Wednesday, 8 April 2020

No.14

    This is No.14 played by Sheila Allen in the episode ‘A B & C,’ who I feel was just as much a victim in the village as anyone. Its possible that she herself had been brought to the Village because of her new experimental “wonder” drug, which No.2 forced her use on No.6, something which she was reluctant to do, seeing as it hadn’t yet been tested on animals.
    However what fans of ‘the Prisoner’ probably do not realize is, that Sheila actually appears twice in the series! Now work that one out if you can. Readers of my book ‘The Prisoner Dusted Down’ will know the answer to this one!

I'll be seeing you

2 comments:

  1. Our cats dream, animals dream, that's a fact. What would testing on animals prove when it comes to "reading" and manipulating human dreams? Dreams or more generally put: imagination that follows a certain accessible logic to some degree. But what is the nature (logic) of animal dreams? Do the Village scientists know? Is it really about animals here, in this episode? I have no recollection. - BCNU!

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    1. Hello Arno,

      That’s perfectly right, cats do dream they generally dream about chasing something, at least that’s what Pushkin seems to be doing in her sleep. Her legs kick out as though she is running after something when she’s asleep. So what would testing her drug on animals prove? You are right to question the nature, or logic to animal dreams. Perhaps No.14 would conduct a number of tests on animals in the same way she hooked No.6 up to her equipment. But you are quite right to pose the question “What would testing on animals prove when it comes to "reading" and manipulating human dreams?” I don’t think No.14 would want to manipulate an animal’s dream as she did with No.6 , simply to use an animal to prove the drug works.
      Perhaps No.14 had the theory that it’s possible to see into the sub-consciousness of animals and like No.6, bring their dreams to life on the screen. And perhaps that was enough. Because I don’t think 14 had the idea of having to manipulate No.6’s dream until later into the experiment.
      No ‘A B and C’ is not about animals, only in regard that No.14 said she had not had the chance to test her drug on animals before being forced to put it to use on No.6.

      Be seeing you
      David

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