The Prisoner #012
Date: Friday, 14 March 1986 21:20 mst
From: ihnp4!psuvax1!burdvax!sjuvax!iannucci at SEISMO.CSS.GOV (Dave Iannucci @ St. Joseph's University)
Subject: Prisoner #012
Reply-To: sjuvax!iannucci at SEISMO.CSS.GOV
To: sjuvax!prisoner-dist at SEISMO.CSS.GOV
The Prisoner #012 03/14/1986 Moderator: Dave Iannucci (iannucci@sjuvax.UUCP)
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From: princeton!cmcl2!lanl!dspo!tallman (Charles David Tallman)
In watching "Many Happy Returns" again I saw a couple of interesting details. The front room of the Prisoner's cottage in the Village is a copy of the study on the first floor of his place in London, the room in which he was captured. Details copied include: the tiger-skin rug, the ceramic cats above the TV, the pale sofa, and the writing desk. In "Arrival" one wall is lifted up to reveal the kitchen and bedroom of the cottage. Copying a room is apparently Village policy, since they do the same to Nadia in "The Chimes of Big Ben". Or it may confirm my theory that #6 never actually leaves this room in London. He collapses there and the rest is a dream.
I was never sure before that the Russian gun-smugglers were ringers sent to intercept #6's raft. It seemed the most probable explanation, but it was possible they were innocently involved. But this time I saw the cans of beans they were eating were labeled "Village Foods".
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"Welcome to your home-from-home."
Dave 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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From: Richard Kane <princeton!seismo!BBNCC5.ARPA!rkane>
On the subject of comments for mail.prisoner, it's too bad that people have gotten lazy about participating. I have now recently seen and recorded the entire series, and am quite disappointed with the final episode. It really bears no resemblance at all to the style and attitudes which pervade most (if not all) of the "regular" shows. I think that the premise of the series is an interesting one with a lot of potential, but my impression is that the people who were in charge either lost steam midway through production, or couldn't agree how to carry it all out. I think the series suffers a lack of continuity (or purpose) from having different writers responsible for all of the episodes. There was always the common thread of #6's captivity, but there were varying degrees of efforts employed to extract from him the reason for his resignation. I personally feel ripped-off, and really no longer have as high an opinion of the show as I once did. Perhaps if they had ended the series with episode 16, there would have still been questions from viewers, but at least we would have been spared the farce of episode 17. I feel insulted that the series's loyal followers were served this nonsense to wrap up an event for which we have had a great deal of respect.
Rich
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[mod.: This is a reprint of a net article from some time ago]
From: conde.osbunorth@XEROX.ARPA
The Penny Farthing bicycle seen on each Villager's badge, as well as being a general symbol of the show, is supposed to symbolize how the small wheel (the common man) is pulled by the large wheel (society in general). According to Stan Tenen (who hosted the show when it was on KQED, San Francisco) 7 years ago when he came to visit our Prisoner club, one of the early showings of the Prisoner had the end title of the bicycle dissolve into a picture of the earth with the moon orbiting it. This was also supposed to show the tug of earth's gravity prevented the moon from going elsewhere on its own. (Please..no Space 1999 comments). I think I the same thing after Fall Out, but you may want to keep any eye for it during the current run on KTEH, San Jose and elsewhere.
Also of note is the pyramid with the eye seen in the court room during Fall Out. When that was shown, the authors of the Illuminati series came to the show to discuss how the symbol is seen everywhere.
The show seems to have many obvious and not so obvious symbols strewn about. As a matter of fact, the reading list at the end of the "Prisoner Puzzle" from TV Ontario has Carl Jung's "Man and His Symbols" as a recommended text for studying the series. Some people may carry the analysis of symbols too far, but it's still fun to talk and think about.
Incidentally, I wrote to TV Ontario about 7 years ago for a copy of the Prisoner Puzzle, but they won't send it to you unless you are an educational TV station or the like. Perhaps you could encourage your local TV station to acquire it for you. Then they could go sell it to you during a pledge drive.
Dan "A Still Tongue Keeps a Happy Life" Conde, No. Sqrt(-1)
conde.pa@Xerox.ARPA
END OF Prisoner #012
