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From: davidl@tekecs.UUCP (David Levine)
Newsgroups: net.tv
Subject: Re: The Prisoner
Message-ID: <2010@tekecs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 1-Sep-83 14:45:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: tekecs.2010
Posted: Thu Sep  1 14:45:50 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 3-Sep-83 04:46:24 EDT
References: pyuxn.179
Lines: 51

The news system told me this bounced so I'm trying to post it again...
please forgive multiple copies.

Answers to questions about The Prisoner:

The large white things were Rovers, the Village's perimeter defense and
guard system.  Whenever anybody tried to escape a Rover would track him
down and envelop him, suffocating him to unconsciousness or death.
Rovers were apparently quasi-living machines and were under direct
control from Village Central, although they displayed some meager
intelligence from time to time (see "The Schizoid Man").  Rovers were
capable of fantastic speeds on either land or water.

There was always a New Number Two from week to week to emphasize that,
although the people in power may change, the power structure remains
constant.  This was pointed up in the episode "Free for All."  (This
point makes more sense in the British system, where elections are held
at random intervals.)

I wasn't aware that the theme changed from episode to episode, although
the opening sequence was spoken by whoever was playing #2 that week.

	6: Where am I?
	2: In the Village.
	6: Who are you?
	2: The new Number Two.
	6: Who is Number One?
	2: You are Number Six.

	6: Whose side are you on?
	2: That would be telling.
	6: What do you want?
	2: We want information.
	6: You won't get it!
	2: By hook or by crook, we will.
	   We want information... information.
		
	6: I am not a number, I am a free man!
	2: <laughter>

(Forgive any errors, it's been a few years since I've seen it...)

The information that "they" wanted from #6 (the Secret Agent Man) was
why he had resigned.  It was never made clear why this was important,
nor did we (the audience) ever learn the answer either.

As to the significance of the final episode, your guess is as good as
mine.  Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones....

  -- David D. Levine   (...decvax!tektronix!tekecs!davidl)      [UUCP]
                       (...tekecs!davidl.tektronix@rand-relay)  [ARPA]