The Prisoner Under the Spotlight

 

   "Thank you gentlemen for your confidence in the General, and now to show our confidence in you, we will give you an entire breakdown in the entire operation, in confidence of course."
                                                  No.2 - The General

   

"Speedlearn is the outcome of the General's prolific knowledge. It's basis is, the students confidence in a tried and tested Professor, and the Professor's confidence in science."
                                                  No.12 - The General

    After watching that episode of the General a couple of weeks ago, I got wondering why so much had been made in the episode of the word confidence by both No.2 and No.12 - of Administration - when addressing the members of the Educational Board, in the Boardroom. Then it was whilst I was perusing an old article about The General that I read what scriptwriter of The General, Lewis Greifer, had to say on the subject. When asked about the "confidence" puns. "At about that time, Pat McGoohan and I joked with each other about the old-fashioned appellation "Confidential Agent." McGoohan had asked Greifer who his agent was, and Greifer responded that that was confidential. McGoohan replied "Confidential Agent" and repeated it a few times, laughing. If this is someone whose identity is secret, is it someone you trust? Number Twelve asks "Who do you trust, Number Six?" and the Prisoner answers "I trust me." "Join the club" is Number Twelve's response. And ironically, as it turns out, Number Twelve can trust Number Six, whose last gambit is an attempt to save Number Twelve from Number Two's suspicions.
   In The General, Speedlearn is nothing more than a humongous con. In a sense confidence is at the very core of education. Parents confide their children to school, confident that the children will be filled with knowledge. But whose knowledge will it be? And what will happen to their curiosity, or their freedom to learn? Or for that matter, to their confidence?"
    And of course Number Six could be described as being a former "Confidential Agent" before he resigned, because when Number Six and Number Two are role playing, Number Six is recruited by a bank Manager, into a "Confidential job". And later, as Prisoner and Judge in the Embryo Room of Once Upon A time, the Prisoner is charged with speeding, reckless driving, and manslaughter, Number Six demanded in his defence, that he had been on a secret mission. A mission of secret, and confidential business. In fact it was "State, top secret, confidential business!"

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