. Hi David,

    I have to disagree about the scene where Number 58 has brought Number 6 his breakfast and he says "Try it" and then shouts at her to "Try it"...as I believe that he has already started to suspect that he is being drugged, and he wants her to try the tea ...but of course she "doesn't understand" him...then he tries to speak HER language...and when she shows delight that he is finally trying to accommodate her...and she is HAPPY...HE is TERRIFIED..or afraid or whatever phrase you want to describe his reaction as...but he feels that he is being manipulated...or drugged...or coerced , and things are moving so fast that he can't figure out exactly what is going on...so he feels that he must get away from her...and the Village if need be...hence the speedboat escape attempt.

    Just my thoughts about that scene...

    Best Regards,
    BCNU
    Karen

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    Replies
    1. Hello Karen,
      Well I won’t disagree with you, as Patrick McGoohan once said, a thousand people could have different ideas about ‘the Prisoner,’ and everyone would be right, or something like that, but I think its close enough. I suppose its all according to ones perception and interpretation.

      Best regards
      Be seeing you
      David

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