Tonight At Moonset!

   “Tonight at Moonset,” when exactly is that, at what time does Moonset occur? The setting of the Moon occurs at the time when the Moon disappears below the horizon. A new moon set is when there's a new Moon in the sky, but it's not visible at all. When in this phase the moon rises along with the Sun at dawn, by noon it is directly overhead and then it sets at Sunset but all you'll see is the regular Sunset, there will be no Moon in sight. The moon rises and sets every day, like the Sun. But the Sun always rises in the morning and sets in the evening; the Moon does it at a different times every day. At new Moon, the Moon lies in the same direction as the Sun.

    “Tonight at Moonset” is a very precise time for No.6 to have his confederates gather at the Stone Boat. And for No.6 to know when Moonset is he must have been studying the phases of the Moon for him to know when the Moon disappears below the horizon. Except at the time No.6 and the Rook run the pair of lilos across the beach there is Moonlight shimmering on the water, indicating that the Moon is still high in the sky, and far from dropping below the horizon!
    There is another consideration to take into account, the housemaids who go to each cottage and make the occupant’s their nightcap of hot chocolate in order to help them sleep. If Moonset is early in the evening, then we have to take the housemaids into account, when they go to the cottages before curfew, which is at 8o’clock, in order to make the residents their nightcap of hot chocolate in order to help them sleep. If Moonset occurs before curfew then the maids would find the residents of certain cottages not at home. If after Curfew, then No.6 and his confederates would have to leave their cottages before curfew or they would be locked in or find a way to get round the electronic locks!
   It’s difficult to assess when Moonset actually takes place simply by watching the village at night time through a television screen. Also its no good judging the times of Moonset at Portmeirion, because the village isn’t supposed to be in North Wales, but on the west coast of Portugal in September, when ‘Checkmate’ was filmed. Moonset could be at any time 5 minutes after 5 in the morning or at the same time but in the evening!
   However this is getting complicated, and I we are really dealing with fiction after all, and must go by No.6’s studies of the Moon, that Moonset is at night but the timing is still questionable. He gave the message “Tonight at Moonset, Rook to Queen’s Pawn six check,” but had No.6 already briefed his confederates on the time of Moonset, or were they expected to know the time of Moonset anyway?

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Village Life!

    No.14 “Tonight at moonset, Rook to Queen’s Pawn six check!”
    Villager “Tonight at moonset you say?”
    “That’s what I said, tonight at moonset.”
    “Moonset, what time is that?”
    “I…I…….well just don’t be late, otherwise you’ll miss the boat!”

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Watching The Prisoner - The Chimes of Big Ben

    Continuing the screening of ‘the Prisoner,’ as though in real time, we reach ‘The Chimes of Big Ben.’

    I remember when I first watched this episode in 1967 being intrigued by the way No.6’s abstract sculpture became a boat, how the sail with No.2’s face upon it gave the craft an almost Viking appearance. And although No.6 and Nadia had escaped the confines of the village, there he was, No.2, still watching over them. And as the crate was opened in the Colonel’s office, I actually thought No.6 had managed not only to escape the village, but he had returned to London. But the Colonel’s office, I question his rank because “Colonel” is an army rank, and when making careful study of his office it clearly has a nautical flavour, more suited to that of an Admiral, the large picture of the battle of Trafalgar being a primary example.

    A favourite scene in the episode would be when No.6 is in the woods busy hollowing out the trunk of a tree.

    “I say……… I say…… what is it?”

    “It’s not finished yet, it doesn’t make sense without the whole group, and there’ll be three pieces.”

    “Entries must be in two weeks tomorrow you know.”

    “I’ll be ready.”

    “Axe, stone chisels, even these are outside the pale of the law you know, technically speaking.”

    “Yes, I’m sure you can wink a blind surveillance eye can’t you.”

    “My dear Number Six I wouldn’t dream of interfering can’t tell you how delighted I am. Can I give you a lift back to the village?”

    “Ah no thanks, I think I’ll carry on while there’s enough light and do a bit more.”

    “Be seeing you.”

    “And you.”

    “Ha, ha, ha.”

    “But not for long!”

    The whole scene lasts less than a minute, but there is plenty in it to amuse. Number 6 thinks he’s being so clever in outwitting Number 2, but although Number 2 asks Number 6 what it is, he knows exactly what 6 is up to! And the hull Number 6 has carved out of the tree trunk, it’s wider than the tree Number 6 felled in the first place! And again the hull, the inner part doesn’t look like wood it gives the impression of being made of concrete!
    Don’t worry, No.2 knows exactly what No.6’s little game is, and with Nadia getting her elegant fingernails into No.6 the plan couldn’t be going better!

    As No.6 was carrying out his plan there I was willing him to succeed. But to this day, I’m still not sure who was the more shocked and disappointed at the time, No.6 or me? I suppose the more I think about it, I suppose it was me who was simply watching the events play out on a television screen. Had it not been for the fact Post 5’s wristwatch had been set at English time, that and with the discovery that the sound of the London traffic was nothing more than a recording and it was all up for the Colonel. I suppose there was no point in wasting energy getting angry, after all what good would it have done? I think No.6 was rather pragmatic about the situation and appeared to take it all in his stride. Perhaps he realized that this failure would have been worse for the Colonel than it was for him. After all the Prisoner’s situation had not altered, and you can’t blame a chap for trying!

    The game was up for the Colonel as well as No.6. Perhaps it was worse for the Colonel, as he failed to maintain the situation and extract the reason behind his ex-colleagues resignation. I like to think that the Colonel would be held responsible for this failure back in London when those “masters” we hear about would have some very pressing questions for him to answer. However the Colonel is something of an objectionable man, whose scepticism stands out a mile, I do not like him at all. He does not suffer fools gladly, but this only makes him even more obnoxious, for he sees everything in black and white. He’s a very cynical man, or at least as far as the Prisoner {his ex- colleague} is concerned. He has a very sarcastic nature, with a very jaundiced view of things. I hope he realized the full penalty for the failure of this plan to extract the reason behind the Prisoner’s resignation! Certainly the failure of this plan cannot be laid at the door of No.2, all he had to do was oversee No.6 and Nadia escape the village unhindered. But it was rubbing salt into the wound when the following announcement was made as No.6 was returning to his cottage.

   “Good evening citizens. Your local council wishes to announce another exciting competition….the subject this time…….seascapes!” If that’s not rubbing salt into the wound I don’t know what is!
   So it will be a little over six weeks before watching the next episode in this screening order, ‘The General,’ followed two or three days later by ‘A B and C so that they run consecutively. I should also have liked to have ‘The Chimes of Big Ben’ and ‘Once Upon A Time’ to run consecutively, however No.2 words ! “You brought me back here, I told you the last time you were using the wrong approach. I do it my way or you find somebody else.” I don’t think there was any body else as good as this No.2, and ‘The Chimes of Big Ben runs over six weeks, one day, and 12 hours. And I feel No.2’s words are said so powerfully that they cannot be ignored “You brought me back here,” that a good deal of time has passed between end of this episode and that of ‘Once Upon A Time.’

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Tales From The Village

    It was a day like any other, the village postman was already on his rounds and he made something of a jolly sight riding his Penny Farthing bicycle. Something of a bygone age, until one morning when he came a cropper!

    “What a contraption” said one onlooker.

    “He should never have to ride such a thing!” said another.

    “The very idea, after all we’re not living in Victorian times!”

    Two medics arrived in an ambulance to help the postman, who wasn’t really hurt that bad.

    “What are you going to do with him?” asked lady in a blue trilby hat.

    “We’ll take him to hospital, he’ll get the very best treatment” said one of the medics helping the postman onto a stretcher.

    “What about his Penny Farthing?”

    “Someone will come and collect it” said the second medic.

    The Postman’s injuries were slight, but he was kept in under observation. And he was questioned as to why he was riding the Penny Farthing in the first place.

    “Why were you riding that Penny Farthing bicycle in the first place? Who told you to ride it? Why were you riding that Penny Farthing bicycle in the first place? Who told you to ride it? You shouldn’t have been riding it, the idea is for you to push it, push it, push it about not ride it, look what happened when you did ride it, you ended up in here.”

    “I….I…..”

    “Speak up man.”

    “I thought I was supposed to ride it.”

    “Whatever gave you that idea…..come on man speak up, whatever gave you that idea?”

    “I did it by my own initiative.”

    “Your own initiative, you mean you thought for yourself…..we have warned you before about that No.191, you must not think for yourself. And while we are about it, why does it take you such a long time to complete your postal round?”

    “I…..I…..have to knock on everyone’s door and wait for them to answer.”

    “Why, why do you do that?”

    “None of the front doors have letter box flaps fitted!”

    “There’s no answer to that.”

    “No Number 2.”

    “The Postman is right of course, there are no letters flaps in the front doors. Come to think of it, why should anyone write to someone else in the village, let alone send someone a picture postcard! But then a Postman is as much a part of village life as anyone, but why he has to wear a Royal Mail cap I don’t know. Perhaps that’s the job he did before arriving the village.”

    “He probably did Number 2.”

    “Take a note Number 12.”

    “A note sir, yes sir” he said taking pencil and notebook from his jacket pocket.

    “The Postman is no longer to be supplied with a Penny Farthing bicycle, besides he’ll be quicker on foot. Also letter box flaps are to be installed in all front doors.”

    “Yes Number 2.”

    “Picture Postcards!”

    “Picture Postcards Number 2?”

    “Where can one purchase picture postcards?”

    “I believe they sell them at the kiosk.”

    “Really, how interesting.”

    Later that day.

    “Good afternoon 143.”

    “Good afternoon Number 2, what can I do for you?”

    “I would like to purchase a picture postcard please.”

    “We have a nice little selection on the stand at the end of the counter sir.”

    “Ah yes, good.”

    Turning the stand slowly No.2 began to peruse the picture postcards “Are these all you have?”
    “How do you mean sir?”
    “I mean do you have any others?”
    “Are you looking for something specific sir?”
    “No, no” is all he said and selected a picture postcard of the Bell Tower.
    “That will be one credit unit please sir.”
    Why No.2 wanted the picture postcard, and what he did with it is unknown, perhaps he posted it to someone. Why the kiosk holder should be selling picture postcards of the village in the first place is anyone’s guess. But perhaps it’s all to do with the seaside holiday resort atmosphere of the village. And when people are at the seaside they like to send picture postcards to friends and family back home, telling them what they have been doing with the addition of the greeting or sentiment “Having a wonderful time, wish you were here!”
   

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The Village Pictorial

    If this is the Recreation Hall, what happened to the Palace of Fun as noted on the map of the village?

   Perhaps the Palace of Fun became obsolete when the new Recreation Hall was built. Or on the other hand, perhaps by the time of the production of ‘The Chimes of Big Ben’ they had forgotten all about the Palace of Fun, after all it had never even been mentioned in any episode of the series, only appearing marked on the map. And anything of an entertainment value such as amateur dramatics, and the Carnival ball should take place in the Town Hall.

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A Favourite Scene In Arrival

    If there is a way out of the village, then it’s by helicopter! Having been given an Electro Pass by No.9, who declined to escape with No.6, as she never intended to escape without Cobb. No.6 became suspicious of No.9, suggesting she was given the Electro Pass from her boss No.2. However given the opportunity No.6 is not a man to look a gift horse in the mouth, he takes his chances.
    Having got passed the watch dog, No.6 in the helicopter prepares to take off, and yet there’s something not quite right. It’s the scenery outside the helicopter. At one point, looking out of the front of the Perspex cabin its clear the helicopter isn’t on a lawn in Portmeirion, but in a field, and the tree behind the helicopter hasn’t any leaves on it! So this scene was filmed in two locations, which is fair enough. And when we see No.6 fighting with the joystick, trying to maintain control of the helicopter, the rotor blades are not turning which suggests the helicopter is still on the ground! But I always enjoy the scene with the Guardian thwarted by No.6, and getting more and more agitated that this man is going to escape and there’s nothing it can do about it! And then just as No.6 thinks he’s getting away with the escape, an operator in the control room takes over control of the helicopter via remote control, effectively turning the helicopter into a drone. They let No.6 keep the Electro Pass just to remind him that escape is not possible, well if that was the idea it didn’t work, because No.6 makes the best of any opportunity!

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The Prisoner VirtualCon 2.0

   There will be speeches, thrills and excitement, come one come all!

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