Generally Speaking

   Of the two episodes ‘A B and C’ and ‘The General,’ which episode is supposed to precede the other? The screening order places ‘A B and C’, before ‘The General’ which follows three episodes later. However Colin Gordon, who plays Number 2 in both episodes, when asked who he is by the Prisoner during opening sequence of ‘A B and C’ he announces that he is Number 2, the only Number 2 to do so. And yet in ‘The General’ he says he’s the new Number 2, which would suggest that it should be the other way around for the two episodes. If ‘The General’ had preceded ‘A B and C’ that would have made more sense, especially if the two episodes had run consecutively. But originally Colin Gordon was only to have been Number 2 for ‘A B and C,’ but was retained for ‘The General’ replacing another actor for the role of Number 2. And so quite naturally he plays the character of Number 2 the same way in both episodes. To have done otherwise would really have confused matters! It is unknown as to the change in dialogue to “I am Number Two,” from the usual “The new Number Two.”

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