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Tuesday 12 May 2015

Citizen 66



    He’s an ex-Admiral, does that mean he’s ex because he’s no longer in the Royal Navy? But it’s true that when senior servicemen leave the armed forces they do retain their rank, such as Colonel or General, so why not Admiral?
   Number 66 appears to know a thing or two, perhaps because he’s been in The Village for such a long time. He knows that everyone’s a pawn. And he enjoys a little joke, when he suggests to Number 6 that he tries the boat, the Stone Boat. She’s good in any weather apparently, and the Admiral said he’s sailed her many a time.
    And yet there are two ex-Admirals who share the same number 66, because when the Prisoner passes by the pool and fountain in the Piazza, he passes by a man in a Royal Navy cap, wearing a red and white striped jersey, an ex-Admiral.
 Only it’s not the Admiral, not the first Admiral, but a different to the one who the Prisoner and Number 2 passed by in on the lawn of the Old People home, sat there waiting for a chess opponent. And later found one in Number 6.
   So there must be two ex-Admirals with the same number, but why the two cannot be the one I’ve no idea. I should have thought actor Frederick Piper quite capable of being able to play the Admiral-Number 66 in two scenes. But filming the other Admiral seems quite deliberate. After all there seems to be no reason why the second Admiral should look up into the camera as the Prisoner passes by. There’s no need for there to be an Admiral sat by the pool in the first place. Unless it’s deliberate for some reason or other which has yet remained unfathomed.

Be seeing you

3 comments:

  1. I missed that appearance of the bogus admiral, Number 66, in my own studies. Good catch. Did you notice that two other (non-admiral) Number 66's appear in that episode ("Arrival")? Number 6's personal maid is Number 66 and the woman who drives the taxi as Number 6 is discharged from the hospital is also 66! I think the wardrobe or prop crew in these early episodes were getting a bit lazy and it went unnoticed by McGoohan at the time!

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    1. The several #66s could be deliberate. They are unable to cling to their identity but #6 has a stronger resolve and remains his own man. Never assume anything in The Prisoner is what it seems to be.

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  2. Hello Enik1138,
    Yes I had observered the numerous No.66's in 'Arrival,' where was Doris Martin of continuity? That's what I ask!

    By the way, have you observed the resemblance between No.14 {Basil Hoskins} 'Hammer Into Anvil,' and Number 22 {Mark Burns} 'It's Your Funeral.' Not only is there a resemblance between them, but they also wear identical clothes!
    Very best regards
    David
    BCNU

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