Episode 11

The Prisoner: A Change Of Mind.

The Prisoner is a 1967 British television series, starring Patrick McGoohan as “Number 6,” a top-level government agent who resigns his post. As a result, he’s kidnapped and imprisoned in “The Village”, where his captors hope to interrogate him for “information.” The series documents Number 6’s repeated escape attempts and the progressively more extreme methods employed by his captors to break his will.

Synopsis

Number 6 returns home to find Number 2 waiting for him. Number 2 warns that he has no control over the committee. A young woman named Number 86 is assigned to rehabilitate Number 6 - the first step is sending him to the hospital for treatment.

In the hospital is a room called “Aversion Therapy” where an emotionally distraught patient is shown video clips of Rover, Number 2, and the flashing word “unmutual.” Another patient shows Number 6 a scar on his temple.

The committee labels Number 6 “unmutual” and prescribes a medial treatment called “instant social conversion.” Number 2, watching everything on the omnipresent video monitors, is pleased that Number 6, the loner, will now experience total social isolation and will finally know true loneliness.

The Villagers publicly beat Number 6 with umbrellas, and force Number 6 back to the hospital. He’s strapped to an operating table, and a camera and bright lights focused - this operation is to be televised. A light beam is pointed at Number 6’s head, and from 86’s explanation, we learn this is basically a frontal lobotomy. A large grin flashes on Number 6’s face as the light shines on his skull.

After the operation, Number 6 awakes in a hospital bed. Making his way back to his apartment, the Villagers who were so violent before, now greet him with cheers, a parade, and a party.

Back home, Number 86 prepares tea - but Number 6 sees her put a pill into his drink. Ever wary, Number 6 complains of being cold. Number 86 goes to the bedroom to get a blanket, and he hurriedly pours the drugged tea into a potted plant (hmmm, why don’t the monitoring cameras see that?). At this point, Number 6 may be feigning the blitzed-out results of his brain surgery.

Assuming Number 6 is drugged, Number 2 confronts him in person, for the “information” that has so far evaded all the past Number 2s. No information is divulged.

On the second day, Number 86 again tries to administer the drug. Drumming his fingers, Number 6 complains that she doesn’t know how to make proper tea, and pours it out. He makes a new batch himself. 86 again drugs the tea, but Number 6 merely switches the cups. Number 86 is now drugged and begins to behave oddly. Number 2, watching all of this grows angry and hastily calls 86 out of the apartment, as she is in danger of screwing up the entire operation.

Number 6 ventures outside, returning to his exercise place in the woods. The two earlier assailants appear and again pick a fight. Initially unable to fight back, Number 6 soon regains his violent disposition. The fight seems to clear his head, possibly convincing him that the entire medial procedure was a ruse.

Number 6 finds a still-drugged Number 86 in the woods, picking flowers. Taking advantage of her inebriated state, he presses her for a full report on Number 6. She divulges that no frontal lobotomy occurred. Number 6 then gives Number 86 some additional instructions, for a plan of his own.

Number 6 tells Number 2 that he wants to do a public confession as that will be more effective and bring him back into good graces following his “social conversion”. Number 2 thinks this is a great idea.

A meeting is called at the public square, with the villagers gathered to hear Number 6’s speech. He announces that Number 2 should be applauded for developing the social conversion process. Suddenly, Number 86 comes forward and accuses Number 2 of being “unmutual”. Number 6 changes his speech, launching into an angry tirade the committee wanting to control everyone’s minds. He calls upon the villagers as individuals, calling for rejection of this false world.

The villagers rebel, forming a mob, and chase after Number 2 in open revolt. Number 6 seems about to escape - but at the last minute, oddly decides not to run off into the woods, instead joining the angry mob. The butler follows Number 6 holding a black and white umbrella, ending the episode.

Thoughts

This episode is a return to psychological games, most notably the society vs. the individual: the pressure to conform. The Milgram experiment notes how peer pressure can influence individual far beyond what common sense would dictate. Although we like to think of ourselves as free thinking individuals, a surprising amount of behavioral cues are taken from the group. The Village, lorded over by the various Number 2s, consistently tries to leverage the power of group think to control Number 6.

This episode also considers the power of invented words or constructed language (conlang). Number 6 is called “disharmonious” “unmutual” or a “rebel” which are just words, but ones packed with power. When the group decides “disharmonious” is the worst thing to be labeled, its meaning takes on a new power. The “conlang” word “unmutual” is defined by the Village and with the complicity of the Villagers, incites behavior that is particular to the Village, and those that understand it have their behavior reinforced by the group-think.

Why didn’t the Village actually lobotomize Number 6? It might come back to the original reason for his imprisonment. They don’t want to lose the information that only exists in his mind.

The ending of this episode is open to interpretation. Does Number 6 consciously choose to not escape? Is this the “change of mind” of the title? The Village is starting to crumble from within, and perhaps he’s now less focused on escape than destroying the Village. Or is his lack of escape actually so simple as the midget butler approaches and blocks his way?

Next Episode: Hammer Into Anvil
Previous Episode: It’s Your Funeral

IMDB: A Change Of Mind
Wikipedia: A Change Of Mind
The Prisoner Online: A Change Of Mind
Bookmice: A Change Of Mind

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