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Saturday 16 March 2019

MindGames!

    It’s all in the title of course! There are three unique episode titles in the Prisoner which can be messed about with, I mean are interchangeable, so that they still mean the same in regard to the theme of the episode. A Change of Mind for Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling dealing with the mind transference. Living In Harmony for A Change of Mind in which the community frowns upon disharmony, and encourage people to live in harmony with others. And Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling for Living In Harmony simply because of the song and the 1952 film High Noon. In the film the Town Marshal Will Kane resigns his job, and is about to leave town with his new bride Amy. But Kane is prevented from leaving because a gang of gunslingers are on their way to town to extract their revenge, as Frank Miller has been released from prison. Number 6 resigns his job as a town Sheriff. While Kane had Amy, this Man With No Name has Cathy, and finds it difficult to leave the town of Harmony, and like Kane has to deal with a gang of gunslingers! It’s all relative you see, if only in parallels.
    Fall Out, that sounds more like a command than the result of what has taken place prior to that episode. Hammer Into Anvil sounds like an equation, but the one won’t go into the other! Should it not be  Hammer And Anvil? And yet the title does suggest that the hammer Number 2, and the anvil Number 6 change places. Because it’s not Number 2 doing the hammering, he’s the one getting hammered, the anvil! Much in the case of Once Upon A time in which Number 6 the patient, and Number 2 the doctor, eventually change places during their one-to-one role playing. And that’s another parallel with Hammer Into Anvil, because that too is basically a one-to-one situation between Number 2 and Number 6 with Number 14 assisting, as with the butler in Once Upon A time.
    The General, there are two Generals in the village, but Number 54 has nothing to do with this. No, to many the General being a computer in the episode of the same title is referred to in the previous The Schizoid Man during the conversation between Number 2 and Number 6
   “The General isn’t going to behead you.”
   “We won’t know until I’ve reported to the General.”
   “Report to the General, that’s a new one!”
   The way Number 2 says “Report to the General, that’s a new one!” does suggest one doesn’t report to a computer.
   It’s as easy as A B and C, well that’s what they say. But Number 2 didn’t find it so!
   Free For All, well that’s what Number 6 wanted, everyone to be free. Or perhaps to create a mass breakout which would turn into chaos, so that he could escape in the confusion. Which gives the impression of a free-for-all, but of course Number 6 couldn’t create that situation as no-one was listening to his protestations that everyone was free, free, free to go, free to go!
    The Chimes of Big Ben, when you hear the chimes of Big Ben you know you are home. Well that’s what Number 6 thought, but his watch also said
eight o’clock, and there’s no fooling him!
    Many Happy Returns not “of the day” as in a birthday greeting, because Number 6’s birthday had nothing to do with it as it’s purely coincidental. March 19th is used merely as a date, an indication of when. This episode has that much in common with The Schizoid Man in that they are the only two episodes indicating a date and month.
    Dance of The Dead, its all about death and best to keep the doors and windows shut at such a time {Ref: The Prisoner Dusted Down} and Number 6 did lead them on a merry dance!
    It’s Your Funeral, well it very nearly was for the retiring Number 2, and his predecessor has plenty of time in which to ponder his own retirement……one day!
    The Girl Who Was Death, which I think could have worked as the lead into Fall Out {Ref: The Prisoner Dusted Down} after all they had scraped the bottom of the barrel with this one. Ideas for extracting the reason behind Number 6’s resignation having dried up!
   And Checkmate, well there’s the endgame, Number 6 placed back on the chessboard, as a pawn. Much like both Many Happy Returns and Fall Out, Number 6 manages to escape, but always ends up back where he started from! Cue dark clouds, cue thunder, a long and deserted runway, and a green yellow Lotus 7 looming fast out of the distance towards the camera…………Arrival!


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