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Here’s a little fuel for the fire.
In “Many Happy Returns,” Number Six identifies himself as “Peter Smith” to Mrs. Butterworth, after he escapes from the Village and makes his way back home. It has often been said that there is no reason to believe that is his real name.
But that is not true. 🙂
At the time Number Six gives his name as “Peter Smith,” he is attempting to prove to Mrs. Butterworth that he once lived in her apartment. After he gives this name, he asks to see the lease of the apartment, and the log book of the car. Upon examining the lease, he remarks, “This is a new one. Yours is the first name on it.”
At the time he gave his name as “Peter Smith,” he could not have known that his actual name would not appear in either the lease of the apartment, or the log book of the car. And if his real name HAD appeared in one or the other, and it wasn’t “Peter Smith,” that would certainly have hurt his attempt to prove his identity to Mrs. Butterworth.
Therefore, it would have been in Number Six’s interest to give Mrs. Butterworth his real name. Or at least a name he expected to see in either the lease or the log book.
And here is the gray area. It is entirely plausible that Number Six, working in a highly placed top secret job, might have a residence and car registered to a false name.
Thus, in the end, I would say that there IS reason to believe that “Peter Smith” could be his real name, but there is still no way to be sure.
On a side note, it is interesting that when Number Six leaves Mrs. Butterworth and his apartment, he tells her, “I have to make two important calls. One in the country, and one in town.”
Well, we know that the one in town is when he drives back to his old offices. But what could the one in the country be? This remains completely unexplained, as far as I know. Yet you’d think they must have had something in mind, or they wouldn’t have written it into the script. Add to this the fact that the script for “Many Happy Returns” differs considerably from the broadcast episode (at least the few bits I’ve been able to read), and you have yourself an interesting little mystery.
Thoughts?
No. 241
sgtdraino wrote:And here is the gray area. It is entirely plausible that Number Six, working in a highly placed top secret job, might have a residence and car registered to a false name.
Not just plausible I would say, but very likely. And Smith is a very cliche alias.
As for the “in the country” phone call: Perhaps he was planning on going back to/ searching for the countryside where he encountered the gypsies, erm Romanis, and making a call from that area to bring people there because he felt they might have some valuable information that correlates with his story (or just because he wanted his ex-colleagues to try their delicious beef stew).
First off, by “I have to make two important calls,” he meant in person. Not phone calls.
Second, my personal impression was that it was something much more important than hunting down the romanies. 🙂
Remember, Number Six is even afraid that the police are looking for him. He would probably try to minimize his time spent out in the open.
Sure wish I had access to a full original script of “Many Happy Returns!”
No. 241
When in Romani (territory)…
Oops about the phone calls; did initially understand, and then I was working towards a phone call joke, but messed up (confused myself). ‘Twas rather hastily written.
Maybe it’s a reference to Town and Country magazine. From memory, I still think it had to with visiting the Romaines for whatever reason — a cute girl perhaps lol, a hearty gypsy meal. Perhaps he wished to join their raggle taggle group. Being stuck in The Village so long he probably developed a real wanderlust, and he could disappear with them (be an icognito romani) Some people join the circus, others…
Or perhaps he just wished to heed the call of the wild (i.e countryside).
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