Tag: Hammer Into Anvil

December 1, 1967  Season 1 Episode 10

If you want to see where we are…HERE is a list of the episodes.

I love this episode because Number 6 really plays mind games with Number 2. This one would be in my top 2-3 episodes. A lot of the episode’s punch comes from Patrick Cargill as Number Two. Number Six realizes the current Number Two is a sadistic person who enjoys breaking people mentally. He plays him as confident and controlling, but also touchy about status and easily rattled when things stop going his way. That’s a contrast to some of the more theatrical Number Twos, because Cargill’s version feels like a real administrator, a man who believes rules, regulations, and pressure will solve everything. Number 6 turns Number 2’s paranoia on himself. The last scene of this episode might be the best in the series.

The episode starts with an attempted suicide by a lady. Later, when she is upset in the hospital, Number 6 tries to help her, but she jumps out the window to her death. Number 6 has been mad before, but in this one, he is seething after that happened, and deservedly so. He was then essentially kidnapped to go see Number 2. This is where the games began. I won’t list the details because I don’t want to spoil it.

Number Two treats the Village like a machine, and he expects everyone, including Number Six, to fit into it. Number Six refuses, and instead of reacting predictably, he studies how the place works and looks for the weak points. As the episode unfolds, Six carefully manipulates the system around him. He uses coded messages, staged behavior, and the Village’s own surveillance against Number Two, making it appear that Two is losing control. Number Two, who thrives on control, begins to unravel under the pressure, seeing threats where there may be none and second-guessing everything he does.

The more Number Two tightens control, the more he reveals how dependent he is on being feared and obeyed. Number Six keeps his distance, letting the pressure build until Number Two starts making mistakes in public. Number Two collapses under the weight of his own tactics, and the Village will replace him like a broken part. The episode serves as a warning about control and what happens when a person becomes nothing but the role they play. This episode also shows that the administrators don’t even trust each other. Be Seeing You!

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