Village Posters!
by our own reporter
What’s
all this about a Manor House in The Village? Just because it’s printed on a
poster doesn’t necessarily mean its there! Be a bit disappointing though, for
those wanting to attend the exhibition of mime and entertainment to be held in
the grounds of the Manor House, if it doesn’t exist, don’t you think?
So if it’s an “out of The Village”
experience you’re looking for, how about Living In Harmony stranger?! An
American frontier town, somewhere in California,
in the 1800’s?!
As a
general rule, they do say that a murderer always returns to the scene of his
crime. But I don’t know the ruling on a murderer returning to the scene before
the crime has actually been committed! So it may be wondered what they would
say in this particular instance. Yes an act of murder was committed in the
Silver Dollar Saloon, the perpetrator was the Kid a psychotic gunslinger, the
victim Cathy a saloon girl who was strangled to death. But the murder never
physically took place, it wasn’t real, although to Cathy it might have seemed
perfectly real at the time. Because some time later, Number 22 {Cathy} returned
to the scene where she had been strangled to death by the Kid {Number 8} in the
Silver Dollar Saloon. But Number 8 {the Kid} was already there waiting for her,
such was his obsession with Cathy that he carried out the murder for real, and
strangled Number 22 to death with his bare hands.
“Well stranger, fancy living In Harmony?”
That’s a reference to the episode ‘Living In Harmony,’ but it’s what the
committee, and the citizens wanted Number 6 to do in ‘A change of Mind.’ The
citizens of The Village are sheep, and Number 6 a goat. When a goat comes amid
sheep things generally happen, meaning there is always trouble. Number 6 was
brought before the committee for seemingly to attack two citizens in the woods,
but that was a set up. All Number 6 was doing was to mind his own business. And
yet having his own private gymnasium in the woods, preferring that to the gym
in the Recreation Hall, could itself be seen as anti-social. Number 6 doesn’t
want to live in harmony, so he was posted as being unmutual, and the citizens
will have nothing to do with him. Because they are socially conscious citizens
and are provoked by the loathsome presence of an unmutual! The citizens are
misguided, and manipulated sheep! As soon as they are fooled into thinking that
Number 6 has undergone the operation known as Instants Social Conversion they
welcome him back into the fold. Living in harmony that’s not for Number 6, he’s
unconventional, an eccentric, and should probably be living in that cave just
outside The Village, once called The Therapy Zone. He could have become the
“Wiseman.” Citizens looking for help would go to him, and he would offer words
of advice. And in exchange they would bring him food to sustain him. I can see
him now, with long matted hair and a long beard, wearing his dirty, tatty
threadbare piped blazer. Would Number 2 have allowed Number 6 to live the life
of a hermit? Perhaps, had Number 6 told them what they wanted to know. But
Number 6 is wiser than that, if he had told them what they wanted to know, he
might not have been of any further importance, and thereby no longer the centre
of attention!
When it comes to sheep, there’s nothing to
choose between the citizens of The Village ruled over by a manipulative Number
2, and the townspeople of Harmony who are ruled over by a bad Judge! That’s
because they are one and the same, and Harmony is sub-joined to The Village, if
not physically attached!
I like the “Wanted Bills” for Tom Nixon.
Jesse James. Sam and Belle Star seen on the walls in the Silver Dollar Saloon,
together with framed photographs of “Buffalo” Bill Cody, Annie Oakley, and
actress Lillie Langtry, the “Jersey lily,” who became an American citizen in
1897, who was a one time favourite of King Edward the 7th as well as Judge Roy
Bean who was an eccentric U.S. saloon-keeper and Justice of the Peace in Val
Verde County, Texas, who called himself “The Law West of the Pecos.”
Get Your Election Edition Now!
I cannot help but wonder if No.113c blocked
the street deliberately with that tractor and Tally Ho dispenser that day.
After all, had it not been there, the road would have been clear for Number 6
to drive the Mini-Moke all the way down to the slipway, and onto the beach in
an attempt to escape. In the way he had on the day of his arrival in The
Village. But then again that would be a repetitive scene, and wouldn’t have
been quite the thing.
So the road was blocked, and Number 6 was
forced to abandon the taxi and run for it with Number 58 giving chase.
Eventually Number 6 did make it to the slipway, but the tide was in, which
would have been the same result had the street not been blocked. Number 6 would
have been forded to abandon the Mini-Moke at the slip way and take to the sea by jet boat.
Although in ‘Free For All’ Number 6 attempts
to escape by sea, taking on the two motor mechanics aboard the boat. There is a
parallel
between it, and the scene in ‘Arrival,’ when Number 6 takes on two Guardians,
climbing aboard the Mini-Moke, and attempting to escape by driving out along
the beach. The parallel is completed when in both scenes Number 6 has to
abandon the Mini-Moke and boat because of an imminent by the white membranic
Guardian.
I suppose one could argue that that place,
in the street, is Number 113c’s pitch, where he stands every day to sell copies
of The Tally Ho. If it is, then he daily blocks the thoroughfare………….Just a
minute, it was only a few moments ago that Number 6 was in his cottage with
Number 58 who had just brought him his breakfast. So as we see the episode,
this is on the morning of the second day of ‘Free For All.’ So how come Number
113c is still selling copies of yesterdays Tally Ho?
Badge Of Authority
The badge worn by the majority of village citizens has been described as being a constant reminder of authority, its number a means of identifying citizens. Well what works one way, works another. Because in the village, having been stripped of your own name and identity, at least a numbered badge gives you some kind of identity to cling on to. Look how Number 6 reacted when he had his number 6 taken away from him in ‘The Schizoid Man.’ He fought tooth and nail to establish that he was No.6! And yet there are a number of other people who do not wear their badges. Amongst them, the butler, the doctor in ‘Arrival,’ as well as the medical orderly, the photographer for The Tally Ho, and his twin who operates the Tally Ho dispenser in ‘Free For All.’ And then there’s the Professor and Madam Professor in ‘The General,’ although they hardly need wear a numbered badge, being confined to their house the way they are. But they all have one thing in common, they are quite happy to serve, with the possible exception of the Professor and his wife. No.93 who is unmutual and disharmonious wears a badge. Also No.53, the Rook, who demonstrated his rebellious nature by making a move of his own while on the chessboard, and yet he never refused to wear his badge. And the same can be said of No.14 the chess champion. He might be too old for escape, but he could still show resistance by refusing to wear his badge! A more active dissident was No.51, the watchmaker, who was at the heart of an assassination attempt against Number 2. He was far from happy with his existence in the village. He was not afraid to speak out, because he had met no-one in the village who had committed a crime. Yet he still wore his numbered badge! So it might be the case that only citizens loyal to the village are permitted not to wear their number, but the majority of people do. Otherwise no-one would know who anyone was. Because in ‘A B and C’ when No. 6 sat down at a table with No.14 on the lawn of the Old people’s Home, he had to tell No.14 who he was, because he wasn’t wearing a badge!
I’ll be seeing you.
