Peter Stanwick is not credited as the Supervisor in this ep.

Oops And neither is Peter Swanwick.

I'm presently contributing after doing research on and becoming increasingly fascinated with "The Prisoner" series. To date, I'm heavily immersing myself in the late-night Friday showings of each episode on Channel 13.

This, in all likelihood, is an obvious fact, but was Number Six brainwashed to run as a candidate for Number Two? He started sounding like all the Number Twos with his "information" speech.

I got the impression that the crowd's silence to Number Six's landslide victory and later obliviousness to his frantic declarations of freedom demonstrated just exactly how easily it is to obviate central government. In other words, the notion of "one leading many" is an illusion. Though, the Village's citizens exist in a matrix of conformity (a single entity, if you will). However, even Number Two isn't truly in control.

I got the impression that the reporter's questions toward Number Six and how he converted Number Six's persistent "no comment" replies into actual remarks upon the Village's progress showed how the middleman media, namely of press, can be manipulated and thereby usually distort a person's individual thoughts. In other words, we might build up a person in our minds--in this case, a political candidate--but the person might not have ever been that person.

I found it suspiciously titivating that the life-or-death opinion question the reporter poses prompts Number Six to retort, "None of your business," modified subsequently by the reporter to read, "No comment." And later, that cheery gray-haired interrogator confidently proclaims, "So you're afraid of death," to Number Six, who avalanches back, "I'm afraid of nothing!" Add this to the observation of the Number Six-Number Two interchange in "Once Upon a Time" and you have the potential anatomy of a Jacob's Ladder-type scenario. Perhaps Number Six was dead or moribund all along.

SPOILER!


I realize Patrick McGoohan insists that he wrote "Once Upon a Time" and "Fallout" upon discovering that "The Prisoner" was canceled and therefore most likely came up with the idea of Number Six and Number One being the same person extemporaneously, but I believe this episode gives some heavy yet subtle hints at the truth. When Number Six inquires of what will happen if he wins, Number Two says, "You're the boss," to which Number Six mutters, "Number One is the boss." A little foreshadowing, perhaps?

Uh, if that's the case D., then just about every episode had that type of foreshadowing:

"Where am I?"
"In the Village."
-----------------
"Who is Number One?"
"You are Number Six." or
"You are, Number Six."

Be seeing you.

The voice of Number 2 during the opening credits is not actor Eric Portman who portrays Number 2 in this ep. It's voice over artist, Ropbert Rietty. This ep marks the first time his version is used in the series.

I find it a little odd that, at the beginning of the ep, Number 6 takes time to put on his blazer before anwering the phone. It's not like anyone was going to see him without it on. As far as he knew, anyway.

After discussing the possibility of Number 6 running for the office of Number 2, a crowd of Villagers arrive. 6 and 2 go out to greet them. The two men step into a mini-moke (or was it a trailer?) that takes them to the Village Square. Behind them is a rather large parade of Villager. Mysteriously, after 6 and 2 stop, the crowd of people following them is greatly reduced.

Common western symbolism holds that the good guys wear white, the bad guys, black. With that in mind, please note that the buttons of those who support Number 2 are white, while those supporting Number 6 are black. I'm not sure what, if anything, this is meant to symbolize. It's just something I happen to notice and think of.

Is this only episode in which we learn that some Villagers are not merely numbers, but may have letters to their names, too? If you look on the Free Information board, there are designations for 6h, 2b, 4d and 3e. Also, the reporter who "interviews" Number 6 on the mini-moke is 130. His photographer is 130b.

The photographer, Number 130b, tilts his camera down, then hits the flash before telling Number 6 to smile the first time he takes Number 6's picture.

The Village has exports? To whom? And what do they export?

The Village either has an inordinate number of twins in it, or TVPTB (The Village Powers That Be), have perfected cloning. In "Arrival" we see the man from Electrics and the Gardener who look very much alike. In this ep, Number 130b and the man running The Tally Ho newstand are deadringers for each other.

The picture of the Prisoner on The Tally Ho is a publicity photo of Patrick McGoohan from his Danger Man days. It's obviously not one of the photos Number 130b took. I wonder if he even had film in his camera?

That publicity photo, incidentally - and obviously - was used in the series opening credits. It's the same photograph that is Xed out and dropped into the Resigned File. It is also used in this episode for the banners bearing Number 6's likeness.

The doors to the Council Chambers do not open automatically. Number 6 has to manually open them. And the way he opens them is reminiscent of his entrance to his superior's office in the opening credits.

The Council Chambers is another redress of Number 2's office. So is the Truth Test Chamber. (They got a lot of mileage out of that set. )

I've never caught this before, but it's now obvious to me that before subjecting Number 6 to the brainwashing, the tea had to have been drugged.

Does anyone understand the significance of the circle and square going into the projection of Number 6's head?

This could be meant to be symbolic, but I couldn't help but notice that after Number 6 has been brainwashed, he goes out into the Village where he is mobbed by the Villagers. A reporter attempts to interview him. He looks a lot like Number 130b. Meanwhile, someone holding a camera looks like he's Number 130. In other words, the reporter (originally Number 130) and photographer (originally 130b) have switched occupations, just as Number 6 has switched from only tentatively running for office, to fully embracing the political campaign.

The Village Marching Band is once again only miming that they are playing their instruments.

Six must be a heavy sleeper. The light above his bed flashes off and on and he still manages to stay asleep.

There's a scene where Number 2 is delivering a speech to the crowd. In the shot from the balcony from which he orates, the audience is meager and standing on their feet. However, a couple of close up shots of the audience shows many of them to be seated.

Don't you think Number 6 should have been a little more suspicious of the fact that Number 58 knows where to find real alcohol in the Village?For that matter, after the drugged tea, you'd think he'd be a little more cautious about the liquids he drinks. Especially with Number 2 around.

After Number 6 wins the election, he is taken to the Green Dome and the offices of Number 2. Number 58 who has been accompanying him, begins to push buttons on the desk. One of the buttons activates the view screen and several images are shown. One of the images is of Number 6. The clip comes from "Arrival".

When Number 6 goes into the trance when the light flashes on him, Number 58 in one shot appears to be standing erect. However, in another shot, she is leaning over the control panel.

A couple of times when Number 58 slaps the Prisoner, it looks like his head jerks back just before her hand meets his face.


What happened to Number 6's blazer? He had it on when he was getting beat up in the cave of the Rover Worshippers. Yet when he is returned to the office of Number 2, the blazer is missing.

Possibly the biggest nit about this episode is why does Number 6 believe - or even acts like he believes - that the position of Number 2 is an elected one? Even if we consider "Free For All" to be the second episode of the series, the Prisoner has already seen the Village run by at least three different Number 2s. None of whom were elected to that position.

This is still, justifiably one of the best episodes of the series. It's a savage attack on the electoral process. The ending suggests that even those in power (in this case Number 6) may not truly control anything.

This ep, incidentally, marks the first time Number 6 wears number other than six. (He was Number 12 in "The Schizoid Man".)

Be seeing you.

Another thing the end of this ep suggests is that it doesn't matter who's been elected to office, nothing truly changes. Or as the Who once put it, "Meet the new boss. The same as the old boss."

Be seeing you.

Maybe the numbers on the Free Information board are map coordinates.

Doubtful, given how small the Village is. The map on the Free Information board is local, that is the Village only. All maps in the Village are local. There really wouldn't be much of a need for co-ordinates in the Village. It's too small an area.

Be seeing you.

Small correction: The reporter and photographer were numbers 113 and 113B.

Ah. Sorry. I misheard them. I wish these DVDs came with close captioning. It'd help alot. Thanks for the correction, Nove.

Be seeing you.

The numbers on the Free Information board are in place of numbers containing a 7.