THEPRIS6NER

    THE PRIS6NER episode ‘Anvil’ looks at the morality of surveillance. Surveillance if you've nothing to hide then they’ve got nothing to find. Yet the trouble is no-one is without guilt. The trick for "Undercovers" is, having to work out what it is people are guilty of. The trouble is much of what we do is left open for interpretation, that the most innocent of actions or inactions, or a deviation away from the daily norm. Like not keeping a Yoga class due to illness, or simply putting a towel out to dry can result in one becoming suspect! A towel put out to dry could be a signal to other “dreamers” that it’s all clear to hold a meeting.

   In the Village I would have thought that with such modern day technology it would be possible for Observers to watch the citizens from a Control Room, as in the original series. But it would seem not to be the case, hence the need for "Undercovers." There are many different "Undercover" cells operating in the Village, and no-one knows who is in each of the cells, which means that everyone in the Village could be an “Undercover.” That everyone is watching everybody else. Well almost everyone else, because when Two tells his son 11-12 that someone is watching him, 11-12 is surprised about this. Who would deem to be watching him, or so that is 11-12's reaction.

   Surveillance techniques are also taught to children in lessons at school. Roach-cam is the latest technology, a tiny camera on the end of a thin cable. The trouble with this technology is it requires an Undercover to be on the end of that cable with a monitor and recording device.

   Also Two is very clever at setting citizen against citizen. 909 is watching Six, now Six must watch 909! Which suits Six, as 909 is also watching 313, who has become suspect of being a dreamer. It must be that everyone in the Village lives in fear with the possibility of everyone watching everybody else. And yet rumour of that in itself might be enough to keep everyone on their guard.

   In today’s society everyone wants to know everything about everybody. The gathering of intelligence, even to the point of where we buy our weekly groceries, and what those groceries are. And we are all under surveillance, and THEPRIS6NER is partly about that. Basically everyone is nosey, we want to know each others business, we want to know what people are doing in their lives. The difference in the Village is, if someone reports you, you get sent for treatment!

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