Number Two (Patrick Cargill) interrogates a stubborn female prisoner, Number 73 (Hilary Dwyer), who is in the Village hospital, suffering from depression. In his frustration, he attacks her and Number Six (Patrick McGoohan) rushes in to help her. In the commotion, she leaps from her bed and jumps to her death from the window. Six swears to Two that he will pay for his cruelty.
Number Two brings Number Six to the Green Dome and they begin a war of nerves. Number Two, quoting Goethe, says that one must be either hammer or anvil. Number Six asks, “And you think I’m the anvil?” Aware that he is being watched at all times, Six begins to act suspiciously, as if he were a double agent. He buys six copies of Bizet’s Arlésienne Suite at the music store and plays them all, regarding his watch. Then he writes out a message—D-6 to X04—and Number Fourteen (Basil Hopkins) retrieves it, convincing Number Two that Number Six is a spy.
Number Two is agitated, wishing he could kill Number Six. Number Fourteen offers to do so and make it look like an accident. He challenges Six to a vigorous game of Kosho but is unable to beat him. Number Six leaves a cuckoo clock at Number Two’s door and Number Two calls the bomb squad. Six attaches a message to a pigeon and sets it free in the woods. Number Two’s people capture it and the message says Six will send a signal the next morning. At the appointed time, Six flashes a light out to sea in Morse code, which says, “Pat a cake, pat a cake, Baker’s man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can.”
Number Six convinces Number Two that Number Fourteen is conspiring against him. Since no-one is able to decipher Six’s messages, Two comes to believe that everyone is involved in the conspiracy. Six does a Putin on Fourteen and throws him out a window. In the end, Number Two believes that Number Six is D-6, a man sent by XO4 to test Village security. Six charges Number Two with treason and states that Two’s duty is to report it. Number Two calls the hotline to Number One to ask to be replaced
The episode was written by Roger Woddis and directed by Pat Jackson. Patrick Cargill also appeared in the Many Happy Returns episode as Thorpe, but it is not said whether it is supposed to be the same person. Unusually in this episode, Number Six does not attempt to escape. Since Number Six signs the note as D-6, some take it to mean that Six is Drake from Danger Man. Perhaps it’s the fans who are being punked. Oh, and Orwell’s answer to the Goethe quote? It’s always the anvil that breaks the hammer.