The Therapy Zone

Dance Of The Dead

    No.6 sits on an outlook on top of the cliffs tuning in the pocket transister radio. Suddenly he picks up a transmission, it's a message which begins "Tonight when the moon rises, the whole world will turn to silver. I have a message for you....................." As No.6 listens to the message there comes a point when the voice on the radio asks "Do you understand? It is important that you understand." Well of course No.6 doesn't understand, yet there is no ambiguity about who the message was for. Because the radio message is not meant for No.6, but the man No.6 found dead, and washed up on the beach, who I believe was No.34 who the Supervisor told the Observer-No.240 was dead.

   So having listened to the radio message, No.6 goes down onto the beach looking for a light, a ship, a plane, someone from his world. But of course there is no sign because as it stated in the radio message, "The appointment cannot be fulfilled. There are more important things which must be done tonight." It would seem that with No.34 the Village had a "plant" within it's confines, but "they" got to him first, before No.34 could receive the message that whoever it was coming, is no longer coming to The Village. A message which clearly seems that No.34 has been abandoned by whoever, and for whatever reason, to his own devices in The Village. Just who was behind the voice, and from where the transmitted message originated, and what it was that No.34 had originally expected to happen, and who exactly was No.34 is where the ambiguity lies.

The Chimes Of Big Ben

   There are certain changes made to the script, to make what we actually see on the screen. Changes such as.......

    When No.6 visits the Green Dome, a rather shocking scene is cut. It occurs when No.2 consults No.6's file to discover that No.6 does not take sugar in his tea. We have always been amused by what follows. When No.6 plops three sugar cubes in his tea to make No.2 sink back into his chair, we always smile. But if they had kept the script, how different our reaction would be.

No.6 "Have you got a cigarette?"

No.2 "Of course, {offering him a box} that file is really a disgrace. No mention of your smoking here."

   No.2 lights it for him. No.6 takes a puff to make sure that it is well alight. He takes it from his mouth and looks at the glowing end. He then slowly and without flinching stubs it out on the back of his hand.

No.6 "I don't."

   This scene would have been an uncomfortable on to watch but it would have shown a man unafraid of pain or torture. It also would have been a very effective way to close act one.

Alternative Chimes

    The script for ‘The Chimes of Big Ben’ is like any other script, for compared to what we see on the screen, there are changes which have been made to the original script. Such as;

Old lady passes No.2 by with her shopping basket: "Lovely day."

No.2: "Indeed."

Old Lady: "Look. See what I've bought, wool. I'm going to weave a shawl for the exhibition."

No.2: "Very good No.38. there's a special prize for your age group I believe. Be seeing you."

Old lady: "And you."

   They then salute each other and No.2 approaches the table on the lawn of the Old People's Home, just as the General is standing up.

   {Luckily for No.6, No.38's shawl project becomes a tapestry! A shawl for a sail just doesn't quite cut it in my book.}

Checkmate

   On the morning of’ Checkmate’ No.6 is out and about the Village. Suddenly the Village Guardian comes rolling and bounding down the street. Citizens step automatically to the side of the road. Cyclists dismount their bicycles and stand stock still at the side of the street until the Guardian has passed them by. So everyone in the Street is standing stock still, well nearly everyone, save the man with the stick-No.14 who demonstrates his rebellious nature by defying the Guardian, who for some reason did not detect No.14's movement. And No.14 was not the only one to be moving about in the presence of the Village Guardian, there was No.6 also.

   Previously in Arrival everyone in the central Piazza was ordered by No.2 to "Be still." But one man wasn't, he jigged about this way and that, the Guardian detected the man's movement and pounced. So why not so No.14 and No.6 as "it" passed them by in ‘Checkmate?’

Be seeing you