The Therapy Zone

    There have been those who have seen the episode ‘The Girl Who Was Death’ as being somewhat contrived, that it may actually be an indication what the people behind the Prisoner were thinking about when they were changing the creation of twenty-six episodes.

   It might appear that ideas within the Village were being exhausted, and that there was a new but unsatisfactory emphasis on episodes such as this, that were being used outside the village. This then has something in common with ‘Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling,’ although having said that, there is more of the Village in the latter episode, than that of the former. But not of Living In Harmony, because although there is the American pioneer town of Harmony, No.6 never actually left the village. Not with Harmony actually being part of the village, you will have noticed the Recreation Hall in both ‘Living in Harmony,’ ‘The Schizoid Man’ and ‘The Chimes of Big Ben.’

   But if ‘Living In Harmony’ is the most American of episodes, then ‘The Girl Who Is Death’ is quintessentially English. No.6 in the guise of Mr X takes his place in the batting order at the wicket in a game of cricket. He enjoys a quiet pint at his local public house, and even takes to the ring in a bout of the noble art of pugilism.

    ‘The Girl Who Was Death’ for me is an enjoyable break between the mind change No.6 went through during ‘Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling,’ and what was to come, the ultimate test sealed in that embryo room of ‘Once Upon A Time.’ A fairytale, all be it a dangerous fairytale, which takes us back to the days of John Drake and ‘Danger Man.’ Something to be taken for nothing more than what it is, pure escapism to be enjoyed between two torturous episodes. The one not knowing if he would be restored to the man he was, and the other having to be the one or the other, which could result in the death of either one of them. And believe you me, there won't be much fun in that!

"He's a dab-hand is ourNo.6!"

    Here he has made himself a compass. Out of an old jar filled with sea water, a cork marked both, east, west , and south. A magnetised needle which he magnetised using the magnetic part of a loudspeaker. Two marked pieces of wood and strapped it altogether with string.

  Our friend No,6 is nothing if not ingenious.

   During an interview carried out with Prisoner cameraman Jack Lowen at the 1996 Prisoner convention at Portmeirion and this is what he had to say when asked: Was the Prisoner a nightmare to work on? Jack Lowen: No, it was quite fun to work on, but I was only on it for a relatively short time because someone had already left. To me ‘the Prisoner was going to be something that went like ‘Danger Man.’

    Was the character in the Prisoner John Drake?

    Jack Lowen: Oh undoubtedly. In McGoohan's mind anyway. The way it was written - the way he was doing it - it was him having resigned literally. He'd resigned in real life from being John Drake and this was what happened because of it.

    So would you say that George Markstein's story that it was going to be John Drake, but they did not want to pay Ralph Smart royalties on the character of John Drake, was correct, so that is why he became Number 6?

    Jack Lowen: Well, I expect that came into it. But let's face it, the way Pat then worked on the series, to have everybody with numbers and nobody having names, it didn't need to be John Drake. He didn't need to use a name. The name had already gone in any case.

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