Tonight the episode is Anvil, the third episode of THEPRIS6NER already! This is my second favourite episode that deals with the question of surveillance, and the question of who is Number 1 is answered once and for all! It would seem that anyone is guilty of something, that one can become suspect for even the slightest reason. 1955 goes swimming after work, that is interpreted by 909 {an Undercover} as a man who is afraid to go home! 1955 is a dreamer, that’s why he’s under surveillance {a dreamer being someone who has memories of another place, another life} and when 1955 simply hangs out a towel to dry, 909 interprets this as being a signal to other dreamers that it’s all clear for a meeting.
There seems to be a rapport building between Two and Six, even though every thought Six has is to work against Two, and so Two throws out this latest challenge to Six just to see if Six can turn it to his own advantage. It is a challenge Six cannot resist!
Anvil – Two arranges for Six to work with a Village spy {called an “undercover”} named 909. An undercover’s job is to find and report people who dream of another place. Six is wary it’ a trap. “Of course it’s a trap,” says Two, who wonders if six can use the opportunity to his advantage.
In New York , Lucy tries to leave Michaels apartment, but he grabs her and demands she tell him the truth.
Six and 909 are assigned to watch 1955, a history teacher who has been turned in by one of his students. Six goes undercover as a surveillance teacher.
313 fears for her own well-being when she starts to sketch dreams of another place. She decides to distance herself from Six: “People who get close to you, they don’t tend to live very long,” she says.
At night 909 and Six observe 1955, he enjoys swimming, and dines alone. 909 finds his hobbies suspicious – “We’re looking at a man who doesn’t want to go home,” he says. A group of joggers run by, 909 explains that they’re good candidates for dreamers. Six notices 313 running ahead of the group
In surveillance class, Six gives his students an assignment, “find out who we’re working for.”
Two hesitates before giving the sleeping woman a black pill. She wakes, and the two embrace. “Why this time?” she asks. “Can a man not converse with his wife from time to time?” Two says.
909 and Six perch themselves on the roof of 1955’s house and watch him using the Village’s special “Roach Cam,” 909 receives a mysterious call, and asks six to fetch coffee from the truck. Six snoops through 909’s surveillance log and discovers he is 909’s real mission – and that 313 is suspect.
Two and his wife, M2, speak of their life “before” – M2 wants to know how 11-12 is doing. Two gives her a sip of wine and she goes catatonic again. At the sound of drilling, Two notices a roach cam being placed in his garden.
Back on the roof, 909’s ringing phone alerts 1955 to their presence. Staring at the roach cam, 1955 cuts his own throat. 909 and Six drop off 1955 off on the steps of the Village hospital.
The next day, 147 plays with his daughter, 832, in his backyard. Nearby, a massive hole in the garden looms.
Fearing the undercovers are watching her, six searches 313’s roof and finds a roach cam. A nearby camera catches him in the act.
Two meets with 909. He notes 11-12 has been acting oddly and wonders if Six has had any contact with him. 909 denies it, but Two doesn’t trust him.
Six begins to trail 909, following him to the Go Inside Bar, where he discovers 909 is romantically involved with 11-12.
Lucy reveals she read Michael’s reports. He asked interesting questions. She says, and must know more than he realises because Summaker wants him stopped.
Six visits 1955 in hospital and asks for help locating other dreamers. 1955 says he doesn’t know anything. The conversation is interrupted when Six senses someone lurking outside. He runs after the stranger, but loses them.1.100, his surveillance student, hides nearby a tree.
The next day, Six is summoned by Two and given a new assignment. To spy on 909.
Six goes to 313 and tells her to be careful. She shows six photos of him on her roof. “You’re an undercover,” she accuses, walking away.
At his home, 909 suggests that he and 11-12 take a break – Two is suspicious. Six walks in and finds them embracing. Six tells 11-12 to take all surveillance off of 313, or he’ll go public with knowledge of their affair.
Two tells 11-12 he doesn’t trust 909, and suggests that he be sent to therapy to “dig hose secrets out of him.”
11-12 goes to 909 with a knife. “It’s okay,” says 909, turning his back to allow 11-12 to stab him.
Six arrives at 313’s house just as she’s being taken away by a black van. He runs to 909 for help, only to find him bleeding to death. “Tell me the dreams are true,” 909 gasps. “They’re all true,” says Six.
Lucy asks Michael why he resigned from Summaker, but can’t focus on the question. “You wanted to know: you stopped. Why?” she asks. “Because you’re already there.”
Six finds 11-12 drinking at the Go Inside Bar. He wants help finding 313, or he’ll tell Two about 909. 11-12 sends Six to the tunnels, a dark cavernous place inhabited by exposed dreamers. In the tunnels Six finds 1.100 who in turn helps him find 313. As the three of them search for a way out, Rover appears.
Six springs awake in his apartment, then drifts back to sleep. Men in white coats scurry out of his front door.
Two tells 11-12 to forget 909 and find someone his own age.
Lucy says that she hears the name Curtis whispered on the Solutions floor, and insists that they go to Summaker immediately. Michael kicks her out. She writes her number down and tells him to call her if he changes his mind.
In the Palais garden, TWO gives 1.100 an ice cream cone and congratulates her for spying on Six. 1.100 admits she was also spying on Two. She’ll have to go in for treatment. Two says after she finishes her ice cream.
So holes appear in the Village every time M2 is conscious. Does that mean M2’s other self Helen in New York is awake at the same time? I suppose it must, seeing as its Helen who is actually dreaming The Village and not M2! So presumably the moment Helen stops dreaming The Village, The Village will be filled so full of holes that it will disappear into nothingness, into oblivion in fact. The people born of The Village cease to exist, not that they every existed physically in the first place. As for the people taken to The Village, like 147 who simply get on with their lives in New York , having no memory of what had taken place in The Village!
We also see The Therapy Zone, formally a place where one can be an alcoholic in perfect privacy, just as long as you return to the flock in good time. I bet Six wishes that were still the case. In The Therapy Zone in this series, it’s a place to send people for treatment. It’s a dark and violent environment, in which Rover puts in an appearance, and appears to absorb two Villagers in its bright white light.
I wouldn’t describe Rover as the Village Guardian, as it doesn’t seem to do that, protect the Village that is. In this series Rover only appears when six is afraid, conjured up by Six’s own fear!
In the Village it is possible that everyone is an Undercover. Which in turn means that everybody
could be watching everyone else!
Be seeing you
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