The Arrival!

    During the conversation between the new No.2 and the Prisoner in ‘Arrival’ he says "We do here what has to be done. It's the law of survival. It's either them or us." Imprison people, steal their minds, destroy them? "Depends on whose side you're on, doesn't it?" To which the Prisoner replies "I'm on our side." What the side of the Village? If his own people put the Prisoner where he is, there cannot be any question of which side runs the Village. And if the Village is set up to gather information, as suggested by No.2 “We want information, information, information,” it's not just the reason behind the Prisoner's resignation that they want - but all the information inside his head! The Prisoner has been put in the Village for the protection of national security, and to be thoroughly debriefed at their leisure! And it might have worked, had they offered him something in return. Oh but of course they did, or at least No.2 did. It was during the aerial tour of the Village when No.2 suggested to the Prisoner "You might even be given a position of authority." But did No.2 mean it? Was that possible offer of authority real, or merely the carrot on the end of a stick? And the same could be said of that offer of ultimate power in ‘Fall Out.’

    Whichever way you look at it with regard to both offers of a position of authority, No.6 for one so usually quick to think on his feet, he was incredibly slow. I recently read in an article by Alan Shapiro and I quote “Foucault famously said: “As in judo, the best answer to an adversary manoeuvre is not to retreat, but to go along with it, turning it to one’s own advantage, as a resting point for the next phase.” But then there is no guarantee that this would have worked. You will recall that No.12 {The General} had a position of authority within Administration. He went along with the Village, until he began working against the educational experiment of Speedlearn, as he tried to work against the system from within, and look what happened to him. It cost him his life. And even if it hadn’t No.2 was on to him as being a traitor in the Village!

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