The Long And The Straight Of It

   At the commencement of ‘the Prisoner’ we see a long straight road, and out of the distance comes hurtling along that long straight road, a green, yellow nosed Lotus 7. For the car is the freedom of the open road, for the driver the road which eventually leads to freedom from a long held occupation.

   In The Village all roads lead to the same destination…..The Village. At one point Number 6 talks of the electrics truck being at the crossroads. At another Number 6 reaches a crossroads, at which he has to decide whether to go back to the Green Dome, or take to sea aboard the pair of lilos in order to reach the vessel searching for the downed aircraft.    
    Eventually during the “Fall Out,” the former Number 6 and his confederates take to the road that leads from The Village to the freedom of the outside world. The Village left abandoned and uncared for. The youth takes to the road again, not caring in which direction he travels as he tries to hitch a lift on either side of the duel-carriageway. In his case it’s not so much the destination that’s important, more the journey itself. The former Number 2 finally takes a familiar road, back to the Establishment where he belongs. As for the former Number 6, no sooner does he arrive home than he’s back behind the wheel of his Lotus 7 once more. The freedom of the open road, and the prospect of freedom from a self-created occupation that is THE PRISONER!

BCNU