I was ten years old when this episode was played. I'm now watching the reruns on Amazon, and I'm 58! When I saw this episode, I could hardly believe that the great Cicely Tyson was the love interest of Greg Morris! This was 1970, and in 2018, she is still on the screen. I'm captivated by this talented and beautiful actress. She is an icon!
2 Reviews
Tense Situation with Fine Guest Stars Makes for Excellent "Off-Duty" Episode
Aldanoli15 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
The "off duty" episodes (those that didn't use the standard tape/dossier/apartment scenes, and instead grew out of some personal calamity for one of the team members) were, somewhat ironically, often among the best of this series (e.g., "The Condemned," "The Town," and "Homecoming") and "Death Squad," the first to focus on the character of Barney Collier, also belongs in that pantheon. Because these situations usually arose unexpectedly (here, Barney is marked for death because he accidentally kills the brother of a corrupt police chief), the IMF is forced to make its plans "on the fly." This is especially true in this episode, with Barney in great danger and Jim Phelps urgently needing to summon the rest of the team from the States to save him.
Indeed, the focus on Barney highlights both why he was so valuable to the team and how Greg Morris' stoic portrayal of the character added to what characterization there was in the role. His near-escape from the death squad cell, with nothing more than a spoon, a pencil, the light bulb in his cell, and some wire salvaged from the underside of his bedding was a more realistic technical solution than most, and the Riva character, played marvelously by Leon Askin, makes some telling observations about how well Barney concentrates -- saying out loud what those who had watched the team for years always understood.
An amusing touch is the scene where the Great Paris (Leonard Nimoy) is arriving at home, apparently from some kind of performance (complete with cape!) when he gets the call from Jim. If one looks carefully, however, this is almost certainly a redress of the apartment set where the team normally gathered to go over the plan before putting it into play. Even for a series that fans would have seen only once a week in those days, the apartment set would have been quite recognizable, and so they took pains to hide, e.g., the corner fireplace behind a flamboyant piece of sculpture next to the couch where Paris takes the phone call. Otherwise, the implication might have been that Paris and Jim lived together!
Pernell Roberts, in the third of his four "Mission" appearances, as always projects both strength and menace, making him an excellent adversary as the thoroughly detestable Police Chief Corba. His reasons for wanting to "get" Barney are purely personal, and Barney therefore doesn't have a chance -- unless Jim and the others can work their usual magic. Cicely Tyson plays Barney's love interest, Alma, as an unusually emotional and realistic character for "Mission"; her warm chemistry with Greg Morris and her well-founded fears about Barney's likely fate help to raise the emotional stakes even more than the situation alone would have done. Mention also must be made again of Askin's delightful portrayal of Riva. He gives Barney someone to play against when he's in his cell, and provides Barney with the crucial information that this is the "death cell." Askin does wonders with his few scenes, whether in Corba's office or the jail, and when he and Barney are on the gallows -- despite drawing strength from Barney's stoicism -- he still plays the execution scene with just the right touch of eye-bulging fear. Barney, by contrast, never betrays the slightest emotion, either because he believes that Jim Phelps will somehow pull things off or, failing that, accepts that if this is how he's going to die, so be it.
The episode isn't without its flaws -- despite operating out of a small Latin American town, Corba certainly seems to have the most up-to-date gadgetry, including electronic cells and two-way-mirrored visiting cubicles! Corba allows Phelps an awful lot of freedom of movement even though Corba has been led to believe that Phelps is involved with a notorious emerald theft. There's also the implication that they've worked Barney over -- both Phelps and Alma comment on this when they meet him in the jail -- and by suggesting to Corba that Barney was a jewel thief, Phelps might have inadvertently exposed Barney to more abuse than he would otherwise have faced (although, of course, it's intended to buy Barney more time). And then, despite initially biting at the phony emerald story, Corba seems in quite a rush to get Barney to the gallows anyway, even though he's obviously not gotten the information from him. But these are small quibbles about an otherwise well-crafted and enjoyable episode.
Indeed, the focus on Barney highlights both why he was so valuable to the team and how Greg Morris' stoic portrayal of the character added to what characterization there was in the role. His near-escape from the death squad cell, with nothing more than a spoon, a pencil, the light bulb in his cell, and some wire salvaged from the underside of his bedding was a more realistic technical solution than most, and the Riva character, played marvelously by Leon Askin, makes some telling observations about how well Barney concentrates -- saying out loud what those who had watched the team for years always understood.
An amusing touch is the scene where the Great Paris (Leonard Nimoy) is arriving at home, apparently from some kind of performance (complete with cape!) when he gets the call from Jim. If one looks carefully, however, this is almost certainly a redress of the apartment set where the team normally gathered to go over the plan before putting it into play. Even for a series that fans would have seen only once a week in those days, the apartment set would have been quite recognizable, and so they took pains to hide, e.g., the corner fireplace behind a flamboyant piece of sculpture next to the couch where Paris takes the phone call. Otherwise, the implication might have been that Paris and Jim lived together!
Pernell Roberts, in the third of his four "Mission" appearances, as always projects both strength and menace, making him an excellent adversary as the thoroughly detestable Police Chief Corba. His reasons for wanting to "get" Barney are purely personal, and Barney therefore doesn't have a chance -- unless Jim and the others can work their usual magic. Cicely Tyson plays Barney's love interest, Alma, as an unusually emotional and realistic character for "Mission"; her warm chemistry with Greg Morris and her well-founded fears about Barney's likely fate help to raise the emotional stakes even more than the situation alone would have done. Mention also must be made again of Askin's delightful portrayal of Riva. He gives Barney someone to play against when he's in his cell, and provides Barney with the crucial information that this is the "death cell." Askin does wonders with his few scenes, whether in Corba's office or the jail, and when he and Barney are on the gallows -- despite drawing strength from Barney's stoicism -- he still plays the execution scene with just the right touch of eye-bulging fear. Barney, by contrast, never betrays the slightest emotion, either because he believes that Jim Phelps will somehow pull things off or, failing that, accepts that if this is how he's going to die, so be it.
The episode isn't without its flaws -- despite operating out of a small Latin American town, Corba certainly seems to have the most up-to-date gadgetry, including electronic cells and two-way-mirrored visiting cubicles! Corba allows Phelps an awful lot of freedom of movement even though Corba has been led to believe that Phelps is involved with a notorious emerald theft. There's also the implication that they've worked Barney over -- both Phelps and Alma comment on this when they meet him in the jail -- and by suggesting to Corba that Barney was a jewel thief, Phelps might have inadvertently exposed Barney to more abuse than he would otherwise have faced (although, of course, it's intended to buy Barney more time). And then, despite initially biting at the phony emerald story, Corba seems in quite a rush to get Barney to the gallows anyway, even though he's obviously not gotten the information from him. But these are small quibbles about an otherwise well-crafted and enjoyable episode.
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