“Unmutualism Number Six,
more now, you must agree than just a game.”
{Number 56 -
A Change of Mind}
Number 6 is a disharmonious sort of fellow,
he’s been dissatisfied with
his life in The Village ever since the day he arrived there. And as if that
wasn’t unfortunate enough, now his been posted as being Unmutual! That means no
more credit, no more taxis, and no-one will talk to him {having been sent to Coventry} in fact no-one will have anything to do with him.
And there’s only one way to deal
with Number 6, he has to undergo the operation known as Instant Social
Conversion. There would be three possible outcomes to this operation. That
nothing would happen to the patient. That his aggressiveness would be curbed by
the operation, leaving the patient docile as like the Lobo man Number 6
encounters in the hospital. Or they could lose Number 6 mentally, and he would
never be the same again. When I first watched this episode as a child, I couldn’t believe in its central plot really. Such a man as
Number 6, considered to be so important that the usual methods could not be
used against him. Mustn’t be broken, the tissue must not be damaged permanently,
after all Number 2 didn’t want a man of fragments. And now all of a sudden
Number 2 is allowed to gamble with Number 6’s mental capacity? Of course as it turned out it was all a trick, and no
such operation was to have been performed on him. But at the time, the first
watching of ‘A Change of Mind,’ the threat did seem so very real to Number 6. It
seemed real to me, and so I wondered what had changed their attitude towards
him? But even before being posted Unmutual, Number 6 was a man in isolation,
cut off from the world he knew. Unmutualism isolated him even more!
Be seeing you
Hi David,
ReplyDeleteA Change of Mind is to me, a take on Solitary Confinement. No man is an island is the old saying, and very few people, if any , enjoy being alone for any extended length of time.
We may enjoy a couple of days of solitude, to be alone to do anything we want to do when we want to do it...but eventually we will find other folks to chat with, visit with family...AHHHHH...but here now we have a chap who doesn't have any family he CAN visit with, now do we?
So, in a way, we've MADE those robotic Villagers to be a substitute "family" for Number 6....but one that he can't count on to have his back! Perhaps this is the reason that in The Schizoid Man, he seems to be developing a comraderie with Allison, and playing chess with the captain gives Number 6 both companionship and a chance to beat someone at something!!!!
BCNU
Karen
Hello Karen,
DeleteYes I suppose ‘A Change of Mind’ can be seen in that term of solitary confinement. Certainly he is all alone there being no-one he can reply on. I agree we all need companionship, the contact of other people, no man is an island as you wrote. Me? If I were not married I could happily live on my own, just as long as there was other human contact from time to time.
Does the Prisoner have family? He must, unless he has outlived them all! That’s the trouble, we cannot say either way because we do not know enough about him.
The citizens being Number 6’s extended family, that’s a thought. Even prisoners in prison strike up relationships, as Number 6 did with Number 2 and Nadia during ‘The Chimes of Big Ben,’ and Alison, I don’t count the ex-Admiral or the General because he only plays a game of chess with them the once. But remember he still likes his privacy, hence his private gymnasium in the woods seen in ‘Its Your Funeral’ and ‘A Change of Mind.’
BCNU
David
Hi David ,
ReplyDeleteI think Number 6 wanted his privacy for several reasons . ..
1. The punching bag and high bar would be used to build upper body strength . ..which are important offensive weapons . ..as well as defensive protection .
2. He was always "walking " for excercise according to the Number 2 in A,B and C . ...so upper body workouts would enhance his overall fitness level . ..just in case the opportunity to escape popped up .
3. Number 6 wanted to do anything and everything he could to have as much control over his life as possible .
BCNU
Karen
Hello Karen,
DeleteCertainly Number 6 likes to keep himself active, he’s always walking….irritating man! And fit for any contingency!
He might have built his own private gym in the woods, but there have been times when Number 6 used the gymnasium in the Recreation Hall, for shooting, fencing, and his semi-weekly Kosho practice. Originally it was to have been Judo, but then Patrick McGoohan came up with the idea of Kosho. Certainly the visual aspect of Kosho has more impact than a bout of Judo would have done.
Be seeing you
David
Hi Again David ,
ReplyDeleteI have friends who can't stand to be alone at home for more than a day . ..while I am happy at home alone puttering around by myself for weeks on end!
I do enjoy the gift of gab...as I guess I have inherited that from my 36% Irish heritage !
I have another 29% British Isles and 27% Western Europe ...with 8% trace regions .
Maybe that's why I am interested in some of the older British TV shows .
BCNU
Karen
Hi David,
ReplyDeletePatrick McGoohan had a gift for thinking up visually and mentally stimulating things!
Also, I think that in keeping the location of the Village as a secret...and trying to make things as "generic" as possible to keep people confused about where the Village was and who the people were who were imprisoned and who ran the Village.
To incorporate boxing, the trampoline and a pool...who would be able to figure out anything about a game like that?????
Best Regards...BCNU
Karen
Hallo Karen,
DeleteKeeping the location of The Village a secret until the final episode only works if the television viewer doesn’t know about Portmeirion. But at the time of filming of ‘the Prisoner’ in September 1966 Portmeirion was packed with guests, and day visitors, so it wasn’t a complete secret from people. The general public who watched the filming, may not have realised what was taking place. But they would certainly recognise Patrick McGoohan and possibly thought another series of ‘Danger Man’ was being filmed. I know people took photographs, and film of what was going on at the time, and if they watched ‘the Prisoner’ they would know exactly where The Village was. Only people who knew nothing of Portmeirion were to be kept in ignorance, like myself.
Who knows, perhaps Patrick McGoohan viewed the game of Kosho through the bottom of an empty glass!
Best regards
Be seeing you
David