The Prisoner: episode 17: Fallout

And Well Done.

A (side of the) truth in every considered scene, distorted, confused by cacophony and simultaneously offered angles; divining a representative view, (and) composing a statement accessible by all interests (may have) required the eclectic, wild, disparate, (cubist?) style manifested in this final episode where Number Six, McGoohan, hegemony, youth, history, now (the late 60's) collide into a single, reflexive space.

Under The Village: a missile, subterfuge, new-speak, the Beatles singing "All You Need is Love," reflections behind ape masks behind theatre masks under cloaks behind cameras, resurrection, insurrection, defection, dem bones dem bones, and an open-sided trailer barreling along the highway as the greatest escape... succeeds?

The jilting journey ends with an electronic hum, and we are left wondering: How big, really, is The Village?

-DM

This post is very, very overdue…8 months overdue to be exact – perhaps the time it takes to be away from The Village and to be able to look back on it and make sense of that experience, or perhaps the time it takes to miss The Village and long to be back. And what’s not to miss. In the final episode The Village breaks down into the chaos I had hoped for, into the cacophony of sounds and the blur of images, the masks, the chanting, the singing, the chasing, the moment we always knew was coming (could we really have expected Number 1 to be anyone else?). Finally we are set in motion, perhaps propelled into motion – marching down tunnels, chasing around rooms and through rooms, barrelling down highways – all set to music, familiar enough to be catchy, ill-fitting enough to be slightly unsettling. McGoohan and Kanner put in perfectly fitting over the top performances to wrap up their characters, and just enough of the inner workings of The Village were revealed to answer some questions but leave a few mysteries behind.

…and then, like Number 6, we simply step out and disappear into the quiet of everyday life. It all ends as suddenly as it began, much like this project – but like so much in life, also with the chance to repeat itself, perhaps with slightly less anticipation and surprise than an entirely new experience, but with the benefit of familiarity and the opportunity to be retold and relived through (hopefully) wiser eyes.

as.

sandwiches: round 18: Bridge

Having been six months since our last Prisoner viewing, we needed something to bridge the time since then and perhaps to bridge into what comes next.

Drinks: to each his own


Dave's Last Quarter Kosho: Sliced roast duck with homemade plum sauce, crushed almond, and finely diced duck skin. (The name derives from my having purchased the very last piece of chicken at the Congee Noodle House: 1 quarter of duck. I was a lucky duck, as my sandwich relied on this purchase.)

Angelica's "French Toast" inside and out sandwich: polenta, raisins, pecans, cranberries, holiday syrup, salt and pepper mixed up, spread thin, cooled, cut into triangles and pan fried in olive oil and served with a sauce of blueberries, raspberries and chipotle, and a dab of sour cream.


AS on DM: a wonderful blend of flavours and the first bite made me remember how much and why I love this sandwich project. The duck was fantastic and the homemade plum sauce far better than any store bought jar could ever dream of being. I wished for a little more presence out of the cashews...they blended just a little too well and got a little lost for me. The texture was there, but not so much the taste. Overall, a delicious experience, but perhaps just a little too smooth.

AS on AS: so my sandwich wasn't exactly possible to pick up, nor did it use any real bread, but I will insist it had all the necessary sandwich elements. I was pleasantly surprised how well the polenta turned out as bread and the mixed in fillings offered a surprise with each bite. I personally enjoyed the bites with the pecans the most - a pleasant hot crunch. My fillings were on the outside, but well worth the effort of using a fork to successfully transport upwards and over for a dainty bite. My original plan was for cinnamon in the berry sauce, but the chipotle added a bit of a surprise punch and cooled off nicely with the sour cream. Served hot, it was the perfect finish (and complement) to the duck (speaking of duck, I polished off the leftover duck shortly thereafter because BBQ duck truly is a fine food).

DM on DM: Bridges = Asian flair in British Columbia (ala Prisoner world i.e. Kosho the trampoline fighting sport); getting an ingredient, prepared, at a restaurant (which AS and i frequent for non-Prisonersandwiches nights); a savoury starter leading into the more dessert-like creation of AS. On taste, the overall effect was successful, but the almonds disappeared like too-small bacon bits on a peanut butter sandwich; i need to work on balance like Number Six's Kosho opponents.

DM on AS: I liked the bridge theme interpretation. I liked the taste even more. After the salty, sweet, tanginess of the Last Quarter Kosho, this french toast was perfect. I liked the cutlery requirement change-up, and i loved the friendly bite of chipotle. A winner any time of day.

The Final Verdict:

AS: Awwww, this is the final verdict, for the official viewing of the series anyhow (this can't be it for sandwich battles, can it?). I give mine a slight edge despite it being a bit abstract as a sandwich. It's flavours popped out a little for me and each bit had an element of pleasant surprise.

DM: The edge goes to Angelica for theme interpretation, taste, and as always, presentation. i believe that i am a stronger sandwich creator because my collaborator/opponent is so strong.