“We’re running late as it is.”
“In know that, better than anybody.”
{The Supervisor and the interim Number 2 – It’s Your Funeral}
So, even this interim Number 2 was under pressure
due to the lack of time. Well he wouldn’t be the first, and he certainly will
not be the last! In this instance Number 2 blamed it on the girl, Monique, who
apparently took her time in making up her mind to go and see Number 6, and it
was this that put the schedule behind. We don’t know how much time Number 2 was
given in total to bring about a satisfactory conclusion to Plan Division Q, or
even how long it took for the planning of the plan! Number 2 of ‘A B and C’ had
been given three days after the initial planning. And later Number 2 of ‘Once
Upon A Time’ would be given a week in order to extract the reason behind the
Prisoner’s resignation. So perhaps this Interim Number 2 had been given a few
days, more than three, less than a week. But in the end time doesn’t really
matter, because Plan Division Q was flawed. The flaw being that it involved
Number 6!
Be seeing you
Hello David,
ReplyDeleteit is interesting, that it is a matter of time.. They don't expect Number 6 to go anywhere, do they? So why? Is there some kind of background story, some plot they need the information for? But if so, they would wait for some certain kind of information, wouldn't they? But, this would mean they'd already know which kind of information to expect! Strange, I think..
Regarding Monique, if she was to blame for being late, how were they able to time her unconsciousness in the first place? Apparently they had to take into account that she would be late...
Best regards,
Jana
Hello Jana,
DeleteI have a piece of blog in mind on this very subject. I agree, it is most interesting this matter of time. Number 6 isn’t going anywhere, I’d have thought that Number 2 had all the time in the world. So why did Number 2 in ‘A B and C’ feel the need to give his word that he would have a favourable result in three days time? And Number 2 in ‘Once Upon A Time,’ why limit him to one week?
As for Number 2 in ‘It’s Your Funeral’ why was Number 2 running late with this latest plan? Was that simply down to Monique taking time to make up her mind to go and see Number 6? And it might well be that they had to take into account that Monique would be late going to see Number 6. Why? Because the drug, one of the new super strength moprobamates that has been developed, they had administered to Monique the day before she went to see Number 6, which does remain dormant until triggered by the nervous system which then relapses itself to the desired quantity. And that in itself makes the drug highly questionable. Because seeing that the drug had been administered the day before Monique went to see Number 6, during that time anything could have happened to Monique for the nervous system to release the drug. Something could have happened to her father for example he might have had a fall and had to be taken to hospital, anything could have happened to Monique, her nervous system then releasing the drug by accident!
Best regards
David
Be seeing you
Hi David,
ReplyDeletePerhaps the time deadlines had to do with the Number 2's being able to perform their assignments under duress of a time constraint to prove THEIR worthiness to hold the position of Number 2, rather than a deadline to get information out of Number 6...just a thought.
Hello Karen,
DeletePerhaps so, but then if the Number 2’s were not worthy of their position, and I can think of one who springs to mind, who turned out to be a weak link in the chain of command, then they shouldn’t be there at all. Number 1 should trust in Number 2 to be able to complete any such given task to a satisfactory conclusion.
David
Be seeing you
Hi David ,
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how many of the futuristic touches seen in The Prisoner , that later DID become a working piece of equipment...but I don't know of a drug that could cause a physical collapse hours or days after ingestion . ..timed release medications . ..yes....but unconsciousness . ..no.
I've heard about military experiments with drugs where the public was exposed to a drug unbeknownst to them . ..administered via airplane , helicopter ..etc.
Health problems were then monitored by the military to see what effects the drugs had on human beings, and the effects of distance, wind speed and direction ...previous health conditions etc.
The Prisoner spoke of things that are usually hidden . ..therefore , a lesson in trust was one of the underlying themes on the show .
Best Regards
BCNU
Karen
Hi David ,
ReplyDeleteYes , I agree that people in charge have to be able to trust the people who work for them to perform tasks assigned to them .
Perhaps the time limit given to these Number 2's was a method to do one of two things . ...
1) Observe the Number 2 to see how BOTH Number 2 AND Number 6 reacted when the Number 2 was under pressure to accelerate the process of trying to get information from Number 6 .
A) Would Number 2 use methods NOT approved ?
B) Would Number 6 act in a way contrary to PREDICTED behavior if interrogation methods became more injurious ( or could have been . ..as in A Change of Mind )
2) This time constraint on certain Number 2's could have been a method of eliminating that Number 2.
Hence the issue of using methods that could have damaged Number 6 . ...BUT...if everyone was under 24 hour surveillance . .WHY didn't Number 1 STOP the procedures in A,B and C ?
Imagine the pressure of being told that you have to extract certain information from a very strong person , and then being told that you only have a relatively short time to get it AND that you can NOT damage the tissue!
Best Regards ,
BCNU
Karen
Hallo Karen,
DeleteWhen it comes to extracting information from Number 6, I sometimes think there are too many constraints placed upon Number 2. Take the doctor in ‘Dance of The Dead’ who tried to extract information from Number 6 by using Dutton as a communications medium. He might not have succeeded, but as it is Number 2 appears in the control room and puts an end to the doctor’s experiment, as she was afraid that the doctor would go too far with Number 6. Unlike Dutton, Number 6 wasn’t expendable.
I think when Number 1 puts pressure on Number 2 its as though he’s being put to the test, as well as Number 6. It’s almost as though Number 1 doesn’t want Number 6 harmed, but doesn’t want the information he has extracted either. Is it Number 6 Number 1 is protecting, or the information inside his head?
Be seeing you
David
Hi David,
ReplyDeleteI agree that Number 1 wants to protect Number 6 more than he wants to get the information from him...because if he injures Number 6 he is actually injuring himself too!
I am somewhat puzzled by Number 6's reaction when he meets Number 1 for the first time...as he starts to laugh maniacally along with Number 1.
I figure that the allegorical meaning in the ensuing scenes is meant to show that we must fight the evil side of ourselves. I believe that this is the reason that an actor much shorter than Patrick McGoohan was selected to portray Number 1...so that even though he WAS Number 6...he also WASN'T Number 6...at least the Number 6 that we all know and love!
Best Regards...BCNU
Karen
Hello Karen,
DeleteWhen you first watch ‘the Prisoner’ we have no idea who Number 1 is, not until ‘Fall Out’ is he revealed. So if Number 1 is the alter ego of Number 6, Number 1 knew the reason why Number 6 resigned from his job right from the beginning! Perhaps Number 1 didn’t want Number 6 to resign, so on a physiological level he created The Village and had Number 6 put in it!
Number 6 mimics Number 1’s reaction, obviously Number 1 is mad, if so, so is Number 6! I used to wonder what would happen had Number 6 managed to get his hands on Number 1, but that may well have resulted in a fight, and would have been too much like Number 6 fighting with himself in ‘The Schizoid Man!’
I like the idea of this . “I believe that this is the reason that an actor much shorter than Patrick McGoohan was selected to portray Number 1...so that even though he WAS Number 6...he also WASN'T Number 6...at least the Number 6 that we all know and love!” That’s very good. Actually Number 1, if you didn’t already know this, is Roy Beck, a background actor in ‘the Prisoner.’ So Patrick McGoohan wasn’t Number 1 at all! The only trouble with that, Number 1 does have Number 6’s face, so that idea doesn’t really work, or does it? Perhaps this just proves that Number 1 is everyman, Roy Beck and Patrick McGoohan!!!
Best regards
Be seeing you
David