The Prisoner/Hammer into Anvil

Hammer into Anvil
Season 1, Episode 10
Airdate	December 10, 1967
Written by	Roger Woddis
Directed by	Pat Jackson
← 1x09 Checkmate	1x11 → It's Your Funeral
The Prisoner — Season One

Hammer into Anvil is the tenth episode of the first season of The Prisoner. Number Two declares that he will break Number Six, but went he starts seeing an intricate plot devised by Six beginning to form, he begins to break down.

Starring: Patrick McGoohan (Number Six)

Guest Star: Patrick Cargill (Number Two)

with Victor Maddern (Band Master), Basil Hoskins (Number Fourteen), Norman Scace (Psychiatric Director), Derek Aylward (New Supervisor)

and Angelo Muscat (The Butler), Hilary Dwyer (Number Seventy-Three), Arthur Gross (Control Room Operator), Peter Swanwick (Supervisor), Victor Woolf (Shop Assistant), Michael Segal (Laboratory Technician), Margo Andrew (Shop Kiosk Girl), Susan Sheers (Female Code Expert), Jackie Cooper (1st Guardian), Fred Haggerty (2nd Guardian), Eddie Powell (3rd Guardian), George Leach (4th Guardian)

Plot Overview

In a hospital, a woman who goes by Number 73 is recovering after an attempted suicide by slashing her own wrists. Number Two uses this chance to turn her against her husband so that she'll give up his location. From outside the hospital, Number Six hears a bloodcurdling scream coming from the woman's room and, in the ensuing madness, sees her leap out a window in terror. Number Two declares that Six will "pay" for interfering and later phones him, requesting his presence at his home. Six declines, but is mobbed by several of Number Two's thugs and forcefully taken to the green dome for an audience with Number Two. Because of Two's involvement in the death of 73, Six is even more hostile towards him than he usually is. This causes Two to slap him across the face after threatening him with a sword. This incident causes Number Two to get a call from his superiors, which effectively deflates his position of power.

Satisfied with the powerlessness of Number Two, Six leaves to buy a newspaper and six copies of L'Arlésienne Suites. He listens to the first bit of all six in the store's listening booth, much to the curiosity of the store clerk. He returns all of the copies saying that the recording are not satisfactory and leaves his newspaper, on which he drew a question mark and circled "Security" in the subheading "Security of the Community." The proprietor of the shop calls Number Two and heads directly for the green dome with all of the records and the newspaper in tow. Two thanks him for his vigilance and sends him on his way with the records. Confused by Number Six's scheme, Number Two spies on him from the camera in his home, where he sees Six write something down on a piece of paper and fold it in half.

One of Number Two's cronies is sent to Number Six's home to retrieve the piece of paper and bring it to Number Two. On the paper, Number Two is referred to as "instable" and seems to be replying to a query by "X.O.4." about the records. Early in the morning, Number Six awakens and takes a piece of paper with him to rendezvous with someone. Aware of this, Number Two and Number 14 follow him from a distance, hoping to uncover his plot. They watch him head to the stone boat, deliver the message and leave. The two discover this new note in a parcel and Number Two investigates further, only to find blank pages. Number Two calls a scientist from the laboratory to examine the pages, even though they seem to be blank. All of their tests come through with a negative result, which frustrates Number Two to no end. Number Two suggests that perhaps the scientist is hiding something from him. While this is going on, Number Six places a personal advertisement in the next edition of the Tally Ho, which he claims is a short excerpt from Don Quixote. He also phones the head of psychology about the "report on Number Two," which makes Number Two suspicious about the psychiatrist's involvement in whatever Number Six is planning.

Number Six continues his suspicious behavior by asking the band to perform a tune off L'Arlésienne Suites and walks away while they perform it. Number Two interrogates the band leader about what Six is doing and believes him to be in on a plot as well. After visiting 79's grave in the graveyard, Number Six drops off some post which is intercepted by the government. According to the supervisor, the letter is to Number Six from Number 113, who wishes him a happy birthday even though 113 is deceased and it isn't Number Six's birthday. Number Two screams about conspiracy and fires the supervisor.

After Number Two discovers the personal ad placed earlier, Number 14 suggests that he do something about Number Six to prevent more of these attacks on Number Two's credibility occur. Number Two doesn't give him an answer but instead meets Number Six outside of his chambers. Six tells him that he was called by someone impersonating Number Two and departs shortly after. He later buys a small notebook from the general store, as well as a cuckoo clock. The shopkeep mentions this to Number Two and explains that he seemed more interested in the box than the clock. Number Two comes to the conclusion that it must be a bomb and calls in the village bomb squad. While they're fooling with an ordinary clock, Six has captured a pigeon with his box. He makes his way to a restricted area with his box, writes out several numbers on a notepad and sends them with the pigeon into the sky. They track the bird and use a laser to bring the bird down and have its message deciphered. Later on, Number Six heads to the beach with a mirror and uses it to send Morse code signals to an unseen collaborator. The message is deciphered as "Patty Cake" and Number Two is convinced that this is some kind of new code that the computer is not programmed to decipher.

In the morning, Number Six confronts Number 14 and starts speaking in a strange way to make him believe it is code. The waiter who sees this exchange of words calls Number Two and explains what happened, but it sends Number Two into a fit of madness, declaring everyone he meets traitors. Number 14 tries to fight Number Six in his home for destroying his position as Number Two's right hand man. As always, Number Six gets the upper hand and tosses him through the door. To drive out the answers he seeks, Number Six joins Number Two in his inner chambers and suggests that if he were planted to check on village security, then Number Two interfered and sabotaged the plan. Thoroughly broken, Number Two is told to report himself to his masters, although he doesn't explain just who they are. He does exactly this, leaving the position open for a new Number Two.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• The Village: Aside from the newspaper, The Tally Ho, the village seems to also have a number of magazine publications including Village Weekly and Village Journal. Both can be seen in the newsstand in the general store.

Trivia

The Show

• Theme: The heart of this episode is based around the Goethe quote from the beginning, "Du mußt Amboß oder Hammer sein," or "You must be Anvil or Hammer." The implication being that one is the breaker and the other is the broken. Six asks "And you see me as the anvil?" and Number Two retorts "Precisely. I am going to hammer you." However, Two had this quote backwards. It was said by George Orwell in an essay called Politics and the English Language that "in real life it is always the anvil that breaks the hammer, never the other way about."