For a man who was not at all happy at being brought back to the Village, No.2 certainly threw himself into his work. Well to be perfectly honest during his previous term of office in the Village, during 'The Chimes of Big Ben,' he didn't actually have that much to do, just to oversee proceedings. It was Nadia Rakovsky, if that was her name, who had all the work to do.
But we've all tried putting 'the Prisoner' together, seeking that "missing link," and we were told, because too many people know too much. Okay, that's bit vague, and doesn't really tell us anything, but thinking about it I think we were lucky to get that much. It was the first time that the Priosner had bent since his arrival in the Village. The first piece of information he had given away about himself.I think the Prisoner is a very private man, who liked to mind his own business, and expaected others to mind theirs. After all you will recall that No.6 wouldn't even confirm whether he was engaged or not when Nadia asked him. And yet he did confirm he hadn't a wife in England, doesn't mean he didn't have one elsewhere!
Be seeing you
Hi David,
ReplyDeleteI like this thoughts.
What strikes me reading it - Number 2 never named what would happen in case of success, he only told that in case of a failure it would end in a big bang.
It's as if success never was an option. Well, of course one of them would have to die, maybe that's why. Or maybe it doesn't make any difference, and success would end in a bang, to, just like failure. Although one might think that there is a difference. It's different, isn't it. Isn't it DIFFERENT..
Well, maybe not.
Best wishes,
Jana
BCNU
Hello Jana,
DeleteYes, that's right. A simple question of life and death. Whoever succeeds lives, and there is only death for the unsuccessful. Of course it was a risk, I'm sure No.1 didn't want to lose No.6, after all he's a good man. As for No.2, he said he was a good man, but No.6, if he gets him, will be better. Really I don't think there was any danger of No.6 dying in that Embryo Room, there was always more danger of No.2 dying. After all if it hadn't been for the drugged drink, both men would have still have been standing when the time lock released and the door of the Embryo Room opened.
To the question of success, the intention being to get No.6 to talk, to turn him to the Village, in that way if No.2 succeeded in this, then the success would belong to No.1!
Had it not been for the advent of 'Fall Out,' No.2 would have remained dead, and I imagine No.6 would simply have been returned to his cottage!
Very kind regards
David
BCNU
Hello David,
Deleteyes, I guess it would have been more than unlikely that Number 6 would have had to die. That they would have brought him back to his cottage if it hadn't been for the Fall Out is an interesting thought.. Hadn't thought of this but isn't it what would have had to happen if Once had been the last episode of the first season, as initially planned?
It just crossed my mind, maybe "failure" in this case didn't mean that Number 2 wouldn't succeed to get the reason behind the prisoners resignation but that he wouldn't succeed in breaking the Prisoners resistance. One goal was to "reintegrate" the Prisoner into the Village, wasn't it? Success in this case would have been kind of a death for the Prisoner.. On the other hand, failure would (maybe) ultimately lead to even more resistance, and finally a big bang, like Fall Out.
Very kind regards,
Jana
BCNU
Hello Jana,
DeleteYes you are right about 'Once Upon A Time,' it was originally the last episode of the first season. So 'the Prisoner' would have originally been suspended there in the Embryo Room, and we as the television viewer would not have known any more about 'the Prisoner' until the start of second series.
You put a new and interesting interpretation on the situation, and not for the first time. Well No.2 certainly didn't break No.6's resistance that's perfectly true, but I'm not sure that No.6 could be reintegrated back into the community. He could be released back into the community, but I'm sure that he would continue his resitance with renewed vigour, perhaps due to the death of No.2!
Very best regards
David
BCNU
Hello David,
DeleteI'd agree, I guess the Prisoner would have continued bis resistance after Number 2s death. To be honest I couldn' t really imagine how the series could have continued otherwise. What I was thinking about is what would have happened if Number 2 had succeeded in breaking Number 6 resistance and had survived? For the Prisoner it would have been a symbolic rather than an actual death, in a way, I think, and maybe that was what they hoped for as a last chance to get him back as if he hadn't resigned. But that's all interpretation and up to speculation. Mind games :).
Very kind regards
Hello Jana,
DeleteCertainly No.6 was being put to the test in that Embryo Room, as he was put to the test in much of 'the Prisoner.' Its difficult to imagine what would have happened to No.2 had he managed to break No.6. Had he done so surely No.6 would no longer have been as important to them as he had been up until that point. Broken mentally No.6 could have ended up like Dutton! I can only imagine that had No.2 broken No.6, but at the same time having gained the reason behind his resignation, No.2 would have been allowed to leave the Village as he must have done after 'The Chimes of Big Ben' so to have been brought back to the Village!
The thing about 'the Prisoner,' as we all know, is no No.6, no series. Because the whole series is about No.6, so there is no-way that No.6 could be allowed to be broken either in body or mind. He must remain intact so that he can continue his resistance against interrogation techniques, and the Village as a whole.
We know that No.2's remit was to gain knowledge of the reason behind the Prisoner's resignation. Perhaps in 'Once Upon A Time,' seeing as how No.6 had been regressed mentally to the age of 5, perhaps as No.2 took No.6 though his life in order to gain the reason for his resignation, he also hoped to rebuild him mentally, to put him back together, and so return him to the Village.
Mind games yes, with a good deal of speculation. But then 'the Prisoner' does leave itself open to a great deal of speculation?
Very kind regards
David
BCNU
No. 2 knew for sure it was going to be a tough and dangerous session. He doesn't appear to be all too optimistic from the start. Or am I wrong? - BCNU!
ReplyDeleteHello Arno,
DeleteI couldn't agree more. He certainly didn't get off to a very good start, after all No.2 had been up most of the night reciting nursery rhymes to the slumbering No.6!
Very kind regards
David
BCNU
I wonder if in the Degree Absolute process used similar techniques as in "A,B & C" and "Living in Harmony"... when No.6 is caught for speeding, bailing out of the plane etc. does it seem in his mind to be as "real" as Engadine's party or the town of Harmony. Presumably yes, although we viewers don't see what No.6 is imagining, or rather being influenced to imagine.
ReplyDeleteIn "A, B & C" we see how the drug is administered but we don't see any drugs given to No.6 in "Once Upon A Time".... unless they were in the ice cream!
Happy new year
Be seeing you
ZM72
Hello ZM72,
DeleteAn interesting thought, certainly 'A B and C' Engadines party etc, etc seemed real to No.6, as did 'Living In Harmony.' I would imagine that any of the role-playing might appear real to No.6. Does he see the inside a bomber instead of sitting on a plank, during the WWII scene I cannot say. I'll have to give this more consideration.
You are right, drugs are not use against No.6 in 'Once Upon A Time,' only conditioning of the brain to regress him to his childhood, via the pulsator in the light above his head.
Very kind regards
David
BCNU
ZM72,
ReplyDeleteForgot to wish you a happy, peaceful, and prosperous Newy Year.
David
We must assume that in "Harmony" No. 6 received a hallucinogenic drug that enabled him to walk around and act almost normally because at the end of it he wakes up lying on the saloon floor with headphones on (should be wireless) by which he must have received dialogues or even commands. Not particularly intelligible. In "Once", as it would seem, he's subjected to some kind of (post-) hypnotic process which may have been triggered and/or enhanced by the "pulsator" lamp. But we cannot rule out that he was also given a drug with its effectivity slowy subsiding. - BCNU!
ReplyDeleteHello Arno,
DeleteYes, I had forgotten that No.6 had been given an hallucinagenic drug. We usually see No.6 being given drugs, but in the one case we didn't, and yes, must suppose in 'Once Upon A Time' that that was also the case.
Very kind regards
David
BCNU
I'd always assumed that the buildings in "Harmony" were there to reinforce the illusion, like the props (e.g. the door frame in the various interviews and the steam and the plank of wood they're sitting on in the plane bit) in "Once Upon A Time".
ReplyDeleteIn modern times, after the banking scandals (sub-prime mortgages, Libor, HSBC etc. etc. etc. etc.) some dialogue in "Once Upon A Time" is interesting. In the job interview, No.2 accuses No.6 of having "no respect for tradition for an old established firm of bankers". Then No.6 went off to see the Managing Director... was caught speeding.... and then told the judge (No.2 again) that "such business is above the law". We don't know if the job interview was for a banking position however. Then again we don't know for sure what No.6's real job was. Perhaps he knew of similar scandals in his real job and that's why he ended up in the Village?
But let's not get too political on here! "Any politics?" (crash!). Incidentally, the wooden toy that No.6 pulls to the floor in "Arrival" hits the deck again in "Once Upon A Time" when No.6 is laid out on the table.
Be seeing you
ZM72
Hello ZM72,
DeleteIsn't Harmony actually part of the Village, which we see during 'The Chimes of Big Ben,' and 'The Schizoid Man,' and to some extent 'A B and C.' So for No.6 to enact the action in the town of Harmony, that part of the Village would need to have been evacuated. With no citizen alllowed to go to that part of the Village in case No.6 saw someone just passing through!
As for the position with a Banking establishment, that was actually a cover for secret work, according to No.2, into which he had recruited No.6. In fact British Intelligence had/has it's own Banking service, and it was that to which No.6 had been recruited. The Banking service was used to fund British agents working abroad, and people who were recruited into the Banking service acted as couriers to take money to agents working in foreign countries, even to go at times behind the Iron Curtain. In the novel 'The Spy Who Came In From The Cold,' British agent Alec Leamas worked for the Banking service within British Intelligence for a while.
Very kind regards
David
BCNU
On a more basic level one can question why a whole set of props, a village, would be needed at all for something that has come to be known as a "virtual reality", most likely induced by drugs. However, in those times the hallucenogenic effect could have needed support by some "solid" reality constructions in order to work. - BCNU!
ReplyDeleteHello Arno,
DeleteYes that's a fair enough comment, after all numbers 2, 8, and 22 were not in the town of Harmony, they were in the Green Dome all the time. So going by that, so could No.6 have been. But then I suppose to have No.6 in the town of Harmony shows what was taking place in his mind. Otherwise we might have ended up with three people in No.2's office simply carrying out a role playing theme, which to the viewer might have looked completely ridiculous!
Very kind regards
David
BCNU
Hello David,
Deletemade me think that it perfectly worked in the Embryo Room, in a way ;).
But I guess for Harmony a more elaborate setting was needed. One point is that there were more persons involved, and Number 6 wasn't guided through the process face to face as he was in Once, but he was expected to walk freely around (as in the beginning when he walked across this field, wonder where this was located) and make his own decisions, to some extend. But it's perhaps more important that they wanted to make a Western, and they couldn't simply recycle the plot of A,B and C as an explanation. So they had to think up something else.
Very kind regards,
Jana
BCNU
Hello Jana,
DeleteVery nicely put Jana. The location where No.6 is carrying his saddle, and eventually attacked by the Judges men, was filmed on location on the Southdowns, now a national park.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=location+of+the+southdowns&qpvt=location+of+the+southdowns&FORM=IGRE#view=detail&id=DBA4FA785B7A1BA7FF552239C9309F9310BDBC20&selectedIndex=1
Very kind regards
David
BCNU