A Favourite Scene In Dance of The Dead

    “You’re late!”
    “There’s a lot to do.”
    “Are you going in?”
    “To make my report.”
    “Does it concern me and Number Six?”
    “No. We’ll overlook that and put it down to enthusiasm.”
    “Oh thank you. Oh could you get me a directive about Dutton, he’s being rather difficult.”

    So Number 2 is going into that room to make her report. At this time we have no idea what or who is in that room, later we, like Number 6, discover that there’s an active teletype by which Number 2 sends reports and receives her instructions, such as a directive about Dutton. And yet Number 2 didn’t receive that termination order against Dutton, a doctor had that to pass onto Number 2!
   But why use a teletype to send reports and gain her instructions? After all isn’t Number 1 in charge of The Village, and wasn’t Number 2 speaking to Number 1 on the telephone early in the episode? Number 1 asked about the Ball, to which Number 2 replied “Tomorrow night…. we’re preparing for it now.” Number 1 expressed the opinion that he wished he could be there, to which Number 2 replied “Yes I wish you could come too,” while her expression says she’s said it but really doesn’t believe what she said. Or she’s not so sure about that being a good idea. She has reservations about Number 1 turning up at the Ball and the possible consequences if he did.

   So why not use that red telephone to give Number 1 her report, and to receive her instructions? The teletype suggests long range communication, perhaps Number 2 has to make her report to those “masters” we hear so much about, most likely back in London. Which would suggest that Number 6 was wrong about Number 1 being the boss!
   Names are not supposed to be used in The Village, however as we know they are. And for official purposes everyone has a number, so why does the doctor-Number 40 use Dutton’s name instead of his number 42? You would think the doctor would know better. But then if he had referred to Dutton as Number 42 we, the television viewer, might not have known to whom he was referring!

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