The Prisoner in the Gulag: Once Upon a Time, Fall Out and Conclusions
The introduction to this series of posts considering whether The Prisoner could reference Soviet Russia may be found here: https://culttvblog.substack.com/p/the-prisoner-in-the-gulag-introduction
Once Upon a Time
There is a possible Soviet Russia interpretation of the bizarre events of the episode in that they could allude to unethical experimentation on people and poor treatment of mentally ill people.
However this episode always reawakens another of my pet theories about the show, which is that even if not actually Number 1, the Butler is the boss. In Hammer into Anvil, when Number 6 sends Number 2 off his head and he screams at the Butler to get out, the Butler does just that, taking his little suitcase with him. A butler is by definition a servant, and thus mainly required to do what he’s asked, however I do not think that anyone in the position of a butler in the Village would be able to just walk out. I don’t believe that any of the guardians would be able to walk out, because they also have information of the sort which has caused the inmates to be held there. The fact that the Butler can just leave suggests a huge amount of privilege or power for him.
In Once Upon a Time we see him ring a bell to summon Number 2, a very unservile thing to do, and also Number 2 has to ask him twice to do something. He behaves very much ina way which would not befit a servant and this always makes me think he isn’t a servant at all. Other people question successive Number 2’s various actions but they don’t feel they can summon him or just ignore him. This suggests the Butler is far from being a butler.
Fall Out
I have been forced to conclude that the events of Fall Out can’t be interpreted as a possible allusion to life in Soviet Russia. Yes, it makes reference to the recurring themes of conformity, however in such a bizarre way that I think it should be discounted as a reference to a real place.
In fact I continue to find Fall Out a remarkably unsatisfying ending to the show, and the identification of Number 6 as Number 1, something of a cop out. I notice that no proposed viewing order for The Prisoner has ever placed Fall Out anywhere except at the end, and would at some point like to consider a random order, or at least try viewing it in an order where Fall Out is not at the end, or is missed out completely. I think possibly Many Happy Returns would be a more satisfying end to the series, ending with Number 6’s return to the Village and a clear message that he isn’t going anywhere.
Conclusion
In conclusion I think it certainly possible to see allusions to life in the Cold War era Soviet Union in The Prisoner. There are possible references to psychiatrisation of dissent, punishment of non-conformity, propaganda, and so on.
However as I have concluded after every attempt to understand The Prisoner in a particular way, I still think that it cannot be interpreted in a single way, and every possble interpretation of the show only applies so far. I note that every interpretation so far has tended to fall apart at the final episodes, and this one is no exception. However, in the future I am looking forward to going back through the series following the assumption that nothing is real at all, which I think will bring out an interesting perspective on the series.
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