The Therapy Zone

    ‘The Girl Who Was Death’ gives an incite into the Prisoner’s former work both in fiction and in fact. On the one hand we have an unnamed secret agent, Mr. X, who is trying to track down a mad scientist who is planning revenge for Germany losing the second World War {in the original script}. On the other we have Patrick McGoohan acting the role of ‘Danger Man’ John Drake in an unused script. However this is not the only instance in which we gain such an incite, in ‘Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling’ when ZM73 goes running back to his ex-colleagues for a third time.
   In ‘A B and C’ through the Prisoner’s dreams we see the kind of circles he moved in, all those who attended Madame Engadine’s celebrated parties were either rich or influential, or both. Professional people, with perhaps a few unseemly characters thrown in for good measure. It is a place to see and be seen, a place to meet people. When the Prisoner first arrived at the party, many people knew him, they warmed to him and smiled, others, to whom he does not speak, point him out. So is it pure pleasure that brings the Prisoner to attend Engadine’s parties, or is there a professional reason? How often Engadine holds her parties is unknown, but certainly she and the Prisoner are old friends. Both he and ‘A’ do the same job, but now they are on different sides. This is the first time they have met at Engadine’s parties, she a tactful lady, and managed, up until now to keep them both apart. ‘A’ made world news when he defected, and since then ZM73 has turned his back on his old friend. They had a great deal in common once, but now that’s all in the past, and now ZM73 despises ‘A’, and looks upon him with derision. I imagine ‘A’ wasn’t all that important, otherwise they’d have had him brought to the village when he was about to defect. That having been the case with ‘C’ – Chambers! As for ‘B,’ she is a very good spy, from a long line of spies, no doubt produced from a School for spies somewhere on the Russian Steppes! The last ZM73 remembers of her is how she was hiking across the mountains to Switzerland, she got sore feet. I guess by the conversation that ZM73 was somehow involved at the time. She was also involved with ‘A’ who is a very bad loser, and no doubt it was ‘A’ and his henchmen who ‘B’ was trying to escape across the mountains into Switzerland! Being a very good spy, ‘B’ sees death as an occupational hazard. She’s cool, self-assured, confident in herself and her abilities. Its only when No,.14 puts words in ‘B’s’ mouth that her character changes, turning her into a weak and feeble woman, who is afraid, and desperate to make a deal in order to save her own life. As a matter of fact, women make better spies, and survive longer than male counterparts. Certainly Engadine’s celebrated parties might well attract the wealthy and influential, but also the nefarious types!

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