It’s probably blasphemy for a science fiction writer to admit this, but I’ve never been a Star Trek fan. While my SF writer friends were immersed in that universe, I was busy watching (and re-watching, and re-re-watching) the original Mission: Impossible, thereby ensuring that, somehow, I was out of step even with my own tribe.
That said, I have to say I was impressed by Jordan Hoffman’s article at Playboy ranking every Star Trek episode ever made. Not enough to actually read every review, mind you; that’s an exercise for the converted. But the very audacity of tackling such a project spoke to the obsessive completist in me. Wouldn’t it be nice, I thought, if my favorite television show had a similar list?
So, of course, I made one.
The original Mission: Impossible ran from 1966-1973 on CBS, and in light of all the amazing television that’s been produced since then, one would be hard pressed to call it one of the best shows of all time. But I do think, in its own clandestine way, it’s one of TV’s most influential series, and not just on the spy shows that followed in its wake. (Television history’s mission-of-the-week landscape is littered with popular shows that owe a debt to Mission, from cagey, comedic imitators like The A-Team and Leverage to sprawling, serialized spy dramas like 24 and Alias.) Mission: Impossible is influential TV in general; it changed the way television was made, bringing cinematic techniques to the small screen. Especially compared to the stagy, talky fare of its era, Mission was a mini-movie every week, full of rapid cuts, insert shots, dialogue-free visual storytelling, complex, intertwining storylines, and innovative sound editing, all backed by the iconic music of the legendary Lalo Schifrin, among others. Nothing else looked, sounded, or felt like it.
I still recall staying up until midnight to watch the reruns every night as a teenager. The theme song used to raise the hackles on the back of my neck. Watching it was ritualistic, and for good or ill, its influence is stamped indelibly on me. Yes, it’s dated. Yes, many of its episodes are flawed, unrealistic, even flat-out terrible. But Mission: Impossible matters to me, and I’ve loved it ever since I first saw the lighting of the match.
In keeping with Hoffman’s piece, I’ve established my own set of rules. 1) The movies don’t count. 2) The 1980s revival series doesn’t count. 3) Two- or three-part episodes count as one episode. That’s it. In short, I’ve limited myself to the original series only, the real deal. Perhaps not as impressive as Hoffman’s enterprise – pun intended – but hey, the Mission: Impossible franchise has a smaller cultural footprint than Star Trek. (Which, if you ask me, is just how “the Secretary” would have wanted it.)
So without further ado…
163. “The Fountain” (Season 7, Episode 17)
In a hard-fought battle for worst Mission ever, this one takes the “crown.” Here the IMF convinces the least observant, most gullible mark in series history that they’ve discovered the Fountain of Youth. What better way to track down the account books of an organized crime operation? Ham-fisted, dull, and silly, “The Fountain” is a late-run flop that, like many season seven episodes, is derivative of earlier ones – and, in this case, not even good earlier ones. Nice robes, though.
- Phelps (Peter Graves) and Barney (Greg Morris) drug Bachman (George Maharis) in “The Fountain”
- After the “plane crash” in “The Fountain” (Greg Morris and George Maharis)
- Willy (Peter Lupus) and Casey (Lynda Day George) “save” an injured raccoon in “The Fountain”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) ladles water from “The Fountain”
- Bachman (George Maharis) examines his new face in “The Fountain”
162. “The Visitors” (Season 6, Episode 11)
Mission was at its worst when it actively attempted science fiction. Here the IMF plan only works because the villain believes in UFOs and aliens, and is obsessed with immortality. So the IMF plan convinces him that they are, uh, immortal aliens. This is one of the episodes “The Fountain” steals from, for which it should probably be punished – making this a tight race for the bottom spot.
- Granger (Steve Forrest) takes a call in “The Visitors”
- Willy (Peter Lupus) and Phelps (Peter Graves) go to work in “The Visitors”
- Barney (Greg Morris) portrays a shifty chaffeur in “The Visitors”
- “Alien” Casey (Lynda Day George) works the mark in “The Visitors”
- Casey (Lynda Day George) is “revived” by alien technology in “The Visitors” (with Peter Lupus, Peter Graves, and Steve Forrest)
161. “Incarnate” (Season 7, Episode 16)
In a series hungry for colorful, eye-catching shtick, Mission often succumbed to the lure of “supernatural cons” full of ghostly eyeball kicks. Alas, its ghost stories (with some exceptions) are generally just as poor as its science fictional ones. Here, the IMF guilt trips a crime boss into an extradition trap using voodoo lore and a bag of spooky tricks. Barney plays a witch doctor. Need I say more? Awful.
- Rare female villain Hannah O’Connel (Kim Hunter) in “Incarnate”
- Thomas (Robert Hogan) is attracted to Casey (Lynda Day George) in “Incarnate”
- Casey (Lynda Day George) tries to keep jealous suitor Willy (Peter Lupus) from strangling her new beau in “Incarnate”
- Hannah (Kim Hunter) makes a shocking discovery in “Incarnate”
- Barney (Greg Morris) as a witch doctor in “Incarnate”
160. “The Pendulum” (Season 7, Episode 20)
A white-collar terrorist organization is planning an attack on the US government, and the IMF needs to stop it. As the preposterously named “Gunnar Malstrom,” young Dean Stockwell can’t rescue this clumsy affair full of cartoon villainy and cringeworthy dialogue. This is Mission: Impossible as a faint shadow of its former self.
- The apartment scene from “The Pendulum” (with Greg Morris, Peter Graves, and Peter Lupus)
- A dinner date for Malstrom (Dean Stockwell) and Casey (Lynda Day George) in “The Pendulum”
- Greg Morris and Lynda Day George in “The Pendulum”
- Malstrom (Dean Stockwell) explains himself to Willy (Peter Lupus) and Barney (Greg Morris) in “The Pendulum”
- In the final moments of “The Pendulum,” Phelps (Peter Graves) gets a crucial piece of intel through his earpiece
159. “The Miracle” (Season 6, Episode 6)
In order to intercept a massive heroin shipment, Phelps implements a scheme to convince hardened criminal Frank Kearney (Joe Don Baker) that he’s gotten a heart transplant from a priest – an operation which, thanks to post-hypnotic suggestion, changes his very personality. (How’s that for an existential crisis?) Baker’s explosive performance fails to distract from the ludicrous concept. At least Lynda Day George has a good outing here.
- Joe Don Baker guest stars in “The Miracle”
- Barney (Greg Morris) portrays a heart surgeon in “The Miracle”
- Casey (Lynda Day George) pays a hospital visit in “The Miracle”
- Billy Dee Willams guest stars in “The Miracle”
- Kearney (Joe Don Baker) dodges a drive-by shooting in “The Miracle” (with Lynda Day George)
158. “Image” (Season 6, Episode 17)
Fortunately, the villain in this piece (George Voskovec) has a mysterious birthmark on his chest. This enables the IMF to…drumroll…convince him that he has a separated-at-birth Siamese twin with whom he shares a symbiotic relationship! Cheesy hypnosis scenes and Tarot readings contribute to the relentless silliness. Check, please…
- Warren Stevens guest stars in “Image”
- “Image” features a basement break-in by Willy (Peter Lupus)
- Casey (Lynda Day George) assists an IMF accomplice in his pose as the mark in “Image” (with George Voskovec)
- Barney (Greg Morris) hypnotizes Emil Gadsen (George Voskovec) in “Image”
- Gadsen (George Voskovec) meets his comeuppance in “Image” (with Peter Lupus)
157. “Crack-Up” (Season 7, Episode 17)
To identify a mob assassin’s boss, the IMF hypnotizes him into thinking he’s losing his mind. The assassin (Alex Cord) is so susceptible to hypnosis, in fact, they can make him do just about anything! Which makes you wonder why they didn’t just ask him to reveal the name of his boss. Oops! Not only bad, but profoundly forgettable.
- The teaser assassination in “Crack-Up” (with Alex Cord)
- Phelps (Peter Graves) prepares the tape message in plain sight in “Crack-Up”
- Cordel (Alex Cord) is roped by guest IMFer Sandy (Marlyn Mason) in “Crack-Up”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) drops subtle hints to the mark in “Crack-Up”
- Cordel (Alex Cord) cracks up in “Crack-Up”
156. “A Ghost Story” (Season 5, Episode 21)
This week the team waltzes into the compound of paranoid fascist leader Justin Bainbridge (Andrew Duggan) in search of a corpse laced with traces of a chemical nerve agent. Alas, a corpse would have been more formidable than the villains of “A Ghost Story.” Clearly you’re not paranoid enough if you hire Jim Phelps to tutor your grandson, and you’re a pretty bad fascist if you let enemy agents cut through a chain-link fence and infiltrate your headquarters in broad daylight. More haunted house shenanigans characterize this uninspired, jeopardy-free mess, which feels more like Scooby Doo than Mission.
- The apartment scene from “A Ghost Story” (Peter Graves, Lesley Ann Warren, Leonard Nimoy, Peter Lupus, and Greg Morris)
- The villainous Justin Bainbridge (Andrew Duggan) of “A Ghost Story”
- Barney (Greg Morris) handles a crucial piece of IMF tech in “A Ghost Story”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) ascends a staircase into a spooky attic in “A Ghost Story”
- Dana (Lesley Ann Warren) hears creepy noises in “A Ghost Story”
155. “Encore” (Season 6, Episode 2)
This outrageous spectacle from writer Harold Livingston, Mission’s least subtle scribe, is a time warp con in which yet another Syndicate heavy (William Shatner) is tricked into thinking he’s woken up back in 1937! To make this happen, the IMF rebuilds, in perfect detail, an entire city as it was 30-odd years earlier, and temporarily reverses the mark’s aging. Seriously? Ugh. There is a kind of cheesy fun to the period costumes and dated, slangy lingo, but mostly this is just…stupid.
- Barber Willy (Peter Lupus) prepares Thomas Kroll (William Shatner) for his undoing in “Encore”
- Peter Graves in “Encore”
- Season five semi-regular Sam Elliott has one last appearance in season six’s “Encore” (with Greg Morris)
- Thomas Kroll (William Shatner) wakes up miraculously young again in “Encore”
- Lynda Day George and Michael Baseleon in “Encore”
154. “The Deal” (Season 7, Episode 3)
An international locale is a novelty this late in the series, but that’s the only plus in this blasé affair, in which the IMF works to prevent the mob from doing business with a Caribbean dictator. An artlessly structured combination of recycled shtick and infodumpy dialogue, “The Deal” plays very much like the desperate attempt of a script doctor to produce something filmable on a tight schedule. There’s nothing here you can’t find more effectively executed in earlier episodes.
- Peter Graves and Barbara Anderson in “The Deal”
- The heavies (Robert Webber and Robert Phillips) take shots at Willy in “The Deal”
- Mimi (Barbara Anderson) poses as a con with mark Marcy (Lana Wood) in “The Deal”
- Willy (Peter Lupus) has a rough mission in “The Deal”
- “The Deal” guest star Lloyd Bochner
153. “The Merchant” (Season 5, Episode 23)
While this is one of Harold Livingston’s least outlandish scripts, it still doesn’t work. Borrowing the strategy of “Odds On Evil” and the technology of “The Emerald,” “The Merchant” pits the IMF against the hapless Armand Anderssarian (George Sanders) in a scheme to foil an arms deal. Unoriginal and inept, with some of the loudest costumes in Mission history (and that’s saying something).
- Prepping for the con in “The Merchant” (Greg Morris, Lesley Ann Warren, and Leonard Nimoy)
- George Sanders guest stars in “The Merchant”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) is interrogated by Cpt. Ionescu (Todd Martin) in “The Merchant”
- Leon (Jan Merlin) watches a technology heist in “The Merchant”
- Lesley Ann Warren in “The Merchant”
152. “Speed” (Season 7, Episode 19)
The IMF strikes at the operation of an amphetamine dealer through his conveniently speed-addicted daughter. Muddled tactics, an over-familiar milieu, numerous implausibilities, and Central Casting characters abound. It’s even got a character who can’t seem to tell when he’s kissing a woman with a latex mask on. Very poor.
- Greg Morris sports a short-lived moustache in “Speed”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) poses as a surveyor in “Speed”
- Margaret Hibbing (Jenny Sullivan) motorcycles through San Francisco in “Speed”
- Bohemian ne’er-do-well Zinc (Jesse Vint) causes problems in “Speed”
- Claude Akins guest stars in “Speed” (Peter Graves in foreground)
151. “Run for the Money” (Season 6, Episode 13)
This bland divide-and-conquer mob tale – one of way too many such plots in seasons six and seven – is basically a rewrite of “The Contender” with a horse-racing backdrop. Its primary flaws are generic dialogue and lifeless execution. The cast, especially Lynda Day George and Peter Graves, does its level best with weak material.
- Phelps (Peter Graves) and Casey (Lynda Day George) argue in “Run for the Money”
- Another break-in for Barney (Greg Morris) in “Run for the Money”
- Casey (Lynda Day George) attempts to charm Trask (Richard Jaeckel) in “Run for the Money”
- In “Run for the Money,” a day at the races for Peter Lupus and Peter Graves
- Barney (Greg Morris) flattens a sniper in “Run for the Money”
150. “Mindbend” (Season 6, Episode 4)
Watching Mission: Impossible requires a willing suspension of disbelief at the best of times, but “Mindbend” beggars the effort. The Syndicate is brainwashing expendable criminals to turn them into programmed assassins. In order to neutralize the operation, the IMF sends “fugitive” Barney in undercover as the villains’ latest recruit. The Manchurian Candidate this isn’t; hokey, unrealistic, and poorly executed.
- Greg Morris takes center stage in “Mindbend”
- The villain of “Mindbend,” Donald Moffat, with Lynda Day George
- Brainwashed Barney (Greg Morris) loses control in “Mindbend”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) infiltrates the laundry facility headquarters of the villains in “Mindbend”
- Barney (Greg Morris) seeks his target in “Mindbend”
149. “The Connection” (Season 6, Episode 14)
A mildly interesting attempt by season six standards, “The Connection” pits the IMF against drug smuggler Reese Dolan (Anthony Zerbe) in a plan to identify both the source and the distributor of his nascent heroin-transport operation. The Big Store is ambitious: the IMF convinces the heavies that a US island is actually off the coast of French North Africa! Alas, this globe-trotting tale is derailed by scattered execution and an ill-considered wild card – an irrational enemy agent who gets wind of the IMF plan and runs around randomly fouling things up. Zerbe, arguably the series’ best recurring villain, can’t save this mess.
- Anthony Zerbe makes his final appearance on the show in “The Connection”
- In “The Connection,” Casey (Lynda Day George) plays Madame Renata
- Peter Graves in “The Connection”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) and Willy (Peter Lupus) with guest IMFer Simone (Françoise Ruggieri) in “The Connection”
- Peter Lupus in “The Connection”
148. “The Western” (Season 7, Episode 21)
A master thief’s art heist is hidden somewhere on his property. In order to get the thief to lead them to it, Phelps’ plan involves convincing him he’s having precognitive visions of an earthquake that will destroy a dam and wash his treasures away. A clumsy fusion of a better earthquake episode (“The Survivors”) and, yes, even a better precognition episode (“The Bargain”), “The Western” is unmemorable and derivative. As for the title: well, there’s a shootout on an abandoned ghost town set. Meh.
- Ed Nelson guest stars in “The Western”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) rigs the mark’s home for a phony earthquake in “The Western”
- Ed Nelson and Lynda Day George in “The Western”
- Matthew Royce (Barry Atwater) during the ghost-town shootout of “The Western”
- Van Cleve (Ed Nelson) leads the IMF to his stash in “The Western”
147. “Hit” (Season 7, Episode 9)
More run-of-the-mill crime stuff: the IMF needs incarcerated mob heavy Sam Dexter (Dane Clark) to identify his mysterious boss, known only as “the General,” so they convince Dexter that the General has put out a contract on him. Done before, done better. There’s moderate fun to be had watching Greg Morris and Peter Lupus as posturing tough guys in the prison yard, and The Brady Bunch’s Robert Reed makes a spirited appearance, but “Hit” is largely forgettable.
- Dane Clark guest stars as the villainous Sam Dexter in “Hit”
- Mimi (Barbara Anderson) testifies in “Hit”
- Prison yard conflict between Barney (Greg Morris) and Willy (Peter Lupus) in “Hit”
- Crooked attorney Arthur Reynolds (Robert Reed) questions Mimi (Barbara Anderson) in “Hit”
- Barney (Greg Morris) initiates a prison break in “Hit”
146. “Cocaine” (Season 7, Episode 6)
The target of this operation is “the most important distributor of cocaine in the United States.” The strategy: tempt the crooks with an unimpressive “miracle machine” that manufactures synthetic cocaine. At least Willy gets to be the scientist! The villain (William Shatner) sleepwalks into Phelps’ trap in this unremarkable caper.
- William Shatner guest stars in “Cocaine”
- Mimi (Barbara Anderson) lures the villain in “Cocaine”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) makes a crucial “mistake” in “Cocaine”
- Scientist Willy (Peter Lupus) in “Cocaine”
- In “Cocaine,” Conrad (William Shatner) schemes with crooked cop Barney (Greg Morris)
145. “Trapped” (Season 6, Episode 22)
It took six seasons, but Mission finally falls prey to that hoary old TV trope: sudden onset amnesia. The IMF goes through the motions of another divide-and-conquer mob story, an over-familiar scenario only marginally influenced by Phelps’ mid-mission, bonk-on-the-head memory loss. Sometimes when the plan falls apart it makes for an interesting episode; other times, you get “Trapped.”
- Casey (Lynda Day George) rehearses for her role in the “Trapped” apartment scene
- The crime family of “Trapped” features Bert Convy and Tom Tully
- A blow on the head knocks Phelps (Peter Graves) senseless in “Trapped”
- Peter Lupus receives increasingly common tough-guy roles late in the series (here in “Trapped”)
- In “Trapped,” amnesiac Phelps (Peter Graves) seeks aid from kind-hearted waitress Annette (Sharon Acker)
144. “Ultimatum” (Season 7, Episode 10)
For the first and only time in the series, a villain threatens to detonate a nuclear bomb in a US city. Hard to believe it took seven seasons for this premise to turn up, and also unfortunate, since the show’s best writers were long gone by the time it was explored. A rickety contraption of shopworn Missionisms, “Ultimatum” manages, somehow, to be boringly unpredictable. Peter Graves and Barbara Anderson have fun with their Bonnie and Clyde subplot, at least.
- Phelps (Peter Graves, right) explains the stakes in the “Ultimatum” apartment scene (with Peter Lupus)
- The villains of “Ultimatum,” Murray Hamilton and Madlyn Rhue
- Mechanic Willy (Peter Lupus) delays Dr. Jerome Cooper (Murray Hamilton) in “Ultimatum”
- Peter Graves and Barbara Anderson get their “Bonnie & Clyde” on in “Ultimatum”
- A sniper (Donnelly Rhodes) jeopardizes the mission in “Ultimatum”
143. “The Fighter” (Season 7, Episode 18)
You’ve probably gathered by now that season seven of Mission: Impossible isn’t very good. Everything about this late episode feels exhausted: the Syndicate crime bosses, the divide-and-conquer strategy, the familiar, recurring actors, the boxing world backdrop. Every plot element here was cherry-picked from earlier hours, with nothing to freshen the formula.
- “The Fighter” guest actors: William Windom, Herbert Jefferson Jr., and Joe Maross
- The apartment scene in “The Fighter” (with Peter Lupus and Greg Morris)
- Pete Novick (Geoffrey Deuel) is interviewed by Casey (Lynda Day George) in “The Fighter”
- Willy (Peter Lupus, right) lays down the law in “The Fighter” (with William Windom)
- Phelps (Peter Graves) surrenders in “The Fighter”
142. “The Rebel” (Season 5, Episode 11)
Season five strays more frequently from formula, which makes “The Rebel” moderately interesting. It opens with the mission already in progress – a rarity – and everything quickly goes to hell, with Dana getting captured and Phelps taking a bullet. Also, the IMF are in a contentious, unusual collaboration with fiery revolutionaries. Alas, the production is a fiasco, introducing an incongruous counterculture vibe to a traditional Mission scenario that can’t seem to decide where in the world it’s set. Interestingly, IMF newcomer Doug (Sam Elliott) talks back to Phelps, but I don’t think that scene influenced the title of this tedious and slapdash hour.
- Dana (Lesley Ann Warren) and Phelps (Peter Graves) talk their way past a checkpoint in “The Rebel”
- Peter Graves in “The Rebel”
- In “The Rebel,” Doug (Sam Elliott) shows some gruff bedside manner to patient Phelps (Peter Graves)
- Mark Lenard guest stars as Colonel Bakram in “The Rebel”
- Leonard Nimoy in “The Rebel”
141. “Nerves” (Season 6, Episode 12)
In the midst of the mob rut that plagues the last two years of the show, “Nerves” might have been a breath of fresh air, with a little more work. In this one, domestic terrorists are planning to unleash nerve gas on Los Angeles. To stop them, Phelps orchestrates a prison break to follow the lead terrorist’s girlfriend to her beau, and the threat. Lynda Day George and Tyne Daly gender-swap shtick from The Defiant Ones in a grimy find-the-bad-guys plot, a surprisingly rare foray into counter-terrorism for the IMF.
- Convicts Sareta (Tyne Daly) and Casey (Lynda Day George) are chained together in “Nerves”
- Christopher George guest stars in “Nerves”
- Barney and Willy work the van in “Nerves” (Greg Morris, Peter Lupus)
- Peter Graves during the finale of “Nerves”
- “Nerves” takes the show on location to the Griffith Observatory in LA (with Christopher George, Greg Morris, and Peter Graves)
140. “The Hostage” (Season 5, Episode 13)
A potentially intriguing premise is given a clunky, unsophisticated treatment in “The Hostage,” an off-duty episode. Shortly after a successful mission in Latin America, Paris is about to head home after a job well done. Unfortunately his cover is so convincing that revolutionaries abduct him, deciding he’d make a great bargaining chip in realizing their radical agenda. The IMF unexcitingly improvises his rescue in an hour that might have been an interesting experiment, but isn’t.
- The villains of “The Hostage,” Robert Siomney (Lou Antonio) and Jorge Cabal (Joe De Santis)
- Paris (Leonard Nimoy) feigns an illness in “The Hostage”
- Sam Elliott as Doug in “The Hostage”
- Paris (Leonard Nimoy) and Dana (Lesley Ann Warren) scheme their escape in “The Hostage”
- In the home stretch of “The Hostage,” Barney (Greg Morris) and Dana (Lesley Ann Warren) prepare for the final break-out
139. “Homecoming” (Season 5, Episode 4)
Season five’s mandate was to shake up the series’ formula, but “Homecoming” takes it too far. In this one, Phelps visits his home town on vacation, but a serial murderer compels him to call in the IMF. This off-duty attempt to give us a glimpse of the man behind the mastermind falls flat. It’s a low-rent Agatha Christie whodunit tinged with small-town soap opera, and while there’s a certain novelty value, there’s not enough Mission: Impossible in it. A great performance from Loretta Swit, though.
- Phelps (Peter Graves) comes to the aid of Connie Hastings (Sharon Acker) in “Homecoming”
- Unusually, the “Homecoming” briefing takes place at a dinner party (Peter Lupus, Leonard Nimoy, Greg Morris, Lesley Ann Warren)
- Midge (Loretta Swit) divulges the home-town gossip to Phelps (Peter Graves) in “Homecoming”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) wrestles with troubled Viet Nam veteran Seth Morley (Frank Webb)
- Jilted boyfriend Paris (Leonard Nimoy) confronts waitress Dana (Lesley Ann Warren) in “Homecoming”
138. “The Freeze” (Season 3, Episode 11)
Writer Paul Playdon brought a vital new sensibility to the show when it was most needed in season three, but this early effort is a clumsy misfire. To locate a villain’s heist loot before the statute of limitations runs out, the IMF propels him into the future in a convoluted “time warp” con. He sees through the ruse, but not its second layer, and leads the team right to their prize. The build-up works, but the episode falls apart as soon as the mark climbs into the cryogenic freezing chamber, waking up in a less-than-futuristic 1980. Ambitious, but disappointing.
- Donnelly Rhodes guest stars in “The Freeze”
- Willy (Peter Lupus) and Barney (Greg Morris) hustle to build a “cryogenic chamber” in “The Freeze”
- Doctor Rollin (Martin Landau) delivers bad news in “The Freeze”
- In “The Freeze,” Dr. Rollin (Martin Landau) and Nurse Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) orient a time-warped villain (Donnelly Rhodes) to the future
- Raymond Barret (Donnelly Rhodes) leads the IMF to his stash in “The Freeze”
137. “Takeover” (Season 5, Episode 14)
To propel their man to the governorship, crooked politicians enlist a provocateur to stir up campus violence for their candidate to heroically quash. The IMF shuts them down. Season five brought in Lesley Ann Warren and Sam Elliott to tap into a younger vibe, and while “Takeover” finally gives them (especially Warren) some appropriate material, this is another of those middling domestic crime gambits that pad out the series’ later years.
- Greg Morris, Lesley Ann Warren, and Sam Elliott in the “Takeover” apartment scene
- Barney (Greg Morris) poses as a police officer in “Takeover”
- Mayor Tallman (Lloyd Bochner) is blackmailed by Paris (Leonard Nimoy) in “Takeover”
- Young activist Dana (Lesley Ann Warren) shows some attitude in “Takeover”
- Provocateur Billy Walsh (Richard Kelton) rigs a booby trap in “Takeover”
136. “Underwater” (Season 6, Episode 8)
You’ll never believe this, but this week the IMF mission is to put some bad guys “out of business for good.” A half-hearted, unexciting hour in which the IMF tracks down a shipment of stolen diamonds, which have been stashed at the bottom of the ocean. The plot mechanics aren’t half bad, but the execution is pretty lackluster.
- Fritz Weaver guest stars in “Underwater”
- Peter Graves in “Underwater”
- Barney (Greg Morris) executes a bust-out in “Underwater”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) plays a sleazy scuba instructor in “Underwater”
- Lynda Day George and Peter Lupus in “Underwater”
135. “The Missile” (Season 5, Episode 16)
Another season five “mission-gone-wrong” episode, “The Missile” has a surface premise that might have been decent: convincing an enemy agent that the phony missile guidance system he’s plotting to steal is the genuine article. The plan is upset, however, when Dana is randomly abducted by a deranged auto mechanic (John Beck). This out-of-left-field wild card is unnaturally random, and it doesn’t help that most of the episode’s other details are clumsy and obvious.
- David Sheiner guest stars in “The Missile” (with Lesley Ann Warren)
- In “The Missile,” Dana (Lesley Ann Warren) and Phelps (Peter Graves) pose as lovers in a blackmail scenario
- Willy (Peter Lupus) rescues Barney from a fire trap in “The Missile”
- Dana (Lesley Ann Warren) falls into the clutches of a deranged maniac (John Beck) in “The Missile”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) helps Reed (David Sheiner) steal the guidance system in “The Missile”
134. “The Question” (Season 7, Episode 16)
A unique premise is blandified by the inferior writing and production values of season seven in “The Question.” An enemy assassin defects to the west, and the IMF must resolve the question: is he a genuine defector, or is he posing as one in a misinformation ploy? It’s a refreshing objective, but the shoestring production isn’t particularly inspired, despite engaged work from guest IMFer Elizabeth Ashley.
- Willy (Peter Lupus) and Phelps (Peter Graves) swipe Varsi (Gary Lockwood) out of protective custody in “The Question”
- Jason Evers guest stars in “The Question”
- Guest IMFer Andrea (Elizabeth Ashley) and Barney (Greg Morris) drive the getaway ambulance in “The Question”
- Guest stars Gary Lockwood and Elizabeth Ashley in “The Question”
- Andrea (Elizabeth Ashley) tries to get out of hot water in “The Question”
133. “Blast” (Season 5, Episode 18)
The IMF inserts Phelps and Dana onto the crew of a terrorist group that’s been executing bank heists to finance their anti-American operations. This drab affair tries to generate drama between the members of the gang with a Desperate Hours hostage scenario, but the result is a generic, budget-conscious hour with a bottle-show centerpiece.
- Phelps (Peter Graves) and Dana (Lesley Ann Warren) penetrate a criminal gang in “Blast”
- The Desperate Hours setpiece of “Blast (with Peter Graves, Henry Darrow, Kevin Hagen, and Laurence Haddon)
- One of the odder moments of “Blast” (featuring Leonard Nimoy)
- Dana’s cover is blown in “Blast” (Lesley Ann Warren)
- Barney (Greg Morris) makes a timely appearance in “Blast”
132. “The Party” (Season 5, Episode 22)
“The Party” allows tactical spectacle to overpower strategic coherence. The IMF tricks an enemy agent, who possesses a vital piece of intelligence, that he’s being repatriated. How? By throwing a party for him in his own embassy, right under the enemy’s noses. An audacious conceit, but this one goes to great lengths to spring a trap that doesn’t logically follow from all the elaborate hugger-mugger.
- “The Party” apartment scene (Leonard Nimoy, Peter Lupus, Sam Elliott)
- Antoinette Bower guest stars in “The Party”
- The setpiece con of “The Party” (with Antoinette Bower, Frank Marth, and Lesley Ann Warren)
- Barney (Greg Morris) dismantles a bomb in “The Party”
- Leonard Nimoy and Lesley Ann Warren in “The Party”
131. “Movie” (Season 7, Episode 8)
Speaking of budget-conscious, how about we have the Syndicate take control of the entertainment industry? That way we can shoot on the studio lot with impunity! A reasonably well executed fake-film gambit is the highlight of this otherwise mediocre episode…well, that and watching Greg Morris portray a haughty European film director. Mission vet John Vernon provides his usual reliable villainy.
- Barbara Anderson and Peter Graves in the apartment scene from “Movie”
- European film director Barney (Greg Morris) is greeted at the airport by John Brent (William Smith) in “Movie”
- On the set in “Movie” with Greg Morris, Barbara Anderson, and others
- Peter Lupus squares off against the heavy in “Movie”
- John Vernon guest stars as mafioso movie producer Norman Shields in “Movie”
130. “The Field” (Season 5, Episode 17)
Another season five outing that attempts to jazz up its classic Mission elements with unexpected complications. An IMF plan to take out a satellite full of nuclear missiles is nearly derailed when the expert Paris is impersonating comes under suspicion for murder, which ultimately strands Barney in a live minefield. Barney’s infiltration is fun, but this episode has one foot in the classic Mission camp and another in “mission-gone-wrong” territory, without being entirely satisfying in either.
- During the apartment briefing, Phelps uses a visual aid in “The Field”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) exexcutes a break-in during the early stages of “The Field”
- Cpt. Strom (H.M. Wynant) pressures Paris (Leonard Nimoy) to fix a malfunctioning minefield in “The Field”
- Barney (Greg Morris) swaps in a faulty circuit board to foul a satellite in “The Field”
- Homicide detectives (Milton Selzer and Michael Baseleon) threaten to derail the mission in “The Field”
129. “Time Bomb” (Season 4, Episode 12)
A rogue agent in a foreign nation is plotting to detonate a massive bomb in a nuclear reactor, fomenting a crisis likely to escalate into atomic war. Some inventive elements, but the script feels rushed, and the various plot elements simply don’t come together successfully. Barbara Luna makes for a fetching guest IMFer, but Phelps’ guise as a flamboyant artist is a major casting misstep.
- Morgan Sterne guest stars in “Time Bomb”
- Willy (Peter Lupus) orchestrates a key detour in “Time Bomb”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) portrays an eccentric stained-glass artist in “Time Bomb”
- Guest IMFer Wai Lee (Barbara Luna) is “injured” during an IMF ruse in “Time Bomb”
- The climactic scene of “Time Bomb” sees Barney (Greg Morris) working to disarm an atomic bomb
128. “Shape-Up” (Season 6, Episode 5)
A waterfront crime caper that once again deploys ghost-story shenanigans to maneuver the mark. It’s not the worst example of its type, but the cause-and-effect mechanics of the plot aren’t very solid, and much of the acting is a let-down. Guest star Gerald S. O’Laughlin is spooked much more effectively in season two’s “The Killing.”
- Peter Lupus and guest star Lonny Chapman in “Shape-Up”
- “Shape-Up” features Barney (Greg Morris) as a southern longshoreman and Phelps (Peter Graves) as a Swedish ship’s captain
- Lynda Day George in “Shape-Up”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) takes cover in the hold of a ship in “Shape-Up”
- Barney (Greg Morris) gives Frank Delaney (Gerald S. O’Loughlin) some parting comments in “Shape-Up”
127. “The Elixir” (Season 3, Episode 7)
The widow of a Latin American leader plans to leverage her cult of personality into a coup d’etat. The IMF thwarts her by tricking her into submitting to plastic surgery before her big moment of triumph…only to steal her very identity. It’s an earlier, slightly less outrageous take on the Fountain of Youth con. While the ruse is colorful, it requires a vain and gullible villain – an unfortunate characterization for one of the series’ only female villains.
- Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) and Phelps (Peter Graves) arrive on the scene in “The Elixir”
- The devious Riva Santel (Ruth Roman) is interviewed by Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) in “The Elixir”
- An IMF film crew in “The Elixir” (Peter Graves, Peter Lupus, Greg Morris)
- Riva (Ruth Roman) examines some IMF-planted clues in “The Elixir”
- In “The Elixir,” a plastic surgeon (George Gaynes) assists Rollin (Martin Landau) with an audacious “identity theft”
126. “The Code” (Season 4, Episode 1)
Leonard Nimoy’s spirited performance as a mysterious revolutionary leader named “El Lider” is the only bright spot of “The Code,” the dud hour that disastrously introduced viewers to season four. The IMF’s mission is to crack a code, and it’s about as exciting as watching somebody actually crack a code. There’s potential behind the ideas here, but an iffy script and unspectacular production values fail to realize it.
- Michael Constantine guest stars in “The Code”
- Barney (Greg Morris) sneaks onto the enemy compound in “The Code”
- Leonard Nimoy as “El Lider” in “The Code”
- Harold Gould guest stars in “The Code”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) and Willy (Peter Lupus) attempt to decipher “The Code”
125. “Encounter” (Season 6, Episode 7)
A mildly interesting episode in which the IMF leverages the villains by convincing them that one of their wives, the alcoholic Lois Stoner (Elizabeth Ashley), may be spilling mob secrets after joining an encounter group. The Casey-as-Lois masquerade strains credibility, but Ashley holds the spotlight well during Phelps’ New Age-y psych sessions, while Peter Lupus has fun playing a cocky arsonist.
- Elizabeth Ashley guest stars in “Encounter”
- The villains of “Encounter,” Lawrence Dane and Val Avery
- Phelps (Peter Graves, center) coaches an encounter session (with William Smith and Elizabeth Ashley)
- Casey (Lynda Day George) gets help from Phelps (Peter Graves) after taking a bullet in “Encounter”
- Willy (Peter Lupus) gets heavier-than-usual screen-time in “Encounter”
124. “Imitation” (Season 7, Episode 22)
The last original Mission: Impossible ever aired is a passable blend of classic style and familiar, crime-world backdrop. Here the IMF works to recover the crown jewels of a foreign nation from a shifty criminal. The whirlwind romance between Greg Morris and Barbara McNair doesn’t really work, but McNair is a refreshing antagonist, and there’s a smidgen of the old-school flair on display.
- Eddie (Thalmus Rasulala) during the inciting heist of “Imitation”
- Barbara McNair and Pernell Roberts guest star in “Imitation”
- Jena Cole and Greg Morris in “Imitation”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) takes on a particularly ruthless persona in “Imitation”
- Barney (Greg Morris) cracks a vault in “Imitation”
123. “Flip Side” (Season 5, Episode 2)
The IMF connects the dots on an illicit pharmaceutical-smuggling operation in “Flip Side,” an early season five episode and one of the few that manages to make decent use of Lesley Ann Warren. Overall, it’s a mediocre hour that panders to the youth demographic, but it has a unique milieu, effective guest stars, and some fun action sequences for Barney as he breaks into a moving semi-truck.
- Sal Mineo guest stars in “Flip Side”
- Barney (Greg Morris) breaks into a pharmaceutical truck in “Flip Side”
- Leonard Nimoy and Lesley Ann Warren in “Flip Side”
- In “Flip Side,” the sleazy Diego Maximillian (Robert Alda) fends off an angling Paris (Leonard Nimoy)
- The IMF gets an update in “Flip Side” (Peter Graves, Lesley Ann Warren, Peter Lupus)
122. “Mastermind” (Season 4, Episode 8)
“Mastermind” is a respectable attempt to sell an utterly absurd idea. To obtain a criminal kingpin’s blackmail file, the IMF puts him into a fake coma, then convinces his lieutenant that he’s communicating telepathically via a medium (Paris). It’s a silly, ill-advised sci-fi premise, although effectively carried off under the circumstances.
- Barney (Greg Morris) poses as a window washer to infiltrate the villains’ HQ in “Mastermind”
- Dr. Phelps (Peter Graves, center) places Stone (Paul Stewart) in an iron lung to work the mark (Donnelly Rhodes)
- Medium Paris (Leonard Nimoy) pitches the central con of “Mastermind”
- Merrick (Donnelly Rhodes) puts pressure on Willy (Peter Lupus) in “Mastermind”
- Stone (Paul Stewart) confronts Merrick (Donnelly Rhodes) in “Mastermind”
121. “Blues” (Season 6, Episode 10)
Greg Morris delivers a memorable turn as a junkie rock singer in “Blues,” which attempts to disguise its increasingly familiar divide-and-conquer strategy with loud clothes and groovy beats. It’s a competent outing at best, full of familiar business, but worth watching primarily for Barney’s affected drawl and funky stride.
- Stu Gorman (William Windom) attempts to get Judy Saunders (Gwenn Mitchell) out of her contract in “Blues”
- Barney (Greg Morris) sings the “Blues”
- Casey (Lynda Day George) takes a bribe from Belker (Ed Flanders) in “Blues”
- Willy (Peter Lupus) rigs a car bomb in “Blues”
- In “Blues,” junkie singer Barney (Greg Morris) goes through withdrawal
120. “Underground” (Season 7, Episode 7)
Writer Leigh Vance specialized in “false illness” gambits, and while this is far from his best script, he clearly understands the show and knows how to organize it – a short-supply asset in season seven. Unfortunately this IMF assault on a criminal outfit that specializes in disappearing fugitives is full of deja vu moments, including some psychedelic brainwashing business, which leads to a modestly competent but largely recycled-feeling episode.
- Barney (Greg Morris) sets the plan in motion in “Underground,” playing a shady P.I.
- The unscrupulous Clavering (Robert Middleton) looks to smuggle accused murderer Phelps (Peter Graves) out of the country in “Underground”
- The IMF target, Gunther Schell (H.M. Wynant), is interrogated by Hargreaves (Peter Mark Richman) in “Underground”
- Psychedelic torture for Phelps (Peter Graves) in “Underground”
- Peter Lupus and Lynda Day George in “Underground”
119. “TOD-5” (Season 7, Episode 5)
When a biological weapon falls into the hands of a terrorist group, the IMF maneuvers a former intelligence agent into leading them to the threat. It doesn’t hold a candle to the classics, but by the reduced standards of season seven, “TOD-5” is a respectable episode that centers on the fun spectacle of a fake, small-town epidemic being contained by IMF-directed martial law.
- Peter Haskell guest stars in “TOD-5”
- Panic in the streets in “TOD-5” (with Peter Lupus and Barbara Anderson)
- The IMF regroups in “TOD-5” (Barbara Anderson, Peter Lupus, Greg Morris, Peter Graves)
- Phelps (Peter Graves) and Barney (Greg Morris) rig the room in “TOD-5”
- In “TOD-5,” Mimi (Barbara Anderson) and Holt (Peter Haskell) take cover from a sniper
118. “The Choice” (Season 4, Episode 25)
A Svengali-like mystic is manipulating the grandduchess of a vulnerable nation in order to assume power. Fortunately for the IMF, the charlatan looks exactly like Paris, enabling a colorful “separated-at-birth” con. The notion of Leonard Nimoy having a virtual doppelgänger is a major stumbling block of this well structured, if familiar-feeling, hour. Nimoy does well delineating his guises, helping sell the unlikely scenario.
- “The Choice” opens with a macabre performance (featuring Peter Graves)
- Greg Morris and Peter Lupus in “The Choice”
- The Grandduchess Teresa (Nan Martin, right) is entreated by an old flame to save the country (with Arthur Franz)
- Vautrain (Leonard Nimoy) and Phelps (Peter Graves) are double-crossed in “The Choice”
- Leonard Nimoy portrays a gruff mystic in “The Choice”
117. “The Spy” (Season 2, Episode 16)
This week, the IMF must recover vital defense plans from treacherous enemy agent Felicia Vabar (Kate Woodville). While there is some spirited interplay between Woodville and Martin Landau, the lazily titled “The Spy” is a structural mess with a plot that doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny. Like most season two episodes, it looks great at least. In particular, the early overlay heist sequence is totally first-rate.
- Phelps (Peter Graves) executes a risky vault heist in “The Spy”
- The IMF phonies up a defense document in “The Spy” (Barbara Bain, Greg Morris, Martin Landau)
- In “The Spy,” Phelps (Peter Graves) is interrogated at point blank range
- Rollin (Martin Landau) spars with the devious Felicia Vabar (Kate Woodville) in “The Spy”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) is muscled by the villainous Miklos (Joseph Campanella) in “The Spy”
116. “Fakeout” (Season 1, Episode 12)
The first season of Mission: Impossible is its most varied and inventive, and it’s my favorite, largely because it’s fun to follow along as the series tries to figure itself out. Unfortunately this leads to occasional, unimpressive hours like “Fakeout,” a simplistic extradition con that works very hard to look more complicated than it is. It’s worth watching as formative matter, at least – and really, how often does the team take a break from the action to go out for tequila shots?
- Barney (Greg Morris) goes undercover as a zookeeper in “Fakeout”
- Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) works the outside con on Carson (Lloyd Bridges) in “Fakeout”
- Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) pleads to her jealous “husband” Briggs (Steven Hill) in “Fakeout”
- Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) and Briggs (Steven Hill) have a drink during a quiet moment in “Fakeout”
- Carson (Lloyd Bridges) meets his comeuppance in “Fakeout”
115. “Butterfly” (Season 5, Episode 7)
While Mission was more progressive than other shows of its era regarding race, at times it could be pretty tone-deaf on the subject. Nowhere is this more true than in “Butterfly,” which saddles Paris with the impossible mission of convincing, well, anybody that he’s a Japanese kabuki dancer. Looking past that unfortunate elephant in the room, “Butterfly” is a middling, watchable hour with a unique setting and a vivid look.
- Phelps (Peter Graves) poses as a lawyer to aid the imperiled Kellem (Russ Conway) in “Butterfly”
- Paris (Leonard Nimoy) prepares a mask in “Butterfly”
- Willy (Peter Lupus) gets last-minute instructions from Phelps (Peter Graves) just before his big jiu jitsu match
- Khigh Dhiegh guest stars as Masaki in “Butterfly”
- Dana (Lesley Ann Warren) poses as a blackmailing photographer in “Butterfly” (with Khigh Dhiegh and James Shigeta)
114. “Zubrovnik’s Ghost” (Season 1, Episode 11)
This odd season one story used to be one of my least favorite episodes, but it’s grown on me a little over the years, transcending its haunted house trappings with a low-key, puzzle-solving objective and a unique group dynamic. The friendly interplay between Barney, Rollin, and medium Ariana Domi (Martine Bartlett) provides the IMF with some nice character moments, which are highly unusual on this show. Alas, there are also the hokey seances, and the bees. Not particularly convincing, but atmospheric and unique.
- Dr. Martha Zubrovnik (Beatrice Straight) with Rollin (Martin Landau) in “Zubrovnik’s Ghost”
- One of the seance sequences in “Zubrovnik’s Ghost” (Greg Morris, Martin Landau, Donald Davis)
- Rollin (Martin Landau) shows concern for Martha (Beatrice Straight) in “Zubrovnik’s Ghost”
- Creepy medium Sigismund Poljac (Donald Davis), the villain of “Zubrovnik’s Ghost”
- Guest IMFer Ariana Domi (Martine Bartlett) tries to convince her teammates (Martin Landau, Greg Morris) in “Zubrovnik’s Ghost”
113. “My Friend, My Enemy” (Season 5, Episode 6)
Another off-duty season five episode that delves, if rather shallowly, into an IMFer’s past. In this one, the unprecedented occurs: Paris is recognized by a former mark. This leads to his capture, and he’s subsequently brainwashed into assassinating his control, Phelps. A contrived and improbable scenario, but it’s an interesting departure at least, and stands out for novelty appeal and providing a glimmer of Paris’ history.
- Paris (Leonard Nimoy) has a tragic Swiss vacation in “My Friend, My Enemy”
- The villains (Peter Mark Richman, Wesley Lau, Bruce Glover) interrogate Paris (Leonard Nimoy) in “My Friend, My Enemy”
- An unusual scene in “My Friend, My Enemy” has Barney (Greg Morris) collecting Doug (Sam Elliott) from his hospital day job
- Paris (Leonard Nimoy) falls for the treacherous Enid Brugge (Jill Haworth) in “My Friend, My Enemy”
- The endgame of “My Friend, My Enemy” pits Phelps (Peter Graves) and Paris (Leonard Nimoy) against one another
112. “Two Thousand” (Season 7, Episode 2)
One of the truly memorable season seven episodes is an implausible but enjoyable lark, if obviously derivative of the far superior “Operation Rogosh.” Writer Harold Livingston once again goes overboard on spectacle, but this nuclear apocalypse con with a 30-year “time warp” gets points for trying. Guest star Vic Morrow gives it his all; he makes for a riveting antagonist.
- Nuclear physicist Joseph Collins (Vic Morrow) listens to an alarming news report in “Two Thousand”
- Collins (Vic Morrow) is interrogated by detective Willy (Peter Lupus) in “Two Thousand”
- Barney (Greg Morris) portrays a political prisoner in the post-apocalyptic future of “Two Thousand”
- In “Two Thousand,” guest star Vic Morrow awakens an old man in a war-ravaged future
- General Phelps (Peter Graves) checks his watch in the final act of “Two Thousand”
111. “Decoy” (Season 5, Episode 8)
A common season five characteristic is to examine the impact of IMF operations on innocents and outsiders, and “Decoy” fits the bill by tasking the IMF with the rescue of the imperiled Anna Kerkoska (Julie Gregg). Anna is reluctant to defect to the west, and blind to the evil scheming of her beloved brother, so Phelps’ plan involves opening her eyes to the danger and luring her to safety – with a callously fake romance. Alas, Graves and Gregg lack the instant chemistry the story requires, and the episode doesn’t really go far enough in its examination of the moral question. Still, points for trying something new.
- Anna Kerkoska (Julie Gregg) is tricked by her brother Alexi (Paul Stevens) in “Decoy”
- The apartment scene from “Decoy” (Leonard Nimoy, Lesley Ann Warren, Peter Lupus, Greg Morris, Peter Graves)
- “Decoy” has multiple guises for the Great Paris (Leonard Nimoy)
- “Decoy” sees the innocent Anna (Julie Gregg) manipulated by Phelps (Peter Graves)
- Anna (Julie Gregg) and Phelps (Peter Graves) escape across the border in a custom-built car in “Decoy”
110. “The Interrogator” (Season 3, Episode 25)
The objective is to break an interrogation expert (Henry Silva), who possesses knowledge of an earth-shattering enemy plan to attack the United States. The IMF’s strategy involves a mind-bending interrogation of its own. This one feels hastily imagined and assembled, but deploys some interesting techniques, and Martin Landau brings intensity to his scenes.
- Peter Lupus in “The Interrogator”
- Gunnar Hellstrom in “The Interrogator”
- Behind the scenes of an IMF “big store” con in “The Interrogator” (Peter Graves, Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Greg Morris)
- Rollin (Martin Landau) under the hot lights in “The Interrogator” (with Henry Silva)
- Peter Lupus, Henry Silva, and Peter Graves in “The Interrogator”
109. “The Crane” (Season 4, Episode 23)
In order to prevent the execution of an important revolutionary leader, the IMF hides him in plain sight long enough to maneuver enemy officers into a fatal confrontation. “The Crane” is passable enough fare and it gets the style right, although its recycled elements and uninventive, backlot look engender a major case of deja vu.
- The villains of “The Crane,” Carl Betz and Felice Orlandi
- The so-obvious-it’s-not hiding place of “The Crane” (with Leonard Nimoy and Greg Morris)
- Leonard Nimoy in “The Crane”
- Colonel Strabo (Felice Orlandi, right) directs the search for a missing revolutionary in “The Crane”
- Constantine (Eric Mason) is hidden in plain sight in “The Crane”
108. “Nitro” (Season 3, Episode 21)
The IMF foils an enemy plan to foment war by destroying a government building during the announcement of an important peace treaty. This is one of many solid scripts provided by Laurence Heath, the series’ most prolific writer. It’s beset, however, by stagy direction and slow pacing, which damage what should be its inherently suspenseful set-pieces. Still, it’s a professional effort with credible wild cards.
- Barbara Bain in “Nitro”
- Barney (Greg Morris) hacks an enemy facility’s computer system in “Nitro”
- The setpiece nitroglycerin heist in “Nitro” (Martin Landau as Rollin Hand)
- Willy (Peter Lupus) during the explosives heist in “Nitro”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) during the climactic press conference in “Nitro”
107. “Boomerang” (Season 7, Episode 15)
Mystery writer Howard Browne contributed four good scripts in the series’ later seasons, which tend to stand out from the hackneyed competition. “Boomerang” is low on dazzle but high on intelligent detail, elevating a familiar scenario: the IMF must recover a blackmail file from the wife of a murdered mob lieutenant. Peter Graves has fun as a tough-talking hit man.
- Laraine Stephens guest stars in “Boomerang”
- Stanley Luchek (Ronald Feinberg) looms over Eve Vayle (Laraine Stephens) in “Boomerang”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) works the villainous Eve Vayle (Laraine Stephens) in “Boomerang”
- Phelps (Peter Graves, right), portraying his recurring hit man Dave Ryker, threatens Casey (Lynda Day George) in “Boomerang”
- Eve (Laraine Stephens) is muscled by crooked cop Barney (Greg Morris) in “Boomerang”
106. “The Puppet” (Season 7, Episode 13)
Leigh Vance repurposes the impostor scenario of season one’s “The Legend” here, and it makes for a solid if visually unimpressive hour. A criminal outfit has steered its policy into dangerous new territory, thanks to the nefarious scheming of Leo Ostro (Roddy McDowall). The familiar elements are skillfully recombined, and McDowall delivers what may be the most priceless double take of the entire series.
- Leo Ostro (Roddy McDowall) consults his ailing brother in “The Puppet”
- Gault (John Larch) tempts junkie Casey (Lynda Day George) with a fix in “The Puppet”
- Greg Morris in “The Puppet”
- Peter Graves with guest star Joseph Ruskin in “The Puppet”
- Roddy McDowall’s epic double-take from the final moments of “The Puppet”
105. “Robot” (Season 4, Episode 9)
The “robot con” at the heart of this episode, which requires another figure who “remarkably resembles” Paris, is pretty ludicrous. But the hour has other things going for it: great mask-work, sound plot mechanics, and a noteworthy performance from Leonard Nimoy, who agilely juggles several subtly defined iterations of the same role. It’s no masterpiece but it’s kind of fun.
- Phelps (Peter Graves) strategizes during the “Robot” dossier scene
- Frequent guest IMFer Tracey (Lee Meriwether) makes an appearance in “Robot”
- The villains of “Robot,” Larry Linville and Malachi Throne
- Leonard Nimoy plays one of his several roles in “Robot” (with Greg Morris)
- Leonard Nimoy, during the closing press conference of “Robot”
104. “The Money Machine” (Season 2, Episode 8)
The team takes on an unscrupulous financier in Africa, an unusual and refreshing milieu. Unfortunately the villains are a little too quick to fall into this trap, and the IMF “miracle machine” – a computer that can perfectly counterfeit currency – is kind of pathetic. Succeeds mostly on its sharp production values and its outside con, which provides good roles for the team.
- Brock Peters guest stars in “The Money Machine”
- Doctor Barney (Greg Morris) explains the situation to villain Walter DuBruis (Brock Peters) in “The Money Machine”
- Barbara Bain in “The Money Machine”
- Phelps (Peter Graves, right) demonstrates “The Money Machine” to Tagoor (Michael Shillo) and DuBruis (Brock Peters)
- Martin Landau and Brock Peters in “The Money Machine”
103. “Doomsday” (Season 3, Episode 17)
A European industrialist (Alf Kjellin) attempts to salvage his failing business empire by auctioning off an atomic bomb in a high-stakes bidding war. A deliberate, professional hour, fairly standard stuff by season three standards, with Cinnamon and Rollin jousting with the villains while Barney skulks through ventilation ducts and elevator shafts.
- Peter Graves and Barbara Bain in “Doomsday”
- Barney (Greg Morris) prepares to recover the plutonium core of a nuclear weapon in “Doomsday”
- Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) inspects a warhead in “Doomsday” (accompanied by villains Wesley Lau and Arthur Batanides)
- The auction is underway in “Doomsday” (Alf Kjellin, Wesley Lau, Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Arthur Batanides, Sid Haig, Philip Ahn, and Khigh Dhiegh)
- Barney (Greg Morris) and Willy (Peter Lupus) during the “Doomsday” getaway
102. “The Vault” (Season 3, Episode 23)
A nefarious finance minister (Nehemiah Persoff) plans to frame a western-friendly president for embezzlement and assume control of his country. The IMF intervenes, in a mission that requires breaking into an impenetrable vault. This hour is strictly middle of the road, with some decent outside con; not great but not bad.
- Peter Graves and Barbara Bain in “The Vault”
- Rollin (Martin Landau) plays a peculiar accountant in “The Vault”
- Barney (Greg Morris) finds a back entrance to “The Vault”
- In “The Vault,” Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) and Rollin (Martin Landau) improvise a diversion
- Nehemiah Persoff guest stars in “The Vault”
101. “The Bank” (Season 2, Episode 4)
Season two is the series’ most lavish and attractive, and also the one that perfects the series’ style. This elevates “The Bank,” a middling caper about a secretly fascist banker in a socialist nation who rips off innocent victims seeking to defect by sending them to their deaths and stealing their life savings. The plot is unspectacular, but cool, no-nonsense professionalism contributes to the hour’s success.
- Former bank robber Paul Labarre (Pierre Jalbert) joins the IMF in “The Bank”
- Alfred Belzig (James Daly) “cons” Rollin (Martin Landau) in “The Bank”
- Policemen Willy (Peter Lupus) and Phelps (Peter Graves) nab Labarre (Pierre Jalbert) in “The Bank”
- James Daly guest stars as the despicable Alfred Belzig in “The Bank”
- In “The Bank,” Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) plays a key role in the setpiece heist
100. “The Phoenix” (Season 2, Episode 23)
A simple but effective frame motors “The Phoenix,” a museum-set caper in which the IMF stomps on the power-mad dreams of the pompous, paranoid Stefan Prohosh (Alf Kjellin). This one is better for its stylish execution than for its story, which basically combines a Rollin-Cinnamon diversion with some heavy lifting from Barney and Willy.
- Phelps (Peter Graves) briefs the team in “The Phoenix” (with Barbara Bain, Peter Lupus, Martin Landau, and Greg Morris)
- Barbara Bain in “The Phoenix”
- Alf Kjellin guest stars as the power-mad Stefan Prohosh in “The Phoenix”
- Barney (Greg Morris) liberates a top-secret alloy from a metal sculpture in “The Phoenix”
- The central interrogation of “The Phoenix” (Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, Scott Hale, Martin Landau, Alf Kjellin)
99. “Double Dead” (Season 6, Episode 20)
The team disrupts many villainous duos in the later seasons with a repetitive divide-and-conquer approach. “Double Dead” is a better example of this type of hour, freshening the formula with a Hawaiian backdrop and some mission-gone-wrong urgency. Willy fans will enjoy this rare moment in the spotlight for Peter Lupus.
- Willy (Peter Lupus) breaks in with a latex handprint in “Double Dead”
- Lou Antonio and Paul Koslo guest star in “Double Dead”
- The captured Willy (Peter Lupus) is tended by sympathetic nurse Penyo (Irene Tsu) and the evil Dr. Matier (Maurice Marsac) in “Double Dead”
- In “Double Dead,” Blake (Lou Antonio) takes a call while Phelps (Peter Graves) looks on
- Irene Tsu in “Double Dead”
98. “Sweet Charity” (Season 2, Episode 10)
A villainous couple is greedily funneling charitable donations into their fraudulent foundation; the IMF makes efficient work of them. Although it blithely hand-waves the weight of platinum, “Sweet Charity” leverages its bottle-show setting with class, and provides some engaging outside con roles for Cinnamon, Rollin, and especially Phelps, whose cynical interplay with guest star Hazel Court shows more chemistry than some of the more “real” romance story-lines in other episodes.
- Fritz Weaver and Hazel Court guest star as the devious Erik and Catherine Hagar in “Sweet Charity”
- Cinnamon (Barbara Bain, right) portrays an icy philanthropist in “Sweet Charity” (with Fritz Weaver)
- Rollin (Martin Landau) portrays a ruthless assassin in “Sweet Charity”
- Willy (Peter Lupus) checks out his handiwork in “Charity,” as Barney (Greg Morris) looks on
- Catherine Hagar (Hazel Court) and Phelps (Peter Graves) make a run for the border in “Sweet Charity”
97. “Bag Woman” (Season 6, Episode 19)
Compared to the perfectly clocked missions of the early years, “Bag Woman” is very nearly a catastrophe for the IMF, piling setback upon setback. To identify the recipient of political bribes from a criminal organization, the team inserts Casey as the courier – but so much goes wrong that Phelps has to improvise a solution on the fly. The familiar milieu of this season six scenario is jazzed up by its unusually frantic and unpredictable chain of events.
- Georg Stanford Brown guest stars in “Bag Woman”
- Casey (Lynda Day George) is the titular “Bag Woman” (with Georg Stanford Brown and Robert Colbert)
- Casey (Lynda Day George) does the heavy lifting in “Bag Woman”
- Barney (Greg Morris) experiences one of many unexpected mishaps in the unpredictable “Bag Woman”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) improvises a new strategy in “Bag Woman” (with Georg Stanford Brown)
96. “Gitano” (Season 4, Episode 18)
A solid Laurence Heath script and an unusual milieu make “Gitano” a decent episode; unfortunately, it’s diminished by clumsy direction and an irritating turn from Barry Williams as a young king. Still, there’s a fun “fake accident” involving a breakaway truck, and Leonard Nimoy and guest IMFer Margarita Cordova give spirited performances as a gypsy couple.
- Peter Graves in “Gitano”
- Paris (Leonard Nimoy) and Phelps (Peter Graves) liberate King Victor (Barry Williams, center) in “Gitano”
- Gypsies (Leonard Nimoy and Margarita Cordova) take in a troubled young king (Barry Williams) in “Gitano”
- Rudy Solari guest stars as the ruthless Colonel Moya in “Gitano”
- Margarita Cordova guest stars in “Gitano”
95. “Leona” (Season 7, Episode 4)
An undercover federal agent goes missing after his cover his blown; the IMF races to save him before he’s executed. If you remove the hokey haunting business and overlook that the villains are named Mike Apollo and Joe Epic, what remains of “Leona” is an assured, structurally satisfying crime story that benefits from Howard Browne’s slick dialogue and advanced comprehension of the Mission formula.
- Peter Graves during the apartment scene in “Leona”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) is threatened by Mike Apollo (Robert Goulet) in “Leona”
- In “Leona,” Barney (Greg Morris) yields important information as a doorman
- Two of the villains in “Leona,” played by Dewey Martin and Will Kuluva
- Epic (Robert Goulet) compels testimony from Willy (Peter Lupus) during a mafia council in “Leona”
94. “The Amnesiac” (Season 4, Episode 13)
In order to recover a rare isotope, the IMF manipulates the villains who stole it by “resurrecting” their murdered accomplice in the form of Paris – who pretends to be an amnesiac with a surgery-altered face. This gloomy outing, one of a number of similar-looking season four episodes, is elevated by crafty villainy from Steve Ihnat and Anthony Zerbe, and decent roles for Peter Graves and Leonard Nimoy.
- Julie Gregg joins the IMF as Monique in “The Amnesiac”
- Barney (Greg Morris) falsifies records in “The Amnesiac”
- Colonel Alex Vorda (Anthony Zerbe, center) involves two IMFers (Julie Gregg, Peter Graves) in the interrogation of a third (Leonard Nimoy) in “The Amnesiac”
- Steve Ihnat in “The Amnesiac”
- In “The Amnesiac,” Willy (Peter Lupus) and Barney (Greg Morris) coordinate the theft of a rare isotope
93. “Casino” (Season 6, Episode 21)
A more credible, if less lavish, rewrite of “The Mercenaries,” “Casino” is standard, well done anti-Syndicate fare; the later seasons could have used more of this kind of hour. The resolution lacks finesse, but the outside con utilizes the IMFers well and the central vault heist makes for a strong visual centerpiece. Not bad by the standards of its year.
- Phelps (Peter Graves) during a lighthouse tape scene in “Casino”
- Jack Cassidy guest stars as the dastardly Orrin Kerr in “Casino”
- Barney (Greg Morris) works the villains (Frank Christi, Jack Cassidy) in “Casino”
- Casey (Lynda Day George) and Phelps (Peter Graves) count their chips in “Casino”
- In “Casino,” Barney (Greg Morris) executes an unusual vault heist
92. “Flight” (Season 5, Episode 5)
While the overarching strategy falls apart under scrutiny, “Flight” is an engaging adventure characterized by memorable set-pieces: a slick airport abduction, a nicely executed “false journey” flight, and a dramatic prison colony Big Store. Wild cards add to the urgency, making this an inventive and bracing episode; if only the nuts and bolts of the plot, and the villain’s ultimate capitulation, made more sense.
- John Colicos guest stars in “Flight”
- Doctor Doug (Sam Elliott) during the false plane crash of “Flight”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) and Barney (Greg Morris) run a false journey Big Store in “Flight”
- Paris (Leonard Nimoy) and Phelps (Peter Graves) welcome the villain to an IMF penal colony in “Flight”
- “Flight” sees Dana (Lesley Ann Warren) trying to talk her way out of an interrogation
91. “Break!” (Season 7, Episode 1)
This mob story centers on the game of pool, which provides fun visuals for a generally solid hour. The IMF maneuvers a Syndicate lieutenant named Press Allen (Robert Conrad) into leading them to the body of an agent he killed, so that they can recover a microfilm full of evidence against his boss. “Break!” is a decent gambling-themed episode, and introduces recurring guest IMFer Mimi Davis (Barbara Anderson) in a unique way: her history with one of the marks gives the team an in.
- The apartment scene in “Break!” (with Barbara Anderson, Greg Morris, Peter Lupus, and Peter Graves)
- Mimi Davis (Barbara Anderson) makes her first appearance in “Break!”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) calls his shot in “Break!”
- The villains of “Break!,” played by Robert Conrad and Carl Betz
- Barney (Greg Morris) controls a rigged pool table in “Break!”
90. “The Martyr” (Season 4, Episode 26)
An odd transitional episode brings an end to season four, foreshadowing the counterculture vibe that would creep ever so slightly into season five. This rewrite of “The Heir Apparent” is a workmanlike espionage puzzler that mixes in some timely, if now dated, sociopolitical flavor with its traditional Mission tropes.
- The villains of “The Martyr,” John Larch and Scott Marlowe
- Young conservative Paris (Leonard Nimoy) irritates leftist hippie Barney (Greg Morris) in “The Martyr”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) walks deliberately into a trap in “The Martyr”
- In “The Martyr,” Barney (Greg Morris) executes a daring breakout
- Paris (Leonard Nimoy) delivers the final blow at a student rally in “The Martyr”
89. “Kitara” (Season 5, Episode 20)
The IMF journeys to German colonial Africa in “Kitara,” to free a revolutionary leader from the clutches of a white, racist military leader. The MO is to give said white, racist leader a new sense of perspective…by convincing him that he’s black. The central premise is outrageous and inherently problematic, but results in an audacious and unforgettable con.
- Doug (Sam Elliott) examines the imprisoned John Darcy (Robert DoQui) in “Kitara”
- A white supremacist (Lawrence Dobkin) wakes up to an IMF surprise in “Kitara”
- Barney (Greg Morris) gets thrown into solitary in “Kitara”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) portrays a ruthless military officer in “Kitara” (Sam Elliott in background)
- In “Kitara,” Paris (Leonard Nimoy) portrays a fussy antiquities dealer
88. “Committed” (Season 6, Episode 18)
The chief witness in a case against a corrupt governor has been committed to a state mental hospital, in order to undermine her credibility; the IMF must rescue her in time to recover and testify. Marred by a number of imperfections, “Committed” is nonetheless a refreshing season six outing thanks to effective location work, a no-nonsense approach, and an unusual premise.
- The villains have institutionalized Nora Dawson (Susan Howard) in “Committed”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) entreats Dr. Carrick (Robert Miller Driscoll) to help his daughter in “Committed”
- Peter Lupus in “Committed”
- Casey (Lynda Day George) makes sure she gets maximum security confinement in “Committed”
- Nora Dawson (Susan Howard) escapes a mental hospital in “Committed,” with the help of Barney (Greg Morris)
87. “The Widow” (Season 2, Episode 1)
Season two leads off with a formula that would become quite common in later years: a dual-pronged IMF assault on criminal partners. There’s some good shtick here, such as a phony elevator crash and a heroin-vacuuming coat. But it’s mostly just a decent, well produced hour that serves as a showcase for Barbara Bain, who portrays the “widow” of one of the heroin dealers they “kill” in a strategy to discredit them both to their customers.
- Martin Landau in “The Widow”
- Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) leverages her “grief” to work the mark (William Windom) in “The Widow”
- Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) makes her entrance in “The Widow”
- In “The Widow,” Phelps (Peter Graves) portrays a scientist in a European drug ring
- Barney (Greg Morris) and Willy (Peter Lupus) provide timely back-up in “The Widow”
86. “Commandante” (Season 4, Episode 6)
Enemy agents have usurped a revolutionary movement and imprisoned its religious leader, Father Dominguin (Arthur Batanides); the IMF moves in to rescue him. Wonky direction and a strained Asian pose from Leonard Nimoy diminish this hour, but it’s a soundly structured and well acted one, that works a little better on paper than in the execution.
- The rival villains of “Commandante,” Martillo (Sid Haig) and Acero (Lawrence Dane)
- Phelps (Peter Graves) points out a listening device in “Commandante” (with Arthur Batanides)
- Willy (Peter Lupus) smuggles IMF gear past a checkpoint in “Commandante”
- Barney (Greg Morris) builds a helicopter in “Commandante”
- In “Commandante,” Leonard Nimoy portrays the nefarious Major Shen
85. “Lover’s Knot” (Season 4, Episode 21)
“Lover’s Knot” breathes new life into season four. The British backdrop shakes up the monotonous look, and it’s got a distinctive angle: a member of the IMF becomes too emotionally involved in the mission. The critical romance upon which the story hinges doesn’t sing, unfortunately; Leonard Nimoy and guest star Jane Merrow don’t have the chemistry. But it’s a nice low-key espionage mystery with some good shtick, and a good turn from Peter Graves as the third point on an IMF-orchestrated love triangle.
- Paris (Leonard Nimoy) meets Lady Cora Weston (Jane Merrow) in “Lover’s Knot”
- In “Lover’s Knot,” Phelps (Peter Graves) gets into hot water while gambling in a rare montage sequence
- The IMF HQ in “Lover’s Knot” is a US Embassy office in London (Greg Morris and Peter Graves)
- Barney (Greg Morris) constructs a phony furnace in “Lover’s Knot”
- Blackmail footage from “Lover’s Knot” (Leonard Nimoy and Jane Merrow)
84. “Stone Pillow” (Season 6, Episode 16)
In this smart, well clocked crime caper, the IMF penetrates a prison and engineers a prison-break to convince shady former PI Larry Edison (Bradford Dillman) to lead them to murder evidence he’s holding over a mafia honcho. Snappy Howard Browne dialogue, particularly between the gruff Edison and his new egghead cellmate “the Professor” (Phelps), propels this entertaining story.
- Barney (Greg Morris) stands in as the warden of a penitentiary in “Stone Pillow”
- “Stone Pillow” features a chess match between Phelps (Peter Graves) and Larry Edison (Bradford Dillman)
- Casey (Lynda Day George) as a prison psychologist in “Stone Pillow”
- Willy (Peter Lupus) works the guard tower during a prison break in “Stone Pillow”
- Bradford Dillman guest stars in “Stone Pillow”
83. “Squeeze Play” (Season 5, Episode 12)
The better “personal episodes” in season five elevated conventional Mission trappings with more focus on character and performance. That’s the case with “Squeeze Play,” in which the IMF convinces a dying drug kingpin to hand over his operation to an unlikely heir: Paris. The tropes are familiar, but it’s got an interesting human angle in that the IMF must exploit the trust of the villain’s innocent granddaugter Eve (Victoria Vetri) as part of their plan. Nimoy and Vetri play the scenes well, and Albert Paulsen provides great support as the curmudgeonly villain.
- Albert Paulsen guest stars in “Squeeze Play”
- A rare happy moment for poor Eve Zembra (Victoria Vetri) in “Squeeze Play” (with Leonard Nimoy)
- Willy (Peter Lupus) and Phelps (Peter Graves) work on the villain’s lieutenant, Carlos (Nico Minardos), in “Squeeze Play”
- A touching moment between Zembra (Albert Paulsen) and his troubled daughter Eve (Victoria Vetri) in “Squeeze Play”
- Eve (Victoria Vetri) hears some hard truths from Paris (Leonard Nimoy) in “Squeeze Play”
82. “A Game of Chess” (Season 2, Episode 17)
The over-involved scenario of “A Game of Chess” entangles the IMF with an international thief (Don Francks) who is planning to steal a shipment of gold bullion from an enemy nation’s military police. The IMF must recover the gold and return it to its rightful owners, under the cover of a hotel-based chess tournament. The situation is even more contrived than usual, but it’s got entertaining visuals and some clever IMF trickery.
- Rollin Hand (Martin Landau) portrays a chess master in “A Game of Chess”
- In “A Game of Chess,” Phelps (Peter Graves) and Barney (Greg Morris) work a computer unbeatable at chess
- The villains of “A Game of Chess” (Don Francks and William Windom) are invited into an IMF plan
- Barney (Greg Morris) contaminates a hotel water supply in “A Game of Chess”
- Dr. Rollin (Martin Landau) and Nurse Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) innoculate the hotel guests in “A Game of Chess”
81. “Shock” (Season 1, Episode 25)
An enemy agent plans to sabotage a vital exchange agreement by replacing a U.S. envoy with an impostor; Briggs’ squad moves in to set things right. The plot’s a little erratic and the electroshock scenes are on the brutal side, but “Shock” has many qualities, including inventive camera work, a memorable mental ward Big Store, and a versatile performance from James Daly in a complex multiple role.
- James Daly guest stars as US envoy Carl Wilson, as well as two impostors of Wilson, in “Shock”
- Willy (Peter Lupus) abducts the enemy impostor in “Shock”
- Gort (James Daly) awakens in a psych ward in “Shock”
- The IMF psychiatric hospital players (Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Greg Morris, Vic Perrin)
- Briggs (Steven Hill) unmasks for the final gambit of “Shock”
80. “The Diamond” (Season 1, Episode 19)
In “The Diamond,” the team takes on the despicable Henrik Durvard (John van Dreelen), who has subjugated a small African nation and stolen a massive diamond from its people. To recover it, an IMF “miracle machine” ploy convinces the villain they have the means of perfectly duplicating diamonds; Durvard, seeking to legitimize his country as a diamond-producing nation, greedily takes the bait. A perhaps too simple, but effectively realized, con with a distinctive milieu.
- The uniquely awful Durvard (John van Dreelen) entertains Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) in “The Diamond”
- Diamond expert Hans Van Meer (Harry Davis) with Briggs (Steven Hill) in “The Diamond”
- Willy (Peter Lupus) and Barney (Greg Morris) execute a theft in “The Diamond”
- The IMF arrives in Lombuanda in “The Diamond” (Martin Landau, Steven Hill, Peter Lupus)
- Briggs (Steven Hill) and Rollin (Martin Landau) operate their diamond-producing machine in “The Diamond”
79. “The Bargain” (Season 3, Episode 10)
The IMF moves to thwart a deal between the mob and an exiled Caribbean dictator (Albert Paulsen) who is looking to finance his return to power. The central thrust of the con is to convince the dictator that he’s having precognitive visions of his own demise; it’s an outrageous ploy, but executed with aplomb and more than a little humor. Inventive gadgetry and intricate plot detail mask the hour’s scattered approach.
- Phelps (Peter Graves) gives the hotel manager (James Wellman) a hard time in “The Bargain”
- The villainous duo of “The Bargain” is played by Albert Paulsen and Warren Stevens
- Willy (Peter Lupus) and Barney (Greg Morris) rig the villain’s office in “The Bargain”
- The IMF sets up shop in the villain’s kitchen in “The Bargain” (Peter Lupus, Barbara Bain, Greg Morris)
- In “The Bargain,” a heavily disguised Rollin prepares for an elevator quick-change
78. “The Tram” (Season 6, Episode 3)
The IMF uses the occasion of a reclusive Syndicate meeting to smash the criminal organization’s plans to funnel profits overseas. “The Tram” is a nicely paced episode that benefits visually from its location work; the Syndicate retreat takes place at a mountain-top ski lodge accessible only by cable car. The plan builds the logistics of this setting credibly into the strategy, in an hour that provides good material for each team member.
- Phelps fouls the controls of “The Tram”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) deploys a safe-cracking tool behind the back of Vic Hatcher (Victor French) in “The Tram”
- In “The Tram,” Johnny Thorne (Felice Orlandi, center) is abducted by Willy (Peter Lupus) and Casey (Lynda Day George)
- Barney (Greg Morris) hides out in a secret compartment in “The Tram”
- Hatcher (Victor French) holds his ground after being victimized by an IMF frame in “The Tram”
77. “A Spool There Was” (Season 1, Episode 9)
Rollin and Cinnamon deploy behind the Iron Curtain to track down a missing recording wire in “A Spool There Was,” a curious early Mission that gives Barbara Bain and Martin Landau a playful, romantic turn in the spotlight. By conventional Mission standards it’s not particularly satisfying, but the flirty interplay and unusually improvisational approach help make this an entertaining novelty watch.
- Barbara Bain and Steven Hill in the apartment scene for “A Spool There Was”
- Rollin (Martin Landau) flirts with old flame Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) in “A Spool There Was”
- Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) poses as a tourist in “A Spool There Was”
- Rollin (Martin Landau) eludes an enemy agent in “A Spool There Was”
- Rollin (Martin Landau) and Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) regroup after a close call in “A Spool There Was”
76. “Elena” (Season 1, Episode 13)
Another intriguing year one experiment sends a very spare IMF to Latin America to investigate the erratic behavior of an allied scientist, Dr. Elena Del Barra (Barbara Luna). With only a psychiatrist to assist him, Rollin Hand carries the load again in a mystery-solving assignment: to determine what Elena is up to, before her actions jeopardize her cover. Powered by an entertaining dynamic between Barbara Luna and Martin Landau, “Elena” possesses the unique atmosphere of early, exploratory Mission.
- Briggs (Steven Hill) directs the mission briefing in “Elena”
- Barbara Luna guest stars as the title character in “Elena”
- In “Elena,” Rollin (Martin Landau) confronts Elena (Barbara Luna) in her laboratory
- Rollin (Martin Landau) interviews Elena (Barbara Luna) under hypnosis, with this assistance of IMF psychiatrist Dr. Enero (Barry Atwater), in “Elena”
- Rollin (Martin Landau) comes to the rescue in “Elena”
75. “Chico” (Season 4, Episode 17)
Two matching microfilms, useless alone, will endanger a network of US agents if combined by a pair of rival Central American drug dealers (Fernando Lamas and Percy Rodriguez). The IMF needs to recover the microfilms and neutralize the threat. Most of the plot components are recycled, but the “dog burglar” steals the show in this entertaining if far-fetched (see what I did there?) caper.
- The team briefs Chico the dog burglar in “Chico” (with Peter Graves, Greg Morris, and Peter Lupus)
- Fernando Lamas guest stars in “Chico”
- Ramon Prado (Fernando Lamas) watches as repairman Barney (Greg Morris) inspects the air-conditioning in “Chico”
- A canine IMFer delivers the goods in “Chico”
- In “Chico,” Paris (Leonard Nimoy) plays an Australian rogue
74. “Operation – Heart” (Season 2, Episode 7)
The IMF labors to rescue an archaeologist, falsely accused of being a spy, from the clutches of an enemy agent planning a violent coup d’etat. “Operation – Heart” is a bonanza of entertaining Mission shtick: phony assassination attempts, Rollin Hand quick-changes, subtle legerdemain, false illnesses, mock surgeries, and more. The parts may be more than the sum, but it’s all carried off with panache.
- Phelps (Peter Graves) is assisted by President Rurich (Pernell Roberts) in “Operation – Heart”
- Rollin (Martin Landau) infiltrates a hospital as a cantankerous patient in “Operation – Heart”
- The villainous Gomalk (Michael Strong) jousts with the archaeologist’s “wife” Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) in “Operation – Heart”
- Rollin (Martin Landau) prepares the OR for the setpiece rescue of “Operation – Heart”
- In “Operation – Heart,” Barney (Greg Morris) portrays a bomb squad team member to facilitate the getaway
73. “The Brothers” (Season 4, Episode 11)
An “evil twin” Mission? But of course! A Middle Eastern prince (Lloyd Battista) has imprisoned his twin brother, the king, to exploit the country’s oil interests. To rescue the king, the IMF convinces the prince that he needs a kidney transplant, and that they’re just the shady doctors to perform the surgery. All they need is the king, of course. This is another episode that requires acres of contrived backstory to drive its plot, but it’s a well engineered “false illness” gambit with an effective phony medical operation as its centerpiece.
- “The Brothers” apartment scene (Michele Carey, Peter Graves, Greg Morris, Leonard Nimoy, Peter Lupus)
- The villains of “The Brothers,” Lloyd Battista and Joseph Ruskin
- IMF role player Lisa (Michele Carey) charms the scheming Prince Samandal (Lloyd Battista) in “The Brothers”
- The mock surgery of “The Brothers” (featuring Peter Graves and Leonard Nimoy)
- Willy (Peter Lupus) and Barney (Greg Morris) swap one twin for another in “The Brothers”
72. “Cat’s Paw” (Season 5, Episode 15)
Dated fashions and supernatural subplot aside, “Cat’s Paw” is a unique off-duty crime story with an unusual personal angle. When Barney’s brother is killed, he enlists the IMF to help him take down the gang responsible. Effective story mechanics and confident dialogue help sell the hour, but even more key is Barney’s fake romance with Millie Webster (Abbey Lincoln). Lincoln delivers a charged performance, and gives the episode an uncommonly emotional punctuation mark.
- In “Cat’s Paw,” the strategy sees Barney (Greg Morris) romancing an innocent bystander, Millie (Abbey Lincoln)
- Pod Hamp (Chuck Wood) checks Barney’s credentials in “Cat’s Paw”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) tries to get into a crooked cop’s good graces in “Cat’s Paw”
- A tense moment in “Cat’s Paw” (Hari Rhodes, Abbey Lincoln, Chuck Wood, Greg Morris, William Wintersole)
- Hard truths come out in “Cat’s Paw” (Greg Morris and Abbey Lincoln)
71. “The Trial” (Season 1, Episode 18)
Devious enemy prosecutor Josef Varsh (Carroll O’Connor) plans to stir up anti-American sentiment with a scandalous show trial, so Briggs and Rollin provide him with the perfect case…and then blow it up in his face. Laurence Heath loved to leverage IMF mask tactics in his scripts, and here he destroys Varsh’s credibility by enabling Briggs – with Rollin’s help – to be in two places at once. Solid, formative Mission.
- The IMF gathers for the briefing in “The Trial” (Peter Lupus, Martin Landau, Steven Hill)
- Carroll O’Connor and Michael Strong provide the villainy in “The Trial”
- Rollin (Martin Landau) snoops for evidence in “The Trial”
- Briggs (Steven Hill) on the witness stand in “The Trial”
- Rollin (Martin Landau) works to dismantle a show trial in “The Trial” (with Gail Kobe)
70. “Echo of Yesterday” (Season 2, Episode 14)
To prevent a munitions magnate from handing off his industrial empire to a neo-Nazi, the IMF orchestrates a dreamlike “time warp” that resurrects Adolf Hitler (Rollin in disguise). Surely there’s an easier way, but it’s a visually arresting conceit, and while ominous Nazi visuals dominate the look, it’s Barbara Bain who drives the con.
- Phelps (Peter Graves) is put to a test of nerve in “Echo of Yesterday”
- Aging industrialist Otto Kelmann (Wilfrid Hyde-White) is roped by Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) in “Echo of Yesterday”
- Rollin (Martin Landau) and Willy (Peter Lupus) perform unusual research in “Echo of Yesterday”
- Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) is caught snooping in “Echo of Yesterday”
- In “Echo of Yesterday,” Colonel Marcus von Frank (Hans Gudegast, foreground) provides the villainy (with Peter Graves)
69. “Invasion” (Season 6, Episode 9)
The reach of “Invasion” exceeds its financial grasp, in an hour that involves convincing a traitorous American that he has succeeded in facilitating an enemy invasion of the United States. But there is some great, “pure Mission” style executed here, particularly in the early set-up, and it gets points for deploying ambitious tactics – a time warp, a Big Store, and a false journey – all on a limited budget.
- The traitorous Whitmore Channing (Kevin McCarthy) burns evidence in “Invasion”
- Barney (Greg Morris) sets the stage for an IMF time warp in “Invasion” (with Kevin McCarthy)
- Channing (Kevin McCarthy) is taken into custody by Willy (Peter Lupus) in “Invasion”
- Casey (Lynda Day George) and Barney (Greg Morris) prepare for a tribunal in “Invasion”
- In “Invasion,” Phelps (Peter Graves) runs a ruthless kangaroo court
68. “The Slave” (Season 2, Episodes 5 & 6)
Yes, this is the one with the cryogenically frozen bats. Here the team works to shut down a ruthless slavery ring in the Middle East, by putting Cinnamon Carter on the market. “The Slave” is riddled with unrealistic moments and abysmal gender politics, but it’s a colorful double episode with lavish production values and an involved, satisfying plot.
- Rollin (Martin Landau) as a beggar in “The Slave”
- Barney (Greg Morris) is sold into slavery by the evil King Ibn Borca (Joseph Ruskin) in “The Slave”
- A gathering of villainy in “The Slave” (Warren Stevens, Sid Haig, Percy Rodriguez)
- Rollin (Phelps) attempts to make Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) look like Amara (Antoinette Bower) in “The Slave”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) portrays a cocky human trafficker in “The Slave” (with Percy Rodriguez)
67. “The System” (Season 3, Episode 15)
A casino backdrop and inventive camera work gives “The System” a memorable look, even as its MO is of the increasingly familiar “convince one villain to testify against another” variety. Still, it’s an elegant, nicely produced frame, with appropriate roles for each IMFer. Future mob episodes would steal liberally from this one’s polished success.
- In “The System,” Phelps (Peter Graves) gets on the villain’s radar with shaved dice
- James Patterson guest stars in “The System”
- Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) baits an IMF trap in “The System”
- Barney (Greg Morris) executes a painstaking safe-crack in “The System”
- Group shot from “The System” (Martin Landau, Robert Yuro, James Patterson, Peter Graves, Barbara Bain)
66. “The Controllers” (Season 4, Episodes 3 & 4)
A comic book premise gets the Mission all-star treatment in “The Controllers,” an engaging two-parter that pits the IMF against an enemy initiative to develop a devastating mind-control drug. A veritable who’s-who of familiar guest stars turn up in this one, an extended con that requires quite a few contrived conveniences, but still makes for a diverting and visually arresting adventure. Willy’s role as an IMF-inserted test subject gives him a more active role than usual.
- Meredith (Dina Merrill) and Phelps (Peter Graves) as scientists in “The Controllers”
- Willy (Peter Lupus) is gassed in “The Controllers”
- Paris (Leonard Nimoy) questions Dr. Turek (David Sheiner) in “The Controllers”
- Barney (Greg Morris) poisons a water supply in “The Controllers”
- In “The Controllers,” Willy (Peter Lupus) rescues a test subject (Brooke Bundy) from a mind control experiment
65. “Kidnap” (Season 7, Episode 11)
Peter Graves directs season seven’s best episode, an off-duty hour that sees Phelps abducted for ransom by a Syndicate gang that knows his teammates can pull off an impossible heist on their behalf. Like all of this season’s episodes it’s hindered by a budget-conscious look, but it possesses a refreshing urgency and delivers just the right Mission style.
- Barney (Greg Morris) and Phelps (Peter Graves) are about to have their vacation interrupted in “Kidnap”
- Peter Graves directs himself in season seven’s “Kidnap” (with Geoffrey Lewis)
- Casey (Lynda Day George) fakes an asthma attack in “Kidnap”
- Barney (Greg Morris) rigs an elevator in “Kidnap”
- The IMF confronts the villains in “Kidnap” (Peter Lupus, Lynda Day George, Greg Morris)
64. “The Counterfeiter” (Season 2, Episode 20)
The quintessential “false illness” episode involves convincing pharmaceutical counterfeiter Raymond Halder (Edmond O’Brien) that he has the very disease for which he’s diluting the cure. A simple but effective plot, propelled by an enjoyable blackmail thread and the IMF’s callous dismantling of the villain’s health. Lee H. Katzin’s direction very effectively – perhaps too effectively – conveys Halder’s distress.
- Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) represents a pharamceutical company in “The Counterfeiter”
- Barney (Greg Morris) and Dr. McConnell (Noah Keen) hide during a break-in in “The Counterfeiter”
- In “The Counterfeiter,” Phelps (Peter Graves) and Rollin (Martin Landau) shake down the villains as crooked feds
- Corrupt cop Rollin (Martin Landau) gives Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) and Raymond Halder (Edmond O’Brien) a hard time in “The Counterfeiter”
- Halder (Edmond O’Brien) gets a taste of his own medicine in “The Counterfeiter”
63. “The Condemned” (Season 2, Episode 19)
An early off-duty episode wherein Phelps calls on the team to help clear an old friend of a trumped-up murder charge. Logistical implausibilities are an issue (when are they not, right?), but “The Condemned” is a refreshingly improvisational hour with entertaining shtick. Plus, you’ve got to love an episode that ends with a remote-control car chase.
- David Webster (Kevin Hagen) seeks the aid of Phelps (Peter Graves) in “The Condemned”
- In “The Condemned,” Barney (Greg Morris) briefs Phelps (Peter Graves) with an important prop
- Phelps (Peter Graves) takes some lumps in “The Condemned”
- “The Condemned” guest stars Marianna Hill and Peter Donat
- Barney (Greg Morris) and Rollin (Martin Landau) during the finale of “The Condemned”
62. “The Catafalque” (Season 5, Episode 19)
The corpse heist at the center of “The Catafalque” is the incredible, entertaining crux of this IMF mission to get its hands on an explosive nuclear arms treaty. It possesses the familiar blemishes of its era, but overall this is a nicely clocked hour full of clever misdirections. It’s also one of Leonard Nimoy’s best episodes, in a dual-role that features an impressive makeover and one of the series’ best mask pull-offs.
- In “The Catafalque,” the IMF briefing takes place in a dingy basement hideout
- Prado (John Vernon) jousts with Colonel Rodriguez (Ramon Bieri) in “The Catafalque”
- Dana (Lesley Ann Warren) and Prado (John Vernon) are caught in the act in “The Catafalque”
- A broad daylight corpse heist by Doug (Sam Elliott) and Barney (Greg Morris) is the central suspense setpiece of “The Catafalque”
- Paris (Leonard Nimoy) plays a crazed old man in “The Catafalque”
61. “The Bride” (Season 6, Episode 15)
This week the team takes on an elaborate Syndicate money-laundering operation by inserting Casey into the life of an Irish mafia hood (James Gregory) as a mail-order bride. It’s got the usual contrivances and loose ends of its season, but it’s still a tidy little con with some nice touches of classic Mission style and good roles for Lynda Day George and Peter Graves.
- Casey (Lynda Day George) prepares for her own “death” in “The Bride”
- Joe Corvin (James Gregory) lays down the law to his new mail-order bride in “The Bride”
- In “The Bride,” Barney (Greg Morris) gets roughed up in a blackmail trap
- Junkie mail-order bride Casey (Lynda Day George) gets her fix from Phelps (Peter Graves) in “The Bride”
- Barney (Greg Morris) executes a theft in the back of a hearse in “The Bride”
60. “The Psychic” (Season 1, Episode 28)
The treacherous Alex Lowell (Barry Sullivan) has secured a majority interest in an aerospace company crucial to U.S. defense interests; the IMF lures him into a “can’t-miss” card game to win them back. Woodfield and Balter work another effective gambling scenario into a mission of persuasion that involves Cinnamon as a psychic with uncanny predictive abilities. Barney’s hiding place is a terrific eyeball kick.
- Barney (Greg Morris) demonstrates a hiding place in “The Psychic”
- In “The Psychic,” Briggs (Steven Hill, far right) conducts his final briefing (with Richard Anderson, Paul Mantee, Barbara Bain, and Greg Morris)
- Judge Chase (Richard Anderson) and the villainous Alex Lowell (Barry Sullivan) trigger a car bomb in “The Psychic”
- Barney (Greg Morris) rigs the gaming table in “The Psychic”
- Rollin (Martin Landau) prepares for the climactic card game with Lowell (Barry Sullivan) in “The Psychic”
59. “The Test Case” (Season 3, Episode 14)
An evil scientist is developing a deadly biological weapon for battlefield use in “The Test Case,” an episode written by Laurence Heath that may be a precursor to his later two-parter “The Controllers.” It’s a gloomy but inventively shot episode that hinges on swapping in Rollin as a live test subject for the deadly gas, and it’s bursting with effective deceptions, misdirections, and switcheroos.
- Rollin (Martin Landau) frees a political prisoner (Larry Vincent) in “The Test Case”
- Officer Phelps (Peter Graves) is interrogated in “The Test Case” (with Laurence Haddon and Noah Keen)
- Barney (Greg Morris) breaks in through a skylight in “The Test Case”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) joins the villains (David Hurst, Noah Keen, Bart LaRue) during a ghastly experiment in “The Test Case”
- Rollin (Martin Landau) becomes “The Test Case”
58. “The Survivors” (Season 2, Episode 3)
Mission’s most important writers, William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter, somehow managed to pull off elaborate spectacles with more success than subsequent scribes. “The Survivors” is a rescue mission which relies on a phony earthquake to ensure the extraction of two scientists and their wives from the clutches of enemy agents. Surely simulating an earthquake isn’t the most efficient means of achieving the objective, but the gimmick is well realized, and the hour provides showy material for Barbara Bain, Martin Landau, and especially Peter Graves.
- Martin Landau and Barbara Bain in “The Survivors”
- Albert Paulsen guest stars in “The Survivors”
- In “The Survivors,” Phelps (Peter Graves) tries to convince Dr. Yubov (Lawrence Dane) he’s a legitimate scientist
- Rollin (Martin Landau) and Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) transmit phony news reports in “The Survivors”
- Barney (Greg Morris) and Willy (Peter Lupus) prepare an escape route in “The Survivors”
57. “The Killer” (Season 5, Episode 1)
Many IMF missions are facilitated by exhaustive preliminary intelligence – “givens” contrived to make the complex plot mechanics feasible. “The Killer” deliberately challenges this syndrome by pitting the team against an assassin (Robert Conrad) who carries out his assignments completely at random. It’s the kind of fresh concept the show could have used more of in season five, a deliberately improvisational mission that plays out engagingly.
- Impatient assassin Eddie Lorca (Robert Conrad) argues with cab driver Paris (Leonard Nimoy) in “The Killer”
- Hotelier Phelps (Peter Graves) welcomes Lorca (Robert Conrad) to an IMF hotel in “The Killer”
- Assassin Eddie Lorca (Robert Conrad) gets his assignment in “The Killer”
- Barney (Greg Morris) prepares “Barney” for an assassination attempt in “The Killer”
- Phelps (Peter Graves) and Dana (Lesley Ann Warren) keep up-to-date on Lorca’s movements in “The Killer”
56. “The Play” (Season 3, Episode 9)
An enemy nation’s culture minister (John Colicos) is bombarding his citizens with anti-American propaganda. Phelps’ plan gives him a new weapon – a scathing political play written by Cinnamon – which will ultimately blow up in his face. An uncommonly amusing Mission that transcends its iffy scenario with humor, style, and entertaining performances.
- “The Play” features a rooftop tape scene with Phelps (Peter Graves)
- The apartment scene in “The Play” (Peter Graves, Greg Morris, Barbara Bain, Martin Landau)
- Phelps (Peter Graves), Cinnamon (Barbara Bain), and Rollin (Martin Landau) confront the angry crowds on opening night in “The Play”
- Miklos Klaar (John Colicos) revises the script for Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) in “The Play”
- Rollin (Martin Landau, center) helps an enemy nation actor (Michael Tolan) prepare for his defection in “The Play”
55. “Odds On Evil” (Season 1, Episode 6)
Woodfield and Balter’s first script is the first of many gambling-themed episodes, and it’s among the most stylish and colorful. Here the team quashes an arms deal by luring the heavy (Nehemiah Persoff) into a high-stakes, “can’t-lose” game of baccarat. Another stew of formative Mission ingredients, enhanced by a memorable score and impressive, complex film editing.
- Prince Iben Kostas (Nehemiah Persoff) succumbs to the charms of Cinnamon Carter (Barbara Bain) in “Odds On Evil”
- Nehemiah Persoff guest stars in “Odds On Evil”
- Rollin (Martin Landau) and Barney (Greg Morris) mark baccarat cards in “Odds On Evil”
- In “Odds On Evil,” guest IMFer Andre (Nico Minardos) breaks the roulette wheel with the help of Willy (Peter Lupus)
- Andre (Nico Minardos) and Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) conceal their ill-gotten gains in a fur coat in “Odds On Evil”
54. “The Train” (Season 1, Episode 24)
The IMF must prevent the dying prime minister of a free democracy from handing over his leadership to a traitor who plans to convert the country into a ruthless dictatorship. The original “false journey” con, “The Train” is an episode that practically screams “surely there’s an easier way,” and yet it’s such a confidently crafted hour, with such an audacious hook, that it’s impossible not to get behind it.
- Milos Pavel (William Windom) looms over his ailing superior (Rhys Williams) in “The Train”
- Barney (Greg Morris) casually steals a locomotive in “The Train”
- Rollin (Martin Landau) swaps himself in for a conductor in “The Train”
- The villains (Noah Keen, William Windom) fall for an IMF optical illusion in “The Train”
- Barney (Greg Morris) runs the control board in “The Train”
53. “The Frame” (Season 1, Episode 17)
Briggs and the team cater the annual meeting of a group of scheming mafia leaders in this early “divide-and-conquer” crime caper. A confident, stylish bottle-show, “The Frame” would inspire countless variations over the series’ remaining years. Arthur Batanides’ restaurateur Tito makes for a uniquely nervous IMF ally.
- Scalizi (Joe DeSantis) tests Rollin (Martin Landau) in “The Frame”
- Tito (Arthur Batanides) covers for a busted Briggs (Steven Hill) in “The Frame”
- Barbara Bain in “The Frame”
- Greg Morris in “The Frame”
- Briggs (Steven Hill) and Barney (Greg Morris) after a painstaking vault break-in, in “The Frame”
52. “Terror” (Season 4, Episode 20)
Here, the prolific Laurence Heath improves on “Nitro” with this involved tale in which the IMF goes head-to-head with El Kabir (Michael Tolan), a Middle Eastern terrorist hellbent on achieving power. “Terror” delivers a deviously intricate web of deceptions, as the team maneuvers multiple marks into an alliance-destroying confrontation. The unique backdrop gives it a brighter, more interesting look than some of its drab contemporaries.
- Leonard Nimoy and Peter Graves in “Terror”
- Barney (Greg Morris) approaches Atheda (Arlene Martel) in order to infiltrate a terrorist cell in “Terror”
- A behind-the-scenes moment with Paris (Leonard Nimoy) and Willy (Peter Lupus) in “Terror”
- Tense moments in “Terror” (with Arlene Martel, Greg Morris, Peter Lupus, Ronald Feinberg)
- El Kabir (Michael Tolan) threatens to detonate nitroglycerin in “Terror”
51. “The Confession” (Season 1, Episode 22)
It’s another plum acting assignment for Martin Landau in “The Confession,” in which the IMF must expose a hardline senator’s connection to an enemy agent who’s committing assassinations on his orders. Landau’s performance as tough-talking con Eddie Gibson steals the show in a well executed fugitive ruse, which also introduces the versatile David Sheiner to the show’s list of often-recalled guest stars.
- Rollin (Martin Landau) prepares for his prison break in “The Confession”
- Reporter Cinnamon (Barbara Bain) interviews crooked senator R.J. McMillan (Pat Hingle) in “The Confession”
- Rollin (Martin Landau) threatens Solowieczyk (David Sheiner) in “The Confession”
- Greg Morris and Steven Hi