The Therapy Zone

 Had The Prisoner Learned Nothing At The End Of His Ordeal?

   It has been said that you can put the order of episodes in the correct sequence judging by the development of the Prisoner's character. But does the character of No.6 actually change that much during the 16 episode ordeal?

   At the beginning the Prisoner is confused, angry and aggressive towards his captors. He rejects both the village and his number, refuses to settle down and join in. He stubbornly refuses to conform to the rules of the society of the village.

   Of course the Prisoner attempts to escape, he even pokes his nose in where it has no concern. He becomes involved with a fellow citizen, No.12 of administration, and conspires to bring down the General, and the project of Speedlearn. Takes it upon himself to take out revenge on No.2. To stop an assassination/execution of a retiring No.2, and thereby saving the community from mass reprisals, a never to be forgotten deterrent. But then he becomes a loner again, preferring his own privacy in the woods as he works out in his own private gymnasium.

   But there are times when No.6 does accept the village, the village which looks after him, feeds him, gives him a credit card, looks after his health and welfare. He joins in, he plays chess with fellow citizens down at the old people's home, Kosho in the village gymnasium. He obliges No.118 by sitting to have his portrait painted, and when he sees this abstract, he says it's a perfect likeness. Was No.6 simply humouring the artist, or is No.6 really something of an abstract character?

   Either way, by the time of Fall Out it appears that the character of the Prisoner has learned nothing whatever, he's just as stubborn at the end as he was at the beginning, in rejecting the offer of ultimate power, and that of his future as a PRISONER. And perhaps the same can be said of McGoohan since his experience of doing the Prisoner, he only achieved in making people angry, mad at him. No person can be completely free, but in the case of the Prisoner he seems to have done nothing to come to an understanding of what the village is, why he was there, which side runs the village. Or then again perhaps he knew all along, after all he knew that No.9 had been assigned to him during his Arrival, he knew about the system "Degree Absolute", and he knew who No.2 was "I know you. In my mind, in my mind... you're smart!" And in that perhaps McGoohan was attempting to out-smart us all, nice try Pat. Better luck next time

Be seeing you... won't I?