The Therapy Zone

I’m On My Side!

    Aren't we all? No.6 must be new in the village, at least that is what No.14 assumes. In time most of us join the enemy - against ourselves. Ourselves as in No.1 do you think?

   No.14 is the chess champion, an ex-Count of an old European family who used to play chess with their retainers, who were beheaded "as they were wiped off the board" - blimy! Even Vlad the Impaler hadn't thought of that one!

   So had No.14 joined the enemy against himself? To a point I think he has. He might have fought against them for as long as he could. But now he admitted himself that he's too old for escape, and so for years No.14 has relied upon the village to take care of him and his welfare. And they don't do that if you haven't given anything in return!

   By his remark of "In time most of us join the enemy - against ourselves," could possibly mean that No.14 has gone through what No.6 is now going through. Except No.6 is of a stronger character, and determination to remain himself against all odds.

New Arrivals

    I wonder just how much news of the outside world filtered through the village to the ordinary citizens? News of swinging London. Of the Vietnam war, and the anti-war demonstrations for example. Because surely new arrivals in the village would sooner or later make friends and socialise with others, who would want to know who they were. Where they came from, why they are in the village, just in the ordinary course of things. And news of the outside world might just slip out on occasion, occasionally. After all No.6 asked Dutton "How's London?"

The Door To Number 1

   1 Buckingham Place that is. Its somehow symbolic, in the way that it opens and closes with that very familiar electronic hum that we have come to associate with the cottage door to 6 private. And in that we possibly realise exactly what the Prisoner has been all about, life! To demonstrate that the village had been about life, civilisation, us, and what our world has become.

   Episodes such as ‘Free For All’ tackles the question of the democratic process and democracy which so many countries are said to enjoy. ‘The General’ delves into the world of education, and ‘Checkmate’ commented on the freedom of the individual. ‘The Schizoid Man’ looked at problems within ourselves, and the question of identity, possibly mental illness. In fact there is nothing in the Prisoner series which cannot be found in life.

    Do you know what, I think I'll resign and see what happens!

Be seeing you