Re:Are John Drake and Number Six the same character?
I wonder if Ralph Smart ever offered an opinion on the whole John Drake/Number Six debate.
I just finished watching Danger Man (series 1) a couple of days ago. Hurray for DVD! Now I’ve got the whole enchalata: Danger Man, Secret Agent, The Prisoner.
Yes, Drake and/or Number Six drove different cars and had different residences in each incarnation of the show:
As mentioned earlier, in series 1, he’s supposedly American, works for NATO, lives in… eh… I forget, somewhere in the US, and drives a left-hand-drive convertible roadster of some type I haven’t figured out yet.
In all of the later Danger Man series, Drake is British, works for M9, lives in (I think) London, and drives a Mini Cooper.
And in The Prisoner, Number Six is still British, works for a vague sort of espionage entity, lives at 1 Buckingham Place (London), and drives a Lotus 7.
How do I reconcile these differences? Just as you said. People change with time. From the start of Danger Man to the end of The Prisoner, we’re talking a real-world time span of at least 7 years. In the reel world of Drake and Number Six, I figure at least that much time passes as well. The changes in his residence, his job, and his car, simply reflect changes in his career and his life.
Incidentally, in one episode of Series 1 Danger Man, I was amazed to finally see Drake actually use a gun to shoot and kill someone. Granted he had no other choice in the situation, but it was still a surprise. To the best of my recollection, I don’t think I ever saw that happen again until Fall Out.