Fall Out The Schizoid Man

    It isn’t until the finale to ‘the Prisoner,’ that of ‘Fall Out,’ that we discover who the anonymous character of Number 1 is. As it is it turns out to be Number 6 himself, his alter ego, or rather the evil side to his nature. Although it could be interpreted that Number 6 met his evil self in a much earlier episode, in the guise of The Schizoid Man.

   “What the devil!” utters Number 6 as he first meets himself in his cottage. Never “Oh my God,” or Oh for God’s sake,” nor does he tell 6 to go to hell! While the Supervisor-Number 106 tells Number 2 that in Haiti they’d say “He’s stolen his soul.”
    Perhaps Number 1, his evil self came to Number 6 in his nightmare during ‘The Schizoid Man,’ throughout which Number 6’s doppelganger can be heard laughing maniacally. It is the same laughter which pervades the control room of the rocket as Number 1 is pursued by Number 6. And it must not be forgotten that the idea behind ‘The Schizoid Man’ originated from a high source, perhaps via Number 1 himself. Perhaps it’s Number 1 masquerading as The Schizoid Man. Yes Curtis was supposed to have died towards the end of the episode, but there was time for him to have been resuscitated, if the length of time it took for them to resuscitate Number 2 is anything to go by!

   Therefore it’s possible that in ‘The Schizoid Man’ Number 6 does meet with his evil self. It is an interesting observation, that although Number 6 fights with his doppelganger, the double is not overpowered by Number 6, but by the membranic Guardian. And that it is Number 2 who thwarts Number 6’s attempted escape. Therefore it would appear that Number 6 cannot defeat his evil self and escape The Village by his own efforts!

Be seeing you