Is it not the case that at very important ceremonies No.2 always wears the Great Seal of Office, as seen during the Appreciation Day ceremony? Well why isn't No.2 wearing it now? After all, isn't Appreciation Day just an opportunity of retiring the former No.2, to bring in a new No.2, and during that ceremony The Great Seal of office is worn by both No.2's as part of that ceremony, the departing No.2 and the new No.2. And is that not what is happening here, the old No.2 voted out, and the new No.2 voted in. The "ways and means" might be different, but the principle and effect is just the same, so why no Great Seal Of Office worn here?
No.7's It Doesn't Really Mean Anything
About the absence of the number 7 in the Prisoner. For years and years fans of the series have wondered, and debated as to why the "seven" has been deleted. Why do people want one?
We all have something in common, we all want to be No.1. We all have to look after No.1, because if we don't then no-one else will. So who is No.1 in the Prisoner? Patrick McGoohan, because as far as the series goes, his word was god!
We all have our own particular village, the village of the mind in which we are all Prisoners, and if we pick up that oversized red telephone and ask to speak to No.1, we shall, each and everyone of us, hear our own voice speaking back to us, that would be something wouldn't it?
What kind of village we all live in all depends on how hard we are on ourselves, self persecution if you like. We all love ourselves, hate ourselves for something or other, and sometimes we even feel as though we could kill ourselves for what we have done!
So why do we go on? Because the village is the life that we lead, each and everyone of us. Everyone has their exists and entrances, some sooner rather than later, but life goes on for the many, because it must. Because the community must live and so must you, if only we can survive the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, and come to terms with who we are, and what we do. You can try to escape, to change your life, to run away and live the life of a tramp, hermit, or monk. But you cannot run away from yourself, of who you are. That is the village of the mind, and you carry it around with you always, till death do you part.
A Matter of Resignation
Having escaped the confines of The Village, or at least he thinks he has, he arrives in an office he knows very well, and in that office he is confronted by the Colonel who sets about debriefing the Prisoner. "The night is young and there are many questions First why did you resign?"
The Colonel has been brought to the village in order to question and thoroughly de-brief the Prisoner-No.6, the Colonel has become akin to No.2 if you like. But I never have understood the Colonel's persistence over the Prisoner's resignation. Surely the Colonel had read the Prisoner's letter he left with that balding man in the office during the opening sequence, and if he had he must surely know the reason behind the Prisoner's resignation, and so doing could tell No.2 why the Prisoner resigned without all this complicated plot, which failed anyway. All the Colonel had to do was walk into No.2's office and show him the Prisoner's letter of resignation, then they could move on and use that reason against the Prisoner himself!
Be seeing you
7 wanted.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't so much that we wanted or needed the 7. But quite strikingly the number 7 appears to be kind of an anathema. It is easily missed and it's never ever emphasized in any way but the 7 is - almost - non existent throughout the series.
However, omitting the 7 in any conceivable aspect may not have been the intention by the producers. But arguably on the electronic information desk at the beginning of "Arrival" the number 7 key was erased purposefully, neither a single cypher, nor a combined two- or three-digit number is on it. Thus, following the 6 we have twice 8; the number after 16 looks like 2c, after 26 we see a vertical line which may also be taken for the number 1. So, the question as to why the 7 is absent remains. There was speculation about McGoohan's antipathy towards the 7 based on his most famous rival in the media - James Bond 007. Which could be possible but no evidence has been brought forward so far.
But this isn't quite true it seems. The 7, playing an important role in the christian and jewish religion rather sneaks up from behind. The are indications that the 7 may play a siginifcant role, too. If it turns up it appears to initiate either Number Six' defeat or triumph.
- In "Arrival" No. 6's telephone rings 7 times on Number Two's first call. No. 6 maintains seven items he disapproves or would not like to experience being made with him: "I will not be (1) pushed, (2) filed, (3) stamped, (4) indexed, (5) briefed, (6) debriefed or (7) numbered!"
- In "The Chimes Of Big Ben" No. 6 speaks of the Admiral who he beat "in seven moves" in a chess game. Later he uncovers the plot devised by the Village because the clock strikes 8 times – while because of the time shift there should have been 7 strokes.
- One of No. 6's code names as an agent was "ZM-73".
- The woman who is tortured by No. 2 at the beginning of "Hammer Into Anvil" bears the number 73. But there is no button dislaying this it is only on her tombstone.
- No. 6 in "Returns" writes "day 7" into his improvised log.
- In "Once Upon A Time" No. 2 is allowed seven days for his battle of wills against No. 6 and to go through the "seven ages of man" as quoted according to Shakespeare.
- No. 6 in "Free For All" is slapped 7 times in the face by No. 58 before recovering from the state of hypnosis.
- There are six fellow inmates supporting No. 6 in "Checkmate" thus equalling a total of seven prisoners planning their escape.
- Seven persons are involved in the trial against No. 6 in "Dance": No. 6, the three judges, the accuser, the defender and Dutton.
- Alison's 7th photo that she took of No. 6 in "Schizoid" displays his black thumbnail thus later helping him to regain his identity.
- In "Change" the social group consists of seven participants, apart from No. 68 and No. 6. Seven villagers in the café rise from their seats when No. 6 joines them.
- No. 6's own vehicle is a Lotus Super 7.
- We see seven iron bars closing in front of No. 6's face at the end of each episode.
The following could even be indicating to the identity of No. 1: The numbers 1 and 6 are true antagonists on dice, always opposite to each other. Both of them sum up to make 7 which applies to all opposite numbers as well. Thus, is the 7 the secret code for the absent or the covert No. 1...?
Finally, The Prisoner according to McGoohan's concept was to be a 7 part miniseries. But this, as we all know, didn't happen, we got 17. - BCNU!
Hello Arno,
DeleteI enjoyed your comment immensely.
You are indeed to be complimented. You have certainly looked into the matter of "7" in 'The Prisoner' series, and I should think that readers would be surprised just how many times "7" actually features in the series, but without the actual number. You have done the thing quite comprehensibly. So much so that I find I have nothing further to add.
Of course Jana also has spoken on the times "7" appears in the series, so you are both to be congratulated on this piece of research.
Regards
David
Be seeing you