Thought For The Day

   There are certain episodes in ’the Prisoner’ which conflict with each other, of which ‘The Chimes of Big Ben’ and ‘Dance of the Dead,’ are two. Because in the one, Number 2 suggested to Number 6, while they were watching Nadia Rakovski getting up, that it’s just like old times.  Perhaps he’s recalling his first day in The Village. He then asks Number 6 “Do you remember your first day?” Well that wasn’t so very long ago, seeing as ‘The Chimes of Big Ben’ follows on the heels of ‘Arrival.’ But then I suppose it would depend on the length of time between ‘Arrival’ and ‘The Chimes of Big Ben.’ But as it is, in the screening order of ‘the Prisoner,’ this seem a little on the early side to be allowing Number 6 to seemingly escape The Village and return to London, seeing as how he’s not been in The Village that long. In fact he’s quite new to The Village. This brings us to ‘Dance of the Dead,’ in which Number 6 tells the maid that he “new here!” And when Dutton asks Number 6 how long he’s been in The Village, Number 6 replies “Quite recently.” But ‘Dance of the Dead’ is episode eight and ‘The Chimes of Big Ben’ is episode 2, and the feeling is that they should be placed in order, the other way around!
   Also ‘The Chimes of Big Ben’ conflicts with a further episode, that of ‘Free For All.’ Because on the one hand Number 6 is brought his breakfast by a maid, this is also seen in ‘Dance of the Dead’ when the maid Number 54 brings it to him. But during ‘The Chimes of Big Ben’ Number 6 has to make his own breakfast, until Number 8 comes along and boils the two eggs for him! This would put ‘Chimes’ after both ‘D of the D’ and ‘Free For All,’ and if that were the case {as it is according to the production/library order of the Prisoner} then it would appear that having breakfast brought to Number 6 is a privilege, but by the time of ’The Chimes of Big Ben’ it’s a privilege lost to him. However as the episodes stand, it appears that Number 6, in having his breakfast brought to him, suggests a privilege earned!     
    Another pair of episodes which are in conflict with one another are ‘A B and C’ and ‘The Schizoid Man’ for the simple reason that they share the same Tally Ho newspaper, but for different reasons. The one being the title “Is No.2 Fit For Further Term?” And the other for the date Feb10th. However although only part of the newspaper headline appears in the one episode {only partially in the other} the date of the newspaper does appear in both episodes. Suggesting that the two episodes take place at the same time, which is ridiculous. Unless of course Number 6 was a prisoner of The Village for two years. More than that, it was once suggested that there were two such Villages, allowing both ‘A B and C’ and ‘The Schizoid Man’ to take place at the same time, which is ridiculous!

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