WHY?

    We have had 48 years of ‘the Prisoner’ here in Britain, slightly less than Canada, but a little more than either Europe and America. And we are still plagued, well perhaps plagued is a little strong, but never the less, with unanswerable questions.
    Take old Rover here, there he sits in that black spherical chair, but why? It might be that the Guardian is getting delusions of grandeur. It could be that since almost all Number 2’s have failed to extract all but the slightest piece of information from Number 6, that being the time of his birth, something they knew anyway, well the Guardian might as well have a go!
    Is it symbolic? If it is I cannot imagine what the symbolic meaning might be. Unless Number 1 is giving Number 2 a gentle reminder that he’s just as much a prisoner as anyone else in The Village. Not that Number 2 would need reminding of that. Number 6 had been abducted to The Village against his will. So too had Cobb, the last thing he remembered was that he was in Germany {not sure if it was East or West} he thinks he went back to his hotel……….. He was in The Village! We can also assume that the same thing would have happened to Roland Walter Dutton at some point, perhaps a couple of months before Number 6’s abduction. And Number 2, he wasn’t at all happy at being brought back to The Village, presumably abducted against his will for a second term of office. Having served his first term partly during ‘The Chimes of Big Ben,’ when he found The Village distinctly not to his liking, despite having the apparent hope of the whole Earth as The Village. Otherwise he wouldn’t have been so angry with Number 1 in having him brought back again! After all he like Number 6 had once been abducted, but as a Prisoner, who regretfully resisted for so short a time.
    Number 2, any Number 2 might be in charge of The Village, as far as the prisoners and ordinary citizens of The Village are concerned. But each one of them is just as much a prisoner as anyone. Oh they might have the authority to leave The Village. But what price that, when no matter where one goes, The Village administration will catch them sooner or later, if needed, to be brought to The Village in order to serve. Just ask the Colonel and Fotheringay who seemed only too happy to serve. Mind you if Number 2 wasn’t to blame for the failure of ‘The Chimes of Big Ben, then it would have to be the Colonel. After all, in a way, in asking Number 6 the questions the Colonel had taken the place of Number 2!

Be seeing you