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Friday 13 January 2012

Fall Out And Go Anywhere!

  There on the screen in the cavern during the final trial of Fall Out, Sir's home is being prepared for him, the 'For Sale' sign removed and the windows cleaned. His Lotus Seven is delivered for him, cleaned and polished. Above and beyond this they have the means for Sir to desert them and go anywhere. Upon a chest the key to his house is laid out, a wallet of travellers cheques £1million. His passport, valid for anywhere, and a leather purse of petty cash. So having these in his possession it is curious that once free of the village Sir returns to his home in Westminster, London. He could have got off the lorry, as did No.48 somewhere along that duel carriageway. And once arriving home he doesn't even set foot inside his house, instead he gets behind the wheel of his Lotus Seven and drives off. But not to London airport, nor back along the A20 to Dover, to go anywhere on the Continent. Instead he drives through London, back to that long deserted road, to put himself through it all once again. Call it what you like, a persecution complex, a vicious circle. But whatever you choose to call it, one thing is certain, No.6 and No.1 are two sides of the same person who cannot live without one another, whoever they are, whatever they have become. No.6 can never escape the village, he can never be a free man, or person, not while he fails to come to terms with the part of him who is No.1.
   We all want to be No.1, but at what price? What are you prepared to pay in order to be No.1? There has to be a price you know. No.6 became No.1, but couldn't come to terms with what he had become, what he was doing, sanctioning such atrocities within the community of the village. There were times when he protested, as to the new No.2 in Arrival against such tactics "Imprison people, steal their minds, destroy them?" And during the episode of It’s Your Funeral No.6 did his best to protect the people against the planned mass reprisals, a never to be forgotten deterrent, and succeeded on the most part.
   There was a certain compassionate side to No.6's nature. In It’s Your Funeral he bought No.36 a bag of candy when her credit allowance had all been used up. He helped Alison-No.24 with her mind reading. Came to the aid of damsels in distress, such as Nadia-No.2, Alison-No.51. Cathy, the Saloon girl in the Town of Harmony. He was an avenger for the suicide of No.73 in Hammer Into Anvil. And No.6 did care, when No.2 asked No.6 in Once Upon A Time "Why do you care?" No.6 replied "You'll never know!"
   It was this caring side to No.6's nature which helped him combat his alter egos machinations against the citizens of the village. No.1 who puts his alter ego-No.6 through so much, but at the same time knows that he can only go so far. No.1 is the vicious side to No.6, who, where anybody else is concerned will stop at nothing to achieve his aims, his ambitions, to maintain the community of the village. While at the same time, No.6 tires to counterbalance, as much as possible, the effects No.1 is having on certain individuals, and the community as a whole. Individuals like his old colleague Roland Walter Dutton, for whom hope was too late.
   No.6, however much he might detest his other half, cannot live without No.1. It is No.6 who makes No.1 strong, who gives him the strength to make the decisions which have to be made. And without No.6, No.1 is the weaker, as a child might be. No.6 tempers No.1's decisions. But the trouble is, they are physically apart, how exactly the two became physically apart, no longer as one, I suppose we will never know. Apart yes, because when Sir gets the opportunity to meet No.1 we see two actual physical sides, they are together. And what was it that No.6 said to No.2 back in that Embryo Room during Once Upon A Time..... oh yes "And all the kings horses and all the kings men couldn't put humpty together again." Meaning No.1 and No.6, well that is how it looks to me, and is only my interpretation of events. You on the other hand might come to a very different conclusion.

Be seeing you

4 comments:

  1. Hello David

    It is likely McGoohan had cloning in mind when he conceived of No.1 as he states Brave New Word as an influence on the series. The use of the Pulsator could gradually drain away enough of No.6 personality to program the clone. We may have first seen the clone as the famous Gobledtgook Man in Arrival who wears No.6 old suit.

    Sincerely

    Mr. Anonymous

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  2. Hello Mister Anonymous,

    Yes, an interestimg comment. It was suggested by another reader of my blog, that the man in 'Arrival' seen wearing No.6's suit of clothes might have been the first clone.
    I have to say that cloning in the Village isn't all that successful, because if No.1 is the cloned with No.6's personality, his essence, it's turned his mind! After No.6 has un-masked No.1, we find that he's nothing more than a laughing maniac!

    Kind Regards
    David
    Be seeing you

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello David

    You will find a comment in the rejected script The Outsider where one of The Village 'girls' mentions that they have taken away what is 'Evil' inside them to which No.6 comments 'And what is good..". This seems to imply The Village had methods of draining away aspects of the human personality. There is also the comment about Dr. Seltzman splitting a man's personality much like the atom.

    Sincerely

    Mr. Anonymous

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello Mister Anonymous,

    It would seem that there are several citizens in the Village who have had aspects of their personality drained away from them. I've got a script for 'The Outsdier' some place, I'll have to take another look at it.

    Kind Regards
    David
    Be seeing you

    ReplyDelete