We are all Pawns #8 - Dance of the Dead

I love this Number Two–um–too. I also love this episode. It is one of my favorites, up there with Chimes of Big Ben and A, B, and C. I wonder if memorable Number Two has anything to do with that. My favorite Number Two are Mary Morris and Leo McKern. There are others–like Colin Gordon’s two-timer, but yeah, these two–um–Number Two are personal favorites. I love that eye roll, and I look forward to seeing it every time I watch this episode. It’s the hint Mary Morris’ Number Two still has some prisoner roots in her. She’s just finished reassuring her boss that she will miss him at the party followed immediately by the eye roll that she would absolutely hate the thought of her boss being there. Clearly, the boss is a buzzkill. And not to get too “hey, these kids today, get off my lawn” or anything, but whoa, you kids today are young. Back in my day, Peter Pan was always played by a woman on stage. Sandy Duncan being THE Peter Pan when I was young. Adding just a touch of modern interpretation to the stage portrayal, this makes Peter Pan a trans boy, right? Adds a whole layer to the reason he doesn’t want to leave Never-Never Land and become an adult and accept adult things. Would this include more traditionally conservative gender roles? Also there’s a lot of cross-over energy between Peter Pan and Puck. This is another episode where The Village is less interested in breaking The Prisoner and more interested in just breaking him in, so to speak. He’s learned the gates are well guarded and nobody is looking for him because the world beyond The Village’s Never-Never Land thinks he’s dead. As Leo McKern’s Number Two said back in Chimes of Big Ben, he doesn’t really care why The Prisoner resigned, but it’s a crack in The Prisoner’s armor. If they can force that crack by getting him to admit why he resigned, then the dam will burst, and the rest will follow. Now, I suppose The Village’s intense interest in why he resigned could be taken as a sign the place is run by Her Majesty’s government since they would be really super interested in why he quit. Also if they break him, then he’ll be less uppity and independent, and they could put him back to work.

Keith D. Jones