Thought For The Day

   This one time interim No.2, who in my opinion is a right crawler "Yes sir. No sir, just as you orderd sir, three bags full sir!" He must have impressed with his crawling, because out of all the interim No.2's who have served while No.2 was away on leave, became the heir presumptive, and eventually the new No.2.
    Now it may have come as a surprise to this new No.2 to see the helicopter turn back towards the Village at the end of the episode, thus saving his bacon so to speak. But do not forget this new No.2 did fail in the primary objective, the assassination plot/execution of the retiring No.2.
   Certainly he was not at all happy at No.6's involvement in preventing the execution, and aiding in the the escape of the retiring No.2. One can only speculate about what he may have in store for No.6 the day after Appreciation Day had the escape of the retiring No.2 actually taken place. That is, if he survived to take up his position as No.2. Sadly we are not privy to what took place between It's Your Funeral and A Change of Mind. Because it must have been a very nervous No.2 who picked up that red telephone to take a call from No.1, once he had taken up office, if he was allowed to take up office in the first place. Because do not forget, this No.2 had failed before he had even begun, if you see what I mean.      I'll be seeing you.

Arts And Crafts

    Space The Final Frontier

  BCNU

The Therapy Zone

The Manipulation Of Such A Community As This

      No.6  has learned well by the time of Hammer Into Anvil, about the manipulation of such a community as this. He knows just what the weasel character is, now situated behind the counter of the General Store. No.6 knows that he is being watched by the Shopkeeper as he listens to the records of Bizet's L'arlesiene, and uses this to his advantage, along with the planted words Security which No.6 has circled on the front page of the Tally Ho. For No.6 knows that the Shopkeeper will instantly telephone No.2 the moment he leaves the General Store, and watches as the Shopkeeper goes running off towards the Green Dome with said LP records and copy of the Tally Ho under his arm.

   No.2 is also manipulated by No.6, in the way he does not trust the people around him, and after reading a planted message written out by No.6 to XO4 and signed D6, arrives at the conclusion that No.6 is a plant! And so no harm must come to him, otherwise our masters will know!

    No.6 also works on No.2's paranoia by placing a message in the personal column of the Tally Ho from Don Quixote "Hay mas mal en el aldea que se suene" which translates into "There is more harm in the village than is dreamt." No.14 can see No.6's game, and exactly what he's up to, to undermine No.2's authority. But No.2 fails to listen as no harm must come to No.6, believing him to be a plant.

   The Supervisor-No.28 is not above No.6's manipulative powers, as he reads a birthday greeting to No.6 all over the village "May the sun shine on you today and everyday." If only he knew that it wasn't No.6's birthday. No.6 took a risk there, because if the Supervisor had known the game might have been up for No.6.

    The only man in the village who might have stopped No.6, was No.14, but he was mistrusted by No.2, although that mistrust was misplaced. And physically No.14 wasn't up to the job, No.6 soon despatched him through the French door of his cottage!

   The head of Psychiatrics was also called into the equation, as he was telephoned by No.6. No.6 isn't mad, but the psychiatrist isn't so sure about No.2 who becomes very irate when he thinks the psychiatrist is trying to tell No.2 his job "Do you want to sit in this chair?" And the right word in the leader of the Brass band's ear and he's soon called into No.2's office for interrogation. But the leader of the Brass Band doesn't know anything, he's simply a pawn in No.6's game. "Oh get out, get out!"

    No.6's manipulation of certain members of the community was only made possible due to a weak link in the chain of command, and No.2's paranoia about a conspiracy within in the village. This was prevalent from the very beginning of Hammer into Anvil, in No.2's call for an increase in vigilance, that being the Tally Ho headline, and warning the citizens of the community that "We must constantly be on guard against enemies in our midst." The Security of the Community is at risk!

   Part of No.6's manipulation of No.2 was to be able to use No.2's 'witch hunt' against him, and thus bring him to his knees. And forcing No.2 to report his own breakdown, well it was a nice touch, but then No.6 could hardly report No.2 himself....... Could he now?

BCNU

The Prisoner Fandom

  This is a fanzine produced by Once Upon A Time formally the Sussex Group based in Britain who called themselves friends of the Prisoner. The Sussex Group was a breakaway group from Six of One: The Prisoner Appreciation Society, which gradually evolved into Once Upon A Time which became based in America I believe.
   I was once a subscribing member of Once Upon A Time back in the 1990's. Admittedly my subscription lasted only a year, but I was able to collect several issues of the clubs fanzine through back-numbers, although they were not quite my cup of tea I have to admit. Nor did I really get anything out of being a member of Once Upon A Time, but that's nothing against the fan club itself.
    Of course I had also been a subscribing member of Six of One at the time, and a very active member even if I do say so myself within the society. And I learned one thing, I was told never to tell any of the co-ordinators of Six of One that I was also a member of Once Upon A Time, because there was still a great deal of bad feeling from the co-ordinators of Six of One towards those of Once Upon A Time, those of the former Sussex Group.
   Does Once Upon A Time still exists as a fan club for the Prisoner I wonder? Perhaps there is someone out there reading this who knows, and could tell me. I used to be able to find the Once Upon A Time website, but I cannot find it now. Although I did find The Tally Ho website which is American based. And that is the thing about fandom for the Prisoner, do fans still feel the ned to be a memeber of a group, club, or society. Or are they more happy as individuals, gaining information from the World Wide Web, and reading blog to do with the Prisoner such as mine?    Be seeing you.

It's inexplicable!

   He looks fed up doesn't he? Perhaps his stomach ulcer was playing up in the night, well that's why this No.2 drinks milk, it's good for his ulcer.
   For the life of me I cannot understand why this particular No.2 only has three days to extract the reason behind the Prisoner's resignation, I mean why?
  Okay, there is a question mark hanging over No.2 in A B and C, 'Is No.2 Fit For Further Term' the headline of the Tally Ho ran, but surely that was a question over his health, not his ability as No.2. What's more, having risen up through the floor sat in that chair as he does, demonstrates that No.2's living quarters are not so plush as one might think. For No.2's living quarters lie in a room beneath the Green Dome, not in it. The green Dome acts as No.2's office, not his whole residence at all. In fact when you look at it, the Professor and his wife in The General have a much more elegant home than the Chairman of the Village can ever dream to enjoy. Even No.6 has a better dwelling than No.2, if I were him I'd resign!      Be seeing you...........No, I'll be seeing you!

Pictorial Portmeirion

    The Green Dome, except it isn't really green is it, not as green goes. Its more turquoise wouldn't you say, but that would be ridiculous, "Come and have breakfast. Number Two the Turquoise Dome." No, it doesn't work does it? No, that's what I thought.
   The arched porch of the Pantheon {or Green Dome} is actually a Norman Shaw fireplace of red Runcorn sandstone from Dawpool, Chesire. Originally the dome had been constructed from three quarter inch hard wood, which let in the water. The Dome was removed, and a copper dome replaced it in the early 1990's, as was the original intention of Clough Williams-Ellis. The idea being that the copper dome would verdigris, and turn that turquoise colour. But the copper in this this case was covered in a lacquer and so prevented the verdigis from taking effect.   Be seeing you

Caught On Camera

  Yesterday we were talking about what Clough Williams Ellis was doing in the top left hand picture. It was suggested that he was taking care of his Coy Carp fish, that he had shown concern for them, seeing as how a fight scene was to take part in the pool, as seen between the two men in the top left hand picture. Well that story is correct, but the Pool and fountain of the 'Free Sea' is far too shallow to support Coy Carp, and originally the fight scene was to have taken place in Portmeirion's original swimming pool as seen in the third picture.

   This is Portmeirion's original swimming pool, before the triangular swimming pool by the sea wall was constructed. And it is in this pool in which the fight scene was to have originally taken place - observe the two gardeners pulling a figure from the pool, and the man in red still up to his shoulders in water with No.2 and the Prisoner looking on in Arrival. It is also this pool which contains the Coy Carp which Clough was so concerned about, and the reason why the fight sceene was re-shot in the 'Free Sea' pool in the central square, which you can just see it in the background of the picture. Clough was happy to have the filming of the Prisoner in his beloved Portmeirion, yet he maintained a close surveillance eye upon their activities. Even to the point when he followed them around the Village from time to time, to the point of actually picking up litter himself which they may have dropped.  BCNU