A life time fan and Prisonerologist of the 1960's series 'the Prisoner', a leading authority on the subject, a short story writer, and now Prisoner novelist.
Friday, 12 April 2013
Teabreak Teaser
Big Ben has just struck eight - No.6's wrist watch says eight - so what time is it in the Village?
By the time No. 6 reached London which was actually in the Village it was, presumably, 8 o'clock +/-. He left the office at daylight. And why would they play the pre-recorded chimes at a different time?
To me this time/watch detail has always been a perfunctory one, a MacGuffin if you want, existent only to turn the course of the action, the one clue that thwarts the whole plan. It doesn't really matter how plausible it is. No. 6 and Nadia were sailing along the coast of what he was made to believe the Baltics meaning the time would have been at least 1, perhaps 2 hours ahead of GMT. And obviously both were carried around in their crate for quite some hours even days. In addition, the watch No. 6 was given, most likely, was not manipulated and showed the correct "local" time. Who would have forseen his own watch would stop working?
But even if it hadn't, the whole escape plan was staged anyway. It is and remains uncertain where geographically they actually took off before eventually being stowed away in the crate. Hardly in the Baltics I'd assume. In the end they very well knew that No. 6, rather sooner than later, would uncover the plot. Look at the official's reaction! - BCNU!
You certainly gave more of an answer then I was expecting. And yes it was eight of the clock GMT, which proves that the Village is in the same time zone as Britain. Because we know that the Village cannot be on the Baltic, this I calculated by the course No.6 sailed in 'Many Happy Returns.' But of course No.6 didn't know that at the time. No.6 left the supoposed Colonel's office in daylight. As for why they would play the pre-recorded chimes at a different time. They didn't, they played the chimes at eight of the clock at the correct time. Nadia and No.6 set off aboard their boat in darkness, they arrived at the cave in daylight, and the time must have been 8 O'clock, because the journey was to take 12 hours, meaning that they arrived back at London/the Village at 8 O'clock pm. But even if it was 8 pm, depending on when 'The Chimes of Big Ben' was to have taken place, it could still be light at 8pm. If the Village is on the Baltic, why would a man have his watch set a 8 GMT, and not local time? Unless he was slow, which Post 5 was!
Ah yes, the Colonel's reaction. It was not No.2 who failed during 'The Chimes of Big Ben,' but the Colonel!
By the time No. 6 reached London which was actually in the Village it was, presumably, 8 o'clock +/-. He left the office at daylight. And why would they play the pre-recorded chimes at a different time?
ReplyDeleteTo me this time/watch detail has always been a perfunctory one, a MacGuffin if you want, existent only to turn the course of the action, the one clue that thwarts the whole plan. It doesn't really matter how plausible it is. No. 6 and Nadia were sailing along the coast of what he was made to believe the Baltics meaning the time would have been at least 1, perhaps 2 hours ahead of GMT. And obviously both were carried around in their crate for quite some hours even days. In addition, the watch No. 6 was given, most likely, was not manipulated and showed the correct "local" time. Who would have forseen his own watch would stop working?
But even if it hadn't, the whole escape plan was staged anyway. It is and remains uncertain where geographically they actually took off before eventually being stowed away in the crate. Hardly in the Baltics I'd assume. In the end they very well knew that No. 6, rather sooner than later, would uncover the plot. Look at the official's reaction! - BCNU!
Hello Arno,
DeleteYou certainly gave more of an answer then I was expecting. And yes it was eight of the clock GMT, which proves that the Village is in the same time zone as Britain. Because we know that the Village cannot be on the Baltic, this I calculated by the course No.6 sailed in 'Many Happy Returns.' But of course No.6 didn't know that at the time.
No.6 left the supoposed Colonel's office in daylight. As for why they would play the pre-recorded chimes at a different time. They didn't, they played the chimes at eight of the clock at the correct time. Nadia and No.6 set off aboard their boat in darkness, they arrived at the cave in daylight, and the time must have been 8 O'clock, because the journey was to take 12 hours, meaning that they arrived back at London/the Village at 8 O'clock pm. But even if it was 8 pm, depending on when 'The Chimes of Big Ben' was to have taken place, it could still be light at 8pm.
If the Village is on the Baltic, why would a man have his watch set a 8 GMT, and not local time? Unless he was slow, which Post 5 was!
Ah yes, the Colonel's reaction. It was not No.2 who failed during 'The Chimes of Big Ben,' but the Colonel!
Very kind regards
David
BCNU