Bureau of Visual Records

    I like the way the Shopkeeper is still wearing his striped apron. I wonder why he never thought to take it off during that attempted escape?

BSEENU

Curiosity Killed The Cat

   A lot of people are curious about what lies behind the Prisoner’s resignation. What people? Well the Prisoner’s previous employers within British Intelligence. But then the question must be asked, didn’t anyone read the Prisoner’s letter of resignation? Perhaps the Prisoner didn’t spell his reasons out well enough in that letter. But if not, why bother with the letter in the first place? Simply because a resignation has to be put in writing. Perhaps they didn’t accept his reasons, after all his motivations had had to be checked. And perhaps in not having accepted the Prisoner’s resignation, they decided to put him in The Village to give him time to cool his heels so to speak. In order that Number 6 might be persuaded to change his mind about his resignation.

  Others who wanted to know what lies behind the Prisoner’s resignation, Number 2, and Number 1. But if Number 1 and Number 6 are the alter ego of each other, then Number 1 should have known the reason behind Number 6’s resignation!

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Arrival

    ‘The Prisoner as a series contains many iconic lines, however ‘Arrival’ has two such lines, “I will not be pushed, stamped, filed, indexed, briefed, de-briefed or numbered. My life is my own.” Well it may come as a bit of a shock to some, but by the time the Prisoner-Number 6 has been ensconced in The Village he has most definitely been pushed, stamped, filed, indexed, briefed, de-briefed and numbered, and as for his life, its no longer his own, no matter how much he doth protest! There is also the famous line “I am not a number, I am a free man,” that may have been the case in the outside world, then again I’m not so sure that’s true. What about his code number ZM73, and he must have felt like being a prisoner of his job, otherwise he wouldn’t have gone and resigned the way he did. But in any case, he’s in a prison now, The Village, he’s both a number, and no longer a free man, again as much as the man doth protest. Later in the series Number 6 refines the line “I am not a number, I am a free man,’ to “I am not a number, I am a person,” meaning he is an individual. By the end of the series Number 6 will have vindicated the right of the individual to be individual!
    As the episode progresses we the viewer are shown an advanced surveillance system, well advanced for the time. As well as another Village security system, which appears at times to be independent, while quite unbelievable, the membranic Guardian. Apparently it’s called Rover, well what else would you call a guard dog? No offence Rover! The Guardian appears alien to this world, yet was probably born genetically, engineered by bio-chemists in one of the laboratories, developed for The Village, or in The Village for some security company in the outside world?

   The scene with the maid-Number 66 is the first lesson that shows Number 6 cannot trust women in The Village, later in the series, even the four-legged variety. However the Prisoner soon sees through the maid’s attempted deception. Later the opportunity for escape comes through Number 9, a woman who gives Number 6 an Electro Pass, which synchronises with the alarm system. Another piece of Village security equipment. She came by the device because she knew the last pilot. She refuses to escape with Number 6, because she never intended to, not without Cobb. Number 9 is yet another lesson that women in The Village cannot be trusted. And yet, she is but a pawn, used by Number 2 in a game against Number 6, and it may not be wondered that this was the first time, seeing as she had been assigned to Cobb in the same way. And how many times before?

   The Prisoner’s first escape attempt is one “off the cuff,” a spur of the moment thing. He over-powers two Guardians {human guardians} in a Mini-Moke, then dives off along the beach. However the Prisoner does not get so far before he is overpowered by the white membranic Guardian. This scene will be played out once more in ‘Free For All,’ instead of two Guardians, two motor mechanics. The Mini-Moke, for a jet boat, and water for land!

   The Village is Italianate, one could be almost anywhere. It’s Wonderland, surreal, just look at the guy at the hospital wearing the Prisoner’s suit of clothes. Cobb’s funeral has been faked, seemingly for the Prisoner’s benefit. But to what gain? There seems no gain to begin with. Yet Number 2 must bring Number 6 and Number 9 together, and what could be more natural for two people who once knew Cobb to grieve at his funeral. But before that, Number 6 is discharged from the hospital, and as soon as he can, storms off to have it out with Number 2 about Cobb’s death. The only trouble is Number 2 has been replaced. We do not know why, but it is a clever trick which makes Number 6 have to begin all over again with a new Number 2!

   The first Number 2 was a gentleman, but business like, he even said that it might be possible for Number 6 to be given a position of authority. That position came, if ever so briefly in ‘Free For All.’ The new Number 2 wants to find out where Number 2’s sympathies lie, although he himself is less than sympathetic towards Number 6. He goes on to describe a man who is unlikely to walk out. But Number 6 didn’t walk out, he resigned! Get Number 1 the Prisoner demands of Number 2, but as far as Number 6 is concerned, Number 2 is in charge! But Number 6 isn’t to be so curtly given the brush-off. He persists about Cobb. But unbeknown to the Prisoner, Cobb isn’t dead. He’s preparing to leave The Village, well he mustn’t keep his new masters waiting.
   It is an interesting point that Number 9’s badge contains an inverted 6, a numbered badge which Number 6 only wears on two occasions in the entire series.

   Finally Number 6 attempts to escape by helicopter. However he is to be frustrated, as this is an ingenious plan on the part of Number 2, to demonstrate to Number 6 that escape is not possible. Also another piece of Village technology is demonstrated, the flying of the helicopter via remote control, the helicopter being effectively “pilot less,” flown by an operative in the Control Room. This technology is used today by the military as “pilot less drones” are flown remotely by operatives from a Control Room.

  So the Prisoner has learned two lessons in ‘Arrival. Firstly there is no-one in The Village he can trust in any circumstance. And that anyone who can be trusted, has to be an enemy! Secondly, attempting to escape is a pointless exercise. But that will not stop him from trying again!

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The Therapy Zone

   You know what Number 2 told the Prisoner when he was undergoing a de-briefing session on the day of his arrival in The Village. “There’s not much we don’t know about you. But one likes to know everything.” Depending on what emphasis is placed on the word “one” we get a completely different meaning. Instead of “One likes to know everything” meaning an indefinite person, if the emphasis is placed on one {in a similar way to the opening sequence when Number 6 asks who is Number One. He is told “You are Number 6” meaning Number 2 is telling the Prisoner that he is Number 1, and not just telling him he’s Number 6} “One likes to know everything,” becomes Number 1 who likes to know everything! And that would work, if it were not for the burden of ‘Fall Out,’ when we learn Number 1 is Number 6. So in regard to Number 1 being the later ego of Number 6, it could be assumed that Number 1 knew the reason behind the Prisoner’s resignation anyway!

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Exhibition of Arts And Crafts

                               “What Was That?”

                                “Sounded Like Click!”

bCnU

Bureau of Visual Records

What have they done, or about to do to this poor chap?

   Is it imagination, or is the Doctor here, we do not know his number because he doesn’t wear one, appear to be somewhat startled, even shocked by the sight of this patient?

   Perhaps this Doctor doesn't have anything to do with human medical experimentation at the hospital, or with the aversion therapy programme. Capable only of carrying out the basic medical examination, and even then he has to feed his diagnosis of the Prisoner’s medical examination into a computer in order to gain the result. Which is strange, because all the doctor did was check his heart. Not his blood pressure, or pulse etc, etc. The doctor waited a few moments, and machine said the patient is absolutely fit!

 

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Thought For The Day

    It’s all a game in The Village, and everyone has their part to play. Each number has its exit and entrance, and in its time every number plays many characters! That’s why a number in one episode can be a Prisoner, and a Guardian in the next. Number 14 started out as a doctor, but by the time of ‘Hammer Into Anvil,’ 14 has been a chess champion, and then assistant to Number 2. Number 8 is generally in touch with its feminine side, as mostly 8 is a woman, except when it’s a man who committed suicide because he didn’t want the Judge to hit him no more!
   Sometimes there can be more than one of the same number in the one episode. Like 66, first a maid, then a taxi driver, and finally ex-Admiral. That can make things confusing. Then again it might have made it work better if 66 had been sub-divided like 113, 113b, and 113c, then there wouldn’t have been any confusion. If you think it’s bad enough having the one number having three different characters in the same episode, think what it’s like having two number’s sharing the same character in the same scene! Yes that happened alright, that morning of the Prisoner’s arrival when he went to the General Stores to purchase a map of the area. One minute Number 19 is the shopkeeper, the next its Number 56 claiming to be the shopkeeper!    Then there was that time when there was a pair of 6’s in The Village, none knew which 6 was the real 6 and which the economy pack. Both claimed to be the Prisoner. And yet there it was, a discarded number in a wardrobe! Oh it suited the Prisoner well enough when he chose to wear his numbered badge, which he only did on a couple of occasions. On the first occasion, when Number 6 was discharged from hospital in ‘Arrival,’ the canopied Penny Farthing on the badge is facing to the left. On the second occasion in ‘The Schizoid Man’ the Penny Farthing is facing to the right.
    For official purposes everyone in The Village has a number, but they don’t always choose to wear it. Makes one wonder how they were allowed to get away with it!

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