A Change of Mind

    Is it simply the task in hand that makes Number Eighty Six grow a passionate interest in Number Six, forever seeking his attention to her “as a woman?” At first she is quite clinical and quite brusque  towards Number 6. At the beginning she is quite business like with her hair up, and the wearing of slacks. But later 86 tries to attract Number 6’s attention. She lets her hair down, and changes into a dress, more feminine than slacks, and is more relaxed in Number 6’s company. And it is then that he takes advantage, and turns the tables on Number 86. Because Number 6 rebuffs her attempts to attract his attention, as he has other things on his mind. The fact that 86 has drugged his tea. “If there’s one thing I cannot stand, is girls who don’t know how to make a decent cup of tea.” And displaces her as the tea-maker, and uses that to distract 86 from her purpose.

    This episode has the viewer in on the plot, and the viewer is only waiting to see how long it takes Number 6 to realise he has not actually undergone the full personality change through ‘Instant Social Conversion.’ That he is merely being kept heavily sedated by the use of the sedative Mytol. It has to be said, that nothing is done to convince the viewer that it might have been real!

    Number 6, or should I say McGoohan cannot help himself from restlessly prowling the kitchen, shouting out odd words in anger, and slamming work tops. Not only is it abundantly clear that the supposed leucotomy operation has not taken place, but that the sedative Mytol has little effect in curbing Number 6/McGoohan’s aggressive tendencies! And Number 86 is only suspicious, because the drug should preclude all such aggressive tendencies! Number 2 is oblivious to the fact, only insisting that 86 give Number 6 a further dose of the Mytol drug. And when things go wrong, all Number 2 can do is blame Number 86 for her ineptitude, stupid woman!

   Number 6 has his suspicions, and he goes out into The Village. He goes to his gymnastic apparatus in the woods. He shapes up to punch the punch bag, but he still can’t quite do it, the remnants of the Mytol drug in his system holding him back. Until that is when the two thugs return to extract their revenge upon Number 6. And from that moment, the viewer is just waiting for him to punch the two thugs out again, as he did at the outset of the episode, because we, the audience have never been allowed to think that Number 6 had actually undergone the full personality change. So Number 6 stands over the two unconscious bodies victorious, and seemingly he has come full circle! All that remains now is a final encounter with Number 86 in the woods for Number 6 to gain a full explanation of what actually happened, through her mind sedated and then hypnotised. It is then forearmed, that Number 6 can play Number 2 for a fool, and eventually turn the tables on him, as Number 86 denounces Number 2 as being disharmonious!

   Finally, the only person in the dark about the actual plot of this affair is Number 6!

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