The Therapy Zone

Information And Observations

    There is the mainstream theme of chess running through ‘Checkmate’, from the opening gambit to the end game, much in the same way that the ‘tea ceremony’ is the underlying current in ‘A Change of Mind.’

    Speedlearn has a flaw. For Speedlearn, gives the students the answers, by subliminal means, but without any explanation of what, why or even how. In other words here is the answer, “why” doesn’t matter! Also speedlearn is dependant upon its students being seated in front of a television set!

    We begin with the local extras from Portmadog in North Wales, who appear in the Prisoner series in Portmeirion, they were paid £2.50p per day.

    Patrick McGoohan left the production of the Prisoner to go to America to work on the Hollywood film ‘Ice Station Zebra.’ But even in this film McGoohan could not get away from playing the British Secret Service agent, who gives his name as Jones. That's as bad as giving the name Peter Smith, and very like McGoohan's character of John Drake. But hat is not to say that it is.

    No.6 has a strong sense of identity, he needs it. After his arrival in the village his identity is taken away and he is given another identity, that of No.6. Then to wake up one day as somebody else, is enough to send anyone schizoid!

    Is how No.6 woke up that morning in ‘The Schizoid Man,’ how Curtis looked upon the morning of his arrival in the village I wonder.

    I have come to agree with a certain friend's theory that there could not have been any other ending, or beginning, depending on how you look at it, to the Prisoner series than that of ‘Fall Out.’ Also I will go one further and say that Fall Out was inevitable as far as the village is concerned, together with the subsequent result. In that the President and the members of the assembly half expected Sir not to accept to lead them, but to go, although perhaps not in the manner of his departure. After all "they" were seeing to it that both his car and house, of Number 1, were being made ready for him. Otherwise why would they go to so much trouble?

    If the schizoid man - No.6 - was left handed, why does he wear his stainless steel wrist watch on his left wrist, when it should be on his right? Obviously a continuity error on the part of McGoohan. However, nonetheless for that, we do still observe these things!

    With regard to that very same stainless steel wrist watch worn by No.6. when No.6 pulls back both the sleeve of his piped blazer and turtle neck sweater to show that he too has a mole on his left wrist, the wrist band of the watch is already open! I have often wondered why? So I played that little scene frame by frame, and so doing observed No.6 actually unclipping that stainless steel watch band, something which the viewer does not actually see on the television screen!

    If you watch carefully the chimneys of the Old people's Home/hotel in the background in the scene from ‘Arrival’ as the village guardian approaches as No.6 steps out of the cabin of the helicopter, the smoke actually going back into the chimneys. This is because you are watching film of the village guardian which is screened backwards as it approaches No.6. Because the village guardian was actually filmed going away from No.6 being pulled on a wire, then screened backwards in the episode.

    None of the three bikini clad young women at the triangular, concrete swimming pool or lido, seen in Arrival, actually went into the water. It was cold enough in Wales in September to be clad in a bikini, let alone to have a dip in freezing water!

    It so happens that one of those three bikini clad young women, local to the area of Portmeirion, has at one time or another, laid claim to have been all three of those bikini clad young women! It also happens that this female extra has laid claim that she doubled for the actress Justine Lord who played the role of the Girl who was Death in the episode of the same title. This woman's claim is impossible, as Justine Lord had never gone to Portmeirion, neither was any scene in the episode ‘The Girl Who was Death’ ever filmed at Portmeirion, or anywhere in the vicinity of the village.

    Patrick McGoohan is actually too tall for the Lotus Seven. You can see at times that his vision is impaired with the top of the windscreen being at eye level. This is compensated by McGoohan leaning out to his right, and not looking though the windscreen at all at times.

   So until next time readers.......... be seeing you