The Therapy Zone

Page 6

   There I was having just graduated from school, and the headmaster asked me if I had anything to say. Well of course I hadn't, apart from "Thank you for everything." Then he asked me why did I resign, resign from what? I mean I was about to leave school and hadn't done anything, I'd lived no life at all..... But he went further demanding to know why I'd resigned, grabbing me by the lapels of my blazer and shouting. We ended up struggling on the floor.... I think. Then suddenly it all went black!

Living In Harmony is possibly the very first Virtual Reality Role Playing Game developed by No.8.

   After all the only Real person in the American frontier town of Harmony is No.6. Not even Cathy, the Kid, or the Judge were actually in Harmony as they were tucked up in the comparative safety of the Green Dome.

  From there in the Green Dome No.2-the Judge, No.8-the Kid, and No.22-Cathy speak to No.6 though microphones, although the Kid doesn't actually speak. And No.6 has been filled with hallucinatory drugs, so all the Towns people who the stranger-No.6 encounters only exists in his mind. And that could be said of the village itself, but we won't go down that trail for the moment.

   So when the stranger takes on the Kid in a gun fight, but as it turns out all he's facing in that fun fight is nothing more than a cardboard cut out!

    As is the Judge, and all those expensive horses. But one thing, there's no cardboard cut out of Cathy...... why?

    A dangerous experiment or a simple bit of fun? Either way it was deadly enough for No.22 who was strangled by the bare hands of No.8, who turned out to be as psychotic as the character of the Kid he played, they being one and the same it would seem.

   You see they all became involved, and did what they would in a real situation, looks like No.8 had problems before all this started. Such was his fixation with Cathy which he transponded to No.22. But even No.22 found herself getting involved and falling in love with the stranger. Her dying words...... "I wish it had been real."

   On a final note, something which I find funny, is the mental picture of No.6 and all the judges men riding imaginary horses, you know, as you did, or do as a child!

Number 1

  We might have guessed really, after all we had been told right from the very beginning who Number 1 is. There we were, going around asking "Who is number 1?, and putting forward suggestions of our own, the Supervisor in the control room. Even that of No.2 himself or herself, even the Butler. And yet in hindsight, we had been given the answer, we just simply hadn't been able to recognise it, the first, second, or even third time of viewing.

   Today there can be no doubt who No.1 is. No.1 is anyone who wants to be No.1!

Dance Of The Dead

   Is the darkest of the 17 episodes of the Prisoner, as No.6 finds the body of a dead man on the beach that morning. Then keeps the cadaver so he can attach it to a lifebelt and cast it adrift with the amended wallet in his pocket, a message for however may find it! Then in the way No.6 lead the citizens in a dance along the corridors of the Town Hall. The way that everyone at the dance was to originally to have died, except for No.6. Which of course never took place in the actual episode.

   The doctor-No.40 seen having one of his failed medical experiments buried, again a scene which we do not see in the actual episode. That originally No.2's costume character was intended to have been that of Jack the Ripper. And No.2's own use of that cadaver which was retrieved from the sea, to be amended and made use of so that it is No.6 who has died in an accident at sea.

  And don't forget that No.6 was sentenced to death by the three judges at his trial for the possession of a radio. The sentenced in the name of the people, the people carry out the sentence in the name of justice!

    ‘Dance of the Dead,’ an apt title for such a dark episode.

Be seeing you

Village Life!

   Fear not sir for whom the hearse calls. This time it's for some other poor soul!

BCNU

Patricia Keen

    Patricia Margaret Keen born 21^st of October 1933, she played the role of a nurse {No.256} in 'The Schizoid Man' sadly died on the 1^st of March 2013 aged 79.

   Pat was born in Willesdon in north-west London. A versatile actress, she had a successful career in supporting roles for half a century. She was as happy in Chekhov or Ibsen plays, as she was feeding lines to comedian Les  Dawson.

Be seeing you

Exhibition of Arts and Crafts

    A portrait of No.2 from my Black and White period

BcNu

Thought For The Day

    If Number One does indeed have the face of Number Six, perhaps the encounter of the Prisoner with the darker side of himself is the way to destroy a system of evil and oppression. But that clearly contradicts the literal storylines of the whole series, which demonstrates the elusiveness of power and the impossibility of one individual being able to control an entire social system - or destroy one. To my mind, the allegorical level, which I have never really been happy with, within 'the Prisoner,' should be consistent with the literal level, not contradict it.

BCNU

No.1’s The Boss.............

............. This No.6 tells No.2 during his ordeal during the episode of ‘Once Upon A Time,’ yet he knew it as early as ‘Free For All.’

No.6 "What physically happens if I win?"

No.2 "Then you're the boss!."

No.6 "No.1's the boss."

No.2 "Join me. If you win," he suggests "No.1 will no longer be a mystery to you if you see what I mean."

   Well we don't quite see what No.2 means, unless of course the meaning is that No.6 would come face to face with No.1 if he wins the election. So then why didn't No.6 then take the opportunity to pick up the phone and speak to No.1 after his winning the election, his rise to being the new No.2, from the relative comfort of his office in the Green Dome I wonder? After all he telephoned the manager of the Labour Exchnage, but then perhaps it wasn't known at that time just who No.1 was going to turn out to be..... No.6 himself. And even if it was known........ well that would have been giving too much away to early don't you think?

   But then, we all want to be No.1 don't we, top-dog. And we're told often enough that if you don't look after No.1, meaning yourself, then no one else will. Obvious really, although it wasn't 46 years back!

BCNU

The Therapy Zone

A Change Of Mind

    Subtlety seems to have been thrown out with the bath water in this episode, because this particular No.2 is happy to allow "mob rule" in the village. To borrow No.6's own words "Good old fashioned brute force can be very effective" as the citizens having finally had enough of his unmutuality, turn upon him with force and violence!

   Lashing out with their umbrellas, No.56 seems to take real pleasure from this, as No.6 is picked up, manhandled and dragged all the way to the hospital.

   Throughout No.6's ordeal in the village, he's roughed up more often than not. And pictured here, No.6 has had to eat his own words as he takes a pounding. But don't forget, we mustn't damage the tissue...... oh they forgot!

Many Happy Returns

    You know that moment during Many Happy Returns when the door to No.6's cottage opens, and Mrs Butterworth-No.2 walks in carrying a birthday cake with 6 lighted candles on it for No.6.

   Then why not accompany that scene with the tune "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you....." After all that piece of incidental music had been adapted for that scene, I heard it played on the third cd of that Prisoner disc set. So why wasn't it used I wonder? That piece of music would have suited the scene very well I think.

Mirror Mirror   

   If things were not bad enough, they have now taken away the new identity of No.6, that which they once gave him. It really makes one doubt just exactly who one is, doesn't it?

    So No.6, what do you see in the depths of the mirror?

   Be careful No.6, and take heed because you may not like what you see.

    It's quite chilling isn't it, the two faces of No.6 are revealed!

    It's rather like the strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, wouldn't you say? Until finally the face of his other self is finally revealed, his Mr. Hyde to Dr. Jekyll.

    And what's more, he looks tired and drained, as though he's been put through the mill more than once!

Dance Of The Dead

    After No.6's first meeting with his observer No.240, she hurries away towards the Town Hall in order to take up her duties in the control room.

    No.6 takes it into his head to follow No.240, that's a good one, the observed following his observer!

   But suddenly that white membranic village guardian has other ideas and impedes No.6's progress enough to give No.240 a head start. Then goes off for a second, allowing No.6 to mount the steps and follow in his observers footsteps. But then reappears again impeding No.6's progress along the cobbled path.

   No.240 approaches the pair of wrought Iron gates, the other side of those and the street lies the Town Hall. She looks back for a second, as she realises that she is being followed by No.6!

    But to save her there is again the village guardian, as it continues to impede No.6, and give No.240 time to cross the street and enter the Town Hall.

   There is no force used by this membranic being against No.6, nor does it emit its blood curdling roar, or attempt to suffocate No.6 into unconsciousness. It simply glides in and out of No.6's path at given moments, with gentle persuasion and a touch of agitation, slows No.6's progress enough to give No.240 time to enter the Town Hall.

Be seeing you.... Rover permitting.