One of the very best Danger Man / Secret Agent shows. It all came together here; the story, the casting, the acting, and yes, the direction. This is Peter Yates' directorial debut for Danger Man. He will go on to direct a total of seven episodes. If you don't know, Peter directed Steve McQueen in 'Bullitt', a movie renowned for one of the best car chases ever filmed. Yates is a master at building tension, and this gift contributes nicely to this fine installment of Secret Agent. You witness tension building in a slow, delicious way in both a dinner scene where Drake (pretending to be artist Steven Miller) prepares to get held down and beaten up, and later in a fight scene at the end of the episode.
Drake is going up against what I deem is one of his most formidable opponents; an assassin named Rachid Noureddine, played brilliantly by three-time guest star Darren Nesbitt. The only foe that comes close to Rachid appears in 'Whatever Happened to George Foster' with Bernard Lee playing the rich, corrupt, and immensely powerful Lord Ammanford.
Darren, as assassin Rachid, is no mindless killer in this installment. He is almost as smart as Drake, almost as cool as Drake, and has a frequent, bone-chilling smile. Drake, as artist Steven, taunts Rachid by willfully avoiding eye contact whenever they converse. Rachid counters by calling Steven by name so often it turns into an insult. It goes right down to the wire with these two.
Added to this delightful recipe is the spicy character actor, Ronald Radd, making his second DM appearance, this time as the playful but fiercely loyal landlord Alexandros. Ronald gets totally into character and is great fun to watch.
Others have already commented quite adequately on the femme fatale Marie Valedon, played by the lovely Jeanne Roland. The show pivots around this woman.
In the spy gadget department, Drake is newly equipped with a wrist watch that can inject a fast acting paralyzing agent when a needle (stinger) is summoned from its core. It's this device that gives Drake the edge against 'team Noureddine' when push comes to shove.
Be seeing you...