The Prisoner #003: More on purposes, methods of Rover

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· 12 Jul 2023

Date: Sun, 1 Sep 85 13:01:01 edt
From: ihnp4!seismo!allegra!sjuvax!iannucci (D. Iannucci)
Subject: Prisoner #003
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The Prisoner #003 8/29/85 Moderator: Dave Iannucci (iannucci@sjuvax.UUCP)

Topics

More on purposes, methods of Rover
Words on the letter of resignation envelope
Is it all a fantasy?
Info on Prisoner books
Relationship to 'Secret Agent'
Conservatism in 'The Prisoner'

What did the rocket in the last episode represent? What was it for??

Why did they go through all this trouble in the first place? Why not just 'bump him off'? <The 'authority' in the series -- not the motivation for the series>

What did the bicycle symbolize?

Rover sometimes killed and sometimes just immobilized. In one episode (sorry -- I forget which), a duplicate of #6 is made. The real #6 discovers Rover's password, so when the duplicate uses it, Rover kills him. Why didn't Rover simply immobilize?

Brad Miller

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To Dave Iannucci for the mailing list:
This is a minor question. Have you noticed the words written on the envelope the Prisoner gives to the man at the desk during the opening sequence? I think it says "Please deliver by hand". I wondered why this note would be there, and came up with a few possible explanations.

The Prisoner wrote this as an instruction to the man at the desk. The latter is to take the resignation letter by hand to his superiors.
The Agency wrote this as an instruction to the Prisoner. He tried to resign by mail, but they sent the papers back.
The envelope contains some material related to the mission the Prisoner is resigning from, that he was to deliver somewhere.

Which explanation seems the best? Can anyone read lips to see what he is saying during that scene? That might provide a clue.
--------------------------
"The envelope, please."
C. David Tallman - dspo!tallman@LANL or {ucbvax!unmvax,ihnp4}!lanl!dspo!tallman
Los Alamos National Laboratory - E-10/Data Systems
Los Alamos, New Mexico - (505) 667-8495

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To Dave Iannucci for mailing list:
I got a clearer picture of the envelope in the opening sequence tonight - it says "Private. Personal. By Hand." I think it was written by the Prisoner himself as directions concerning his resignation note. The other theories do not really fit. I would still be interested in what he is saying.

[Dave Tallman]

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I am the new number two!

No, I am really number 5. I like the Prisoner, and really got into it a few years ago when channel 13 (PBS in NY) showed it every Sunday night. Please add me to your list of interested people.

Despite other peoples' postings, I thought that the Rovers were quite appropriate guards for the village. How could you argue with a balloon? What do you strike at? It is a nebulous enough thing to really be unnerving. Like a jellyfish, it exists with a simple purpose - to keep people from leaving, and it has ways to perform them (even jellyfish have stingers). I like the idea of a formitable weapon from a simple device. So what if there is no explaination of how it works? Most of the techno-wizardry was unexplained. But that's part of the given. I thought the fun was how #6 reacted to the total absurdity without going mad.

What's your opinion. I'd like to know
Jeffrey Jonas
{ihnp4 | mcnc | cbosgb} abnji ! jeff

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Thanks for the Prisoner discussion.

I don't think this fits the current discussion, but I'd love to talk about the last episode. Why are the jukeboxes in the long hallway in part 2 playing "All You Need Is Love" by the Beatles? And along the lines of the whole village being inside the imagination of #6, what is the significance of the cage when #6 supposedly goes home? Finally, the last scene of the series showing him driving his sports car across the large open space is the same as in the beginning of all the episodes (I obviously need some help remembering this - it's been six years since I last saw the series)? My theory is that the whole thing is in the mind of #6, and he never is really freed. The only real support I have for #6 being the real master is in his defeat of #2 posing as the schoolmaster in the "final" attempt at breaking him.

Hopefully, you can use these random musings in some future discussion group posting.

Alan Hedge
Hewlett Packard, Spokane, Washington

ihnp4!hpfcla!hpspkla!hedge

US Mail- E. 917 Sharp Ave., Spokane, Washington, 99202.

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One thing I wonder about is how much does "Secret Agent" have to do with "The Prisoner". There are probably a lot of references in the latter to the former.

Some time ago I saw an episode of "Secret Agent" that may have a lot to do with the creation of "The Prisoner". Somebody in British intelligence was going to defect to the Russians; Drake was sent to get him back. Drake was authorized to promise immunity to this guy, and it played a major role in convincing him to return. As soon as he stepped off the plane, he was hauled away while his wife stood by helplessly, sobbing. Drake was quite annoyed and strongly reminded his boss that he had promised; his boss replied something to the effect of "Yes, of course" and took off with the new prisoner.

Drake was clearly upset by this, and I can't help thinking it has some bearing on #6's attitude.

Julian "a tribble took it" Gomez
Computer Graphics Research Group, The Ohio State University
{ucbvax,decvax}!cbosg!osu-eddie!julian

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[Re: The Prisoner books]

They are titled "The Prisoner", "Who Is Number Two?", and "A Day in the Life" and are available for $2.95, $3.95, and $3.50, respectively from Laissez Faire Books, 532 Broadway, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10012. I ordered a whole bunch of books from them about a month ago and received all but the Prisoner books in about 2 weeks. The Prisoner books have not yet arrived.

Jim Lippard

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I just saw "Living in Harmony" and realized that what I wrote in my last message to you didn't make any sense.

Dave Tallman thinks that the behavior of the characters in "Living in Harmony" demonstrates that #6 is imagining it all. I don't think so. I think I remember one of the actors reminding the other not to get too involved in the script, and in the end the plan falls apart for this reason, sounds to me like real people having difficulty keeping track of reality.

I was sort of remembering the plot in a different order when I wrote that. But I still don't think the scene's when he's not there prove anything, it's just the scriptwriter trying to convince *us* that it's all real (#6 doesn't need any convincing).

[W. Burstein]

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A while back, I read somewhere (maybe in a newspaper article about McGoohan(sp?) before his play, "Pack of Lies" opened locally), that McGoohan is an arch-conservative, and that he really thought it was quite funny that lots of liberals were taking _The_Prisoner_ as such a statement for freedom when in fact it espoused a very conservative, restrictive viewpoint.

I can come up with a couple of ways to view the series as "conservative," but feel I'm clutching at straws... Anyone have any ideas?

--
Rich $alz {mit-eddie, ihnp4!inmet, wjh12, cca, datacube} !mirror!rs
Mirror Systems 2067 Massachusetts Ave.
617-661-0777 Cambridge, MA, 02140

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Well, I have discovered that it would be better if I sent out the Prisoner newsletter more often, with less volume, so from now on, you can expect The Prisoner no less often than every two weeks, and maybe more often.

Also, please make sure you sign your submissions. I feel kinda funny putting peoples' names on their mail, but I do it because I think it is a very good idea for everyone to know who is saying what. Makes it easier to reply.