I don’t think this is much of a spoiler, but no, Rover isn’t developed any further. I think the idea is to keep the viewer unsure as to exactly what it’s supposed to be.
Maybe Rover is sentient and, in fact, No. 1?
To be fair, Rover did go on to a successful career when the show ended. I thought he was great as Wilson in that Tom Hanks movie.
Checkmate
<Note: While all the characters have numbered badges, they are never addressed by number and I couldn’t make the numbers out. In the credits they are referred to as Rook, Queen, etc. so that’s how I’ll refer to them here>
We open on Rover on morning patrol. Al the Villagers are frozen in place, as they tend to be when Rover is around except for an elderly man with a cane who walks right past Rover with no interference. No. 6 happens to see this and follows the man onto the Village Square, which has a checkerboard pattern. The man grabs 6 and asks if he plays chess. 6 says he does, and he is recruited to be part of a human chess set, acting the part of the Queen’s Pawn. Two players are to sit atop high platforms and announce their moves through a bullhorn, with the human pieces moving accordingly.
6 engages the Queen in conversation, asking if she ever resisted or tried to escape. She informs him that everyone resists, but eventually is either broken or dead. 6’s move is announced, and the game proceeds until the Rook makes an unauthorized move on his own. 6 recognizes a kindred spirit in this small act of rebellion, but before he can make contact, the Rook is hauled off to the hospital for “rehabilitation”.
No. 6 catches up with the Queen after the game, and he continues to question her about attempts to escape, but they are wary of each other. No 2 arrives and invites 6 to the hospital to witness the Rook’s “treatment”. The Rook is the subject of a Pavlovian horror show, and is released, bowed and broken.
No 6 catches up to the Rook and they, too, dance around each other on the subjects of resistance and escape., and how to tell the guards from the real prisoners. 6 has the theory that if he approaches someone in an aggressive manor, that person’s response will indicate their standing. Real prisoners will back down, while guards will push back. They test this theory on several Villagers, and soon have gathered a handful of what they believe to be real prisoners, including the Shopkeeper from Arrival.
Meanwhile No. 2 has had the Queen drugged, and has planted a suggestion that she is madly in love with 6. He gives her a locket to wear containing an “emotional transmitter”. If No. 6 tries to escape, or tries anything at all out of the ordinary, her extreme emotional response will be a signal, because, you know, she’s a female. Meanwhile, No. 6 and the Rook are stealing a radio out of a maintenance cart.
The Queen confronts No. 6 on the beach and professes her love for him. He quickly spots the locket containing the transmitter and takes it, so that’s the end of that, I guess.
6 and the Rook take the radio to the beach that night and broadcast a Mayday. They almost immediately get a response from a ship, the Pelotska, and they disguise their broadcast as coming from a downed plane as they assume (correctly) that their transmission is being monitored by Village security.
The conspirators gather after dark. The Shopkeeper is to head out on a raft and signal the Pelotska. At the same time the others take control of the Village lighthouse, also to signal the ship. They then make their way to the Green Dome, where No. 2 has been listening to the radio chatter. They overcome 2 and tie him up when the signal from the ship suddenly cuts off. 6 decides to check it out while the others stay behind to guard 2.
No. 6 returns to the beach to find the raft empty. He sees the ship offshore and swims for it. He boards the Pelotska and enters the control room only to see a video broadcast of a now-free No. 2 alongside the Rook. No 6 and the Rook accuse each other of betrayal when 2 fortunately expositions. Turns out that not only was the Pelotska a Village vessel, but, because of his authoritarian manner, everyone else in on the escape attempt assumed No. 6 was working for the Village and it was all a set-up, so they turned themselves in. The episode ends with the Butler replacing a piece on a chessboard. It’s the Queen’s Pawn.
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The chess metaphor has been a running element in every episode so far, and this one really brings it home. Watching it this week, it seems to me it should be earlier in the running order, probably second, as 6 comments several times on being “new” and still seems to be learning his way around. He also thinks conventional spy techniques will lead to freedom.
I wanted to like this episode more than I do. It’s great that No. 6 is brought down not by the machinations of No. 2 or the Village but by his own hubris. On the other hand, whole segments just make no sense. The subplot with the Queen is just silly and seems like filler. And why take the time to incapacitate No. 2 when rescue is just minutes away, when it just increases the risk of being captured? Also why leave everyone to guard 2 when he is already tied up?
Also, 6 heading for the ship on his own and leaving the others behind is kind of a dick move.
That’s 5 out of McGoohan’s “Essential 7”. Everything else other than the final 2 he considered “filler”, which some of it is, but there’s some really good stuff in there as well.
Next week,The Schizoid Man. Be seeing you (twice).
The Schizoid Man
No. 6 is helping No. 24 with her mentalist act. She’s able to correctly identify cards as he looks at them without showing them to her, and they appear to have a legitimate psychic bond. While practicing 6 accidentally bruises his thumb under the nail, and 12 captures it in a photo.
That night No 2’s agents enter 6’s cottage a drug him in what has now become a nightly ritual. The keep him captive for some time, and condition him to change from being right handed to left, and to enjoy flapjacks (pancakes, I guess). They also dye his hair jet black. Several days or weeks must have passed, because we see them reset the calendar to the day after he was abducted. 6 awakens to discover that not only has his hair color changed, he’s also grown a nifty pornstache.
He heads over to the Green Dome because what the fuck? and No. 2 greets him as No. 12. Apparently 12 bears a strong resemblance to 6, and has been brought to the Village to impersonate him, the idea being that if 6 doubts his identity, he’ll break. So the Village is pulling a double switcheroo – convincing No. 6 that he is actually No. 12 who will be impersonating No. 6, while the real No. 12 is impersonating the real No. 6. <For the sake of my sanity I’ll be referring to our No. 6 as 6/12 and the imposter as 12/6>.
6/12 returns to his cottage where he is soon joined by 12/6. Helpfully, 12/6 is wearing a white blazer with black piping, where 6/12 wears the opposite, because the real No. 6 would never wear white after Labor Day. Anyway, they spar verbally for a while, and then decide to settle the matter with pistols at dawn (not really, but that would have been awesome). They do go to the Village rec center, where they compete in fencing and some electronic target practice. 6/12, still not entirely comfortable as a lefty, does not do well, not even in the polite British fisticuffs that follow.
Once again they find themselves back in No. 2’s office, and he proceeds to question 12/6 as if he were the genuine article. With both men claiming to be No. 6 for reals, 2 tries comparing fingerprints, but that proves inconclusive. 12/6 suggests that a more reliable way to tell would be the small mole on the real 6’s wrist. Of course 6/12 has had his mole removed while 12/6 had it added. 6/12 has a better idea – call in No. 24 so he can demonstrate the psychic link. They do, and she gets every card 6/12 looks at wrong, while getting all of 12/6’s correct. So that went well.
That night 6/12 starts getting flashes of his conditioning while sleeping, and 2, observing, takes it mean that he’s about to crack. The next morning 6/12 notices the bruise under his nail and finds the photo taken by 24 earlier. This triggers more flashbacks of the conditioning, and, finally realizing what has been going on. 6/12 decides to electrocute himself, but only succeeds in somehow becoming right handed again.
6/12 heads over to confront 12/6. Pretending to be broken and ready to talk gets 12/6 to lower his guard, so 6/12 can beat the snot out of him. 12/6 gives up the password – schizoid man – that he uses to identify himself to No. 2. While heading to the Green Dome, they are intercepted by Deus Ex Rover, who is clearly confused. Rover finally decides to kill 12/6 because……well, just because.
6 (we can go back to just 6, now) identifies himself to No. 2 as No. 12, tells him the plan failed, and that No. 6 is dead. Rather than checking for that mole, No. 2 takes him at his word, although a couple of parts of the conversation seems to send up a red flag. 6 is packed and ready to be sent home. While getting into the helicopter, No 2 tells him to give his regards to Susan, and No. 6 says he’ll do that. The helicopter takes off so we can think that 6 has pulled it off, but then it lands and No. 2 informs him that Susan is dead. Foiled again.
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I thought this was a pretty good episode, although not all of it makes sense. For five episodes he has been fighting the notion of being a number, and here he has to prove that he really is No. 6 I don’t know if the numbers given to the two other featured players were coincidence or meant to be significant, but 12 is of course, 6x2, and 24 12x2.
The reason Rover killed No. 12 is never adequately explained. Surely 6’s bruise would have healed in the weeks he was being conditioned. And for a spy, No 6. Isn’t very good at thinking on his feet. His attempts to cover his slip-ups during the final exchange with No. 2 are clumsy, and when 2 tells him Susan died a year ago, he should have said “Oh HER? I thought you meant Susan Lefkowitz in HR”. Also, betrayed by a woman again. Stupid females!
Next week – The General. Be seeing you.
No worries. Since it just seems to be the two of us,I can wait until you are back.
Just letmeknow when you are ready to move forward.
Glad you enjoyed it. i’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on Schizoid Man, and then we’ll move on.
Yeah, I’m disappointed too :).
I don’t think 12 was supposed to be a clone (which I don’t think most people have even heard of back then). Someone once said that everyone has a twin somewhere, and I think that 6’s working for the Village is just supposed to be coincidental.
Rover has killed before, though here it makes no sense. Rover shouldn’t have killed No. 6, and had no reason to kill No. 12.
And it wasn’t all split-screen. Many of the scenes included McGoohan’s stunt double.
I agree with you 100%. And since it just seems to be the two of us, I guess I can skip the recaps. :)
It definitely just felt like filler, and it’s never made entirely clear why this was supposed to be such an evil plan on the part of No. 2. I guess it’s supposed to be a test of a system to be used for mind control or some such, but that’s sort of handled as an aside. Also the depiction of the computer doesn’t age very well, but was typical for the 60’s I guess.
A, B & C, coming up next, is considerably better.
I didn’t mind the top hats so much as that was a callbaci to the introduction of each episode.
I actually used to own the device that was used to take the tokens when I was a kid.
Boy are you in for a disappointment
You didn’t. I may be forgetting, but I don’t think there are any others.
So. A, B and C and the return of krazykrok’s favorite No. 2. I don’t remember him being such a weasel in The General. As to his return, in the original series run the two episodes weren’t back to back, so it’s possible it’s supposed to be the same actor playing two different No. 2’s. Or maybe he just keeps his job because he’s No. 1’s nephew.
After all he’s been through, No. 6 still drinks whatever is put in front of him without a thought. Worst spy ever.
No 14’s super secret lab was apparently not only designed by the guy who designed the Death Star, but has zero security.
One thing I’m noticing in this watching is that the population of the Village seems to change with the whim of the writers. Sometimes the streets are crowded, in other episodes almost deserted.
Overall an OK episode, The most significant thing is that for the first time No. 6 is able to take control of the situation and turn the tables on No. 2. This marks a turning point in the series.
Next week, A Change of Mind. I’m real curious to hear your thoughts on that one.
Be seeing you.
Ha.
I think the idea was that 6 replaced the drug with water (I had the same thought about Vodka). I didn’t get the feeling that he was faking being knocked out - I took it as the tap water was drugged as a backup.
No. 6 taking control is a real pivotal moment, which is why it makes more sene for this episode to be placed roughly in the middle. In the original run it was third.
FWIW next week’s episodes was one of my favorites, but it’s been years. I’m hoping it will hold up,
What to do about the weirdos? One of the ways a society is defined is how it addresses the freaks, geeks, dweebs, and unmutuals, and A Change of Mind addresses this brilliantly.
Back in the 60’s and earlier, dealing with people who were outside of societal norms, either sexually or otherwise, by way of either electroshock therapy or a lobotomy was not uncommon, so the Village’s method of Instant Social Conversion was in keeping with the times.
McGoohan gives one of his better performances. I like snarky/playful No. 6 much better than the bitter/pissed off version. And for the second episode in a row, he’s able to take control of the situation and turn the tables on No. 2.
McGoohan directed (under the name Joseph Serf), and I’ve never understood why he didn’t include this one as one of the “core” episodes.
Next up: Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling. That should make for an interesting discussion.
You still in? I just watched DNFMOMD, but don’t want to comment on it for fear of spoiling it for you.
No problem. Let me know when you want to catch up
Oy. DNFMOMD. I didn’t want to say anything in advance because I wanted to watch it again to see if it’s as bad as I remembered. It’s not. It’s worse.
The backstory is that McGoohan had been cast in Ice Station Zebra, so was going to be off filming for a while, and they needed an episode without him. Instead of an interesting 45 minutes centered on No. 2 or the Butler, or even Rover, we get this mishegoss built around a McGuffin that doesn’t even make sense in the story.
No way to reverse Salzman’s process? How about just switching the minds back again, dumbasses? In the end, that’s all he did, anyway. Plus, at this point 6 has been in the Village for over a year, and now finally has his freedom. You’d think he’s at least consider staying in his new body for a while, if nothing else long enough to find the Village and destroy it, It’s not like his mind was transferred to a dwarf with a hunchback and a hairlip (apologies to any Qt3’ers who think I’m talking about them). Plus the gyrations they go through to avoid referring to 6 by a name are cringe-inducing.
The absolute nadir of the series.
Next week, It’s Your Funeral. Be seeing you.
I would argue that while The General has aged poorly in terms of it’s depiction of technology, it at least attempted to address what many were concerned was happening in education at the time - that kids were just learning rote facts and figures. For that reason it’s a better episode.
Posting a day early because I’d like to get through the next couple of episodes quickly since, frankly, they don’t merit a lot of discussion.
. It’s Your Funeral. OK for filler, I suppose, although it didn’t add up, even in the world McGoohan created.
We get a transition ceremony that we’ve never seen before, and never will again. The whole plot of maneuvering No. 6 into discovering the assassination plans just so he could be discredited makes no sense, when it would have been simpler to keep him from discovering them at all. And the departing No. 2 isn’t really safe at the end, considering he’s leaving in the official Village helicopter.
Anyway, on to The Girl Who Was Death. Be seeing you.