Search This Blog

Tuesday 19 June 2012

The Prisoner And Me - Me And The Prisoner

   When I was a boy, watching 'the Prisoner' for the first time in 1967, when I watched 'The Chimes of Big Ben' I actually thought that Number 6 had escaped, and the fact that he hadn't came as quite a shock I can tell you. To discover that it was all a trick, well it certainly fooled me!
   Then in 'Many Happy Returns' I was willing Number 6 to escape, to get clear of the Village, never to see it again. Well Number 6 did get away, he did escape, but I was surprised just how easy it was for them to bring Number 6 back to the Village! It was also Mrs Butterworth's part in this episode that made me think back, and arrive at the conclusion that the woman in 'A B and C' who hands the Prisoner one of her earings saying "Number Six, I'm sure it's your lucky number," is also Mrs Butterworth-Number 2.
   'Hammer Into Anvil' is an episode in which I thought Number 2 had actually got it right. That Number 6 was a plant, sent to spy on them, to spy on Number 2 and report back. And to test both the security and it's ways and means. After all John Drake had previously infiltrated a Village somehwere behind the Iron Curtain in 'Colony Three.' Nadia Rakovsky had been a plant during 'The Chimes of Big Ben,' so I thought why not Number 6? But I was wrong of course.
    In 'It's Your Funeral' I wanted Number 6 to use that detonator to try and escape, I thought he would. And was disappointed that he didn't.
    'Fall Out,' well to be perfectly honest I couldn't make head nor tail of it, and had little or no memory of it afterwards. So I just enjoyed the action adventure theme of the episode.
   As a boy my questions about 'the Prisoner' were simple;
  • Who is the Prisoner?
  • Why did he resign?
  • Where is the Village?
  • Who is Number One?
  • Would the Prisoner escape?
  • What is the Village Guardian?
   I was never frightened by the Daleks, the Cybermen, the Ice Warriors,' or 'Quatermass And The Pit.' So I'm sure that the Village Guardian, which is basically a balloon,  didn't frighten me either!
   But you grow up don't you, and it's then that 'the Prisoner' becomes more complicated, becasue as adults we make it more complicated. We put interpretations to cetain scenarios within 'the Prisoner' series. We each have our own dedicated ideas and theories about what it's all about. As adults we question and anylise, we look deep beneath the surface. Yes as children we have enquiring minds, but back in my childhood 'the Prisoner' seemed so much more simple somehow.

I'll be seeing you

No comments:

Post a Comment