The Therapy Zone

Once Upon A Time

    During that ordeal in the Embryo Room something quite remarkable happened. Because not only must the patient, in cases of psychoanalysis, but as No.6 put it, "Sometimes they change places." And as No.2 concurred "It is essential in extreme cases." But that is not the remarkable bit, what is remarkable is the fact that whilst acting out their roles in the Embryo Room, the characters of both Patrick McGoohan and Leo McKern actually took over from the actors, so much so that they were no longer acting. It was for real! I'm informed that it was quite remarkable to see by the members of the film unit at the time, in fact those filming ‘Once Upon A Time’ suggested to others working on the series at the time, that they come and see what was happening between Patrick McGoohan and Leo McKern.

    So intense was the acting, which incidentally took place over 9 days, that during that time filming had to be suspended as Leo McKern suffered a nervous breakdown, and filming on ‘Once Upon A Time’ was not continued until Leo was well enough to continue. It's no wonder Leo McKern didn't want to come back to the production of ‘the Prisoner’ for ‘Fall Out!’ but I expect it was through McGoohan’s powers of persuasiveness that Leo returned, or perhaps bullied into returning!

The Butler

   The Butler, played by the late Angelo Muscat, is a man of mystery, an enigma within a surreal series. Who moves on the fringe and yet he is always in the centre of each episode he appears in, which on the whole is 14 out of the 17 episodes of the Prisoner. And perhaps there is much to this man which is more of a mystery than the Prisoner himself!

Fall Out

   It was once written that "The "No.1" that No.6 met was a fake - possibly to unbalance him."

   Well in my opinion, it wasn't No.6 who was unbalanced!

A Matter Of Life And Death

   If we take it that No.2 actually died at the end of ‘Once Upon A Time,’ and that No.2 was not merely resuscitated, but brought back to life by the medical team in ‘Fall Out.’ Why could not the same have been done for Curtis-No.12 who died by suffocation at the membrane of Rover in ‘The Schizoid Man.’ Brought back to life as No.1 with whom No.6 finally comes face to face with. and having been confronted with himself, I don't think No.6 would stand around debating the point. To quote No.6 from Free for All he'd "run like blazes." without sparing a thought for Curtis or anyone else for that matter.

I'll be seeing you

Exhibition of Arts and Crafts

Portrait of the Prisoner

BcNu

Village Life!

    "The seat's wet. Quick fetch a cloth."

   "Here we are sir."

   "Damn, too late. Now he'll be in a right mood when he gets back!"

BCNU

Pictorial Prisoner

   So is this how Curtis arrived in the Village, blindfolded? This is Number 6 of course, attempting to escape the Village in the guise of Curtis. It's possible of course that the blindfold was simply for Number 6's benefit, so that he was unable to see that the helicopter was being flown in a circle over the Village before landing from where it took off.
   But if the blindfold is a proper security regulation as suggested by Number 2, then anyone arriving, and leaving the Village left in such a way. The Colonel, Fotheringay, Nadia, although Nadia arrived unconcious! Mind you, if it had been Curtis who was leaving the Village, would they have allowed him to leave looking the way he did, I mean looking like Number 6? Might Curtis not have had to undergo a second make-over, and forced to remain in the Village until he grew his moustache again before being allowed to leave the Village?

Be seeing you

Escape and Escapability!

    I suppose there are two ways of looking at the picture on the wall screen in No.2's office. The one being that of the containment area for the Village Guardian somewhere at the bottom of the sea. Or that it is simply film of a lava lamp, displayed on the wall screen for No.2's benefit. This because to sit and watch a lava lamp is to find it theraputic, it relaxes the mind. But for the Village Guardian, it's just as much a prisoner in the Village as anyone, and yet for "it" there is no possibility of escape. It's a perpetually moving thing, like a caged tiger, in the same way No.6 paces up and down in his cottage, also like a caged tiger. Now and again one or two, sometimes three segments of the Guardian are released into the Village, but so much is the manipulation of the Guardian, that once any such segment of the Guardian is de-activated, it automatically returns the the containmnet area without any thought for esacpe!

                                        "You can't do this to me, let me out!"

Be seeing you

The Therapy Zone

A Matter Of Life And Death

25/7/1998

    Was the date of a local BBC radio interview with Tony Wadsworth and Julie Mayer. There were three of us fans of the Prisoner who were due to be interviewed via telephone and "live on air." For myself I was asked such searching questions as "Do I own a mini-Moke?" "Do I ride a penny farthing?" and "Have I got a piped blazer?" It soon became apparent to me that I was to be treated as "the Prisoner anorak!," as my two fellow friends and fans interviewed before me had been treated with respect, little of the same was going to shown to me.

    At one point I was being urged to "justify myself," and I didn't like that, because I felt that I didn't have to justify myself to anyone. I suppose what frightened me the most was, and I should have been because I knew the question was going to be asked, was the fact that I couldn't answer the question! My mind went a complete blank for a few seconds while I searched for an answer. I began to answer what it was about the Prisoner that had made me a fan of the series, but I found it hard going which was strange for me. And then Julie Mayer suggested that it might be "escapism." That was a life-line and I clung to it like a survivor of the stricken Titanic clung to a lifeboat. Yes, that was it, "escapism." But I knew it was much more than that.

   At the time of the interview I was busy organising both re-enactments for the forthcoming prisoner convention at Portmeirion, and I had the Portmeirion shoot of ‘Village Day’ to organise, so really my "appreciation" for ‘the Prisoner’ was at it's lowest ebb that it had ever been. But having said that I was creating my own "Prisoner" based film, I was going to be doing what Patrick McGoohan had done, but on a smaller scale. I felt that I had "outgrown" my appreciation for the Prisoner, in the production of the film, and in my writing Prisoner based short stories, in putting Number 6 in new and varied situations.

    It was a busy time for me back then, and really there wasn't time for me to appreciate the Prisoner, but since that time my appreciation for ‘the Prisoner’ has long since returned, and has remained constant ever since.

Escape Via Helicopter!

    My wife and I sat watching the "first cut" of Arrival last night, and it was just as Number 6 was about to take off in the helicopter that I suddenly realised that Number 6 wasn't piloting the Alouette helicopter at all. That right from the take-off the helicopter was being flown by remote control from the control room.

    Number 2 is pictured here with Cobb as they watch the screen together. And it is at this point that Number 2 nods to the observers sat watching their monitors, who at the nod from Number 2 three of the observers pull on a lever at the side of their monitors, and the Alouette helicopter takes off.

Giving both the viewer, and more importantly, Number 6, the impression that he is actually flying the helicopter, when in fact it is being flown remotely from the Control Room all the time.

   It isn't until the episode of ’Fall Out,’ that we discover that there is more than one-way into the Village!

    Why should Number 6, with his rebellious, and uncaring nature, concern himself with the welfare of the citizens who would have suffered mass reprisals at the assassination of Number 2? And yet, according to Number 2 in Arrival, he does understand that it was a matter of conscience. So is that what was behind Number 6' resignation, a matter of conscience, that he could no longer stand what he, or rather his alter ego - Number 1, was doing to the citizens of the Village?

Be seeing you

Sneezed Myself Out Of The Blogosphere!

    That is how one friend and reader put it in an email recently, and I like it. I should like to thank friends and readers for their "get well soon" and thoughts of best wishes, very kind indeed. And I do understand how much you have all been missing reading my daily 'Prisoner' blog, but unfortunately that break could not be helped while I've been lounging around in the Therapy Zone, and still am not absolutely fit, so I still have to take it easy. However the flesh may be weak at the moment, but the mind is as active as ever now, and so I must be about it, I'm late this morning as it is. So without further ado, I'll post some blog for you.

Be seeing you