The Therapy Zone

    As an equation, or mathematical sum ‘Hammer Into Anvil’ won’t go! Better the title ‘Hammer And Anvil,‘ or ‘Hammer Or Anvil.‘ But either way one has to be one or the other. But in all probability it’s the hammer which will be broken by the anvil, and as it happens that’s just that way it turned out in the episode!
    In both series of ‘the Prisoner’ the Therapy Zone is nothing more than a cave. In one it’s a place where supposedly one can be an alcoholic in perfect privacy, just as long as you return to the flock in good time. In the other Village of course it’s a nightmare world. A dark place with mad barking dogs, where people are sent of treatment, although what form of treatment takes place there, is anyone’s guess.  And yet, over the years The Therapy Zone became to be thought of as a place where ideas about ‘the Prisoner’ could be exchanged. A place for discussion and debate, basically it was a column in a Prisoner based magazine called Number Six, a magazine long since departed.
   So what kind of ideas would pervade this Therapy Zone? Well how about Number 6 and his remarkable hearing! There he was taking a walk passed the Old People’s Home, when suddenly he hears a scream. It was Number 73 who screamed, about to be molested by Number 2. But how could Number 6 hear 73’s scream when he was nowhere in the vicinity of the hospital? But there he went running off, into the hospital, up the stairs and busting into the hospital room, just in time to see a woman jump out of bed and out of the hospital window to her death. Playing Devil’s advocate Number 2 hadn’t laid a hand upon 73. In fact she didn’t even jump out of the bed until she saw Number 6 come bursting into the room! If anything it looks like 73 committed suicide because she saw Number 6, well that is what it appears like. As for Number 6, 73’s suicide must have conjured up an old memory of Cobb, when he had supposedly committed suicide by jumping out of a hospital window. But this time Number 6 looks out of the window to see the body of the woman lying on the ground. Just making sure perhaps.
    Apart from Number 2’s paranoia, he hated for Number 1 to think he could not cope, that’s why he turned down Number 1’s offer of assistance. Besides Number 2 already had an assistant, Number 14, pity that he was kept at arms length more often than not by Number 2! Neither could he stand people making suggestions to him, “Would you like to sit in this chair?” he barked at the psychiatrist when he made a suggestion to Number 2. I don’t know how Number 243 the bomb disposal man who dismantled the suspected Cuckoo clock, got away with it, tilting that wooden Cuckoo towards Number 2, suggesting that it’s he who is Cuckoo! When the Supervisor-Number 26 got it wrong about Number 6’s birthday, when he read out the message to Number 6 “May the sunshine on you today and everyday” from Number 113. It wasn’t Number 6’s birthday, and Number 113 didn’t exist! She was an old woman in a wheelchair who died a month ago! Well perhaps the Supervisor simply didn’t know, but he soon paid the price, and Number 26 was swiftly removed from the position as Supervisor. Number 14 soon went after, accused of being traitor! 14 was quickly followed by the Butler just for being suspected in being in on the conspiracy. So I don’t know how that bomb disposal man got away with what he did, because Number 2 didn’t react at all. All he did was to give a sigh, and look a little non-plussed, and walked away without saying anything at all to the bomb-disposal man. Anyone else who crosses Number 2 in any way, gets his head bitten off and accused of being in on some conspiracy against him, but not so Number 243. That seemed to be somewhat out of Number 2’s character. 

Be seeing you