Doubles!

   What if Number 1 and Number 6 were not the alter egos of each other as suggested by Patrick McGoohan, but nothing more that mere doubles? Number 6 upon discovering that it was his double which had been the cause of all his troubles, decided to rid himself of this troublesome doppelganger. So having an instant hatred for his double, and having chased Number 1 around the table, and up the ladder, he sealed his double in the nose cone of the rocket. In this action he was merely getting rid of his double. After all he had done it before with in ‘The Schizoid Man,’ and having gotten rid of one double that would make it easier to get rid of a second.

   And having rid himself of the bane of all his troubles, did Number 6 then miss the opportunity of impersonating Number 1? He could have persuaded everyone that it had been his double Number 6 who had been launched in the rocket. In this he would effectively turn the tables on The Village’s administration system. But to what end, is anyone’s guess. Possibly then to learn all he can, before bringing The Village administration down from within. But that would pre-suppose that Number 6 could impersonate Number 1 effectively without anyone becoming suspicious of him. And in this regard we only have to look at Number 6’s impersonation of his other double, Curtis. He hardly covered himself in glory there, caught out by one little fact that Number 6 could not possibly know, and his deception was unmasked within a few minutes. So Number 6’s possible impersonation of Number 1 would have been a non-starter. Besides he was too caught up in causing as much mayhem as possible, once his double had been removed!

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