This mission was one of the unique and memorable ones of the series. The episode does not involve Jim Phelps getting a recorded message for a new mission, but is a personal one for Jim who is trying to help a friend imprisoned in jail and about to be executed for murder. His friend was framed by a man and his girlfriend in order for the (supposed dead) man to assume a new identity and make off with a jeweled crown that was stolen. The supposed dead man had also double crossed two other men who are looking for the crown. Jim gets help from Rollin, Barney, and Willie to try to find evidence that can free his friend. In order to delay the impending execution, they rig up an artificial side of the prison wall to allow Jim's friend to hide inside and appear to have escaped from jail. They track the man's girlfriend and finds out that the supposed dead man was not killed earlier, but in the process of locating him, they do gun him down, but he also did plastic surgery to change his appearance. They then come up with an ingenious way to free the imprisoned man by having Rollin impersonate the supposed dead man (Rollin also impersonates the jailed man as well) so that the police can see that he did not die earlier. They rig up a car that can be remote controlled and place the newly deceased man inside it and Barney controls the driving wheel and the pedals in the car. The police chase the car and it is driven off a cliff and explodes. The police get the crown from the car wreckage and that then allows the jailed man to "suddenly" reappear in his prison cell so that he can be freed.
6 Reviews
Somewhat Unusual Episode with Cool Cars!
ftao-861-73838212 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"The Condemned" is a bit different from the usual M:I fare. First, Jim is on a personal mission to rescue an old friend (so there isn't the usual opening scene with the recording). Also, Cinnamon does not take part. It plays somewhat like an episode of "The Saint", taking place in Europe (Spain apparently), with a beautiful girl and cool vintage cars. Jim has twenty four hours to clear his friend who's been framed for murder and is about to be executed. One other unusual factor is that due to the time constraint, the team is improvising instead of following a well thought out plan. Of course it's implausible that Jim would be able to assemble a team and have them work their usual tricks (such as creating a duplicate of a prison cell wall) in such a short time period, but that's part of the M:I mystique. There are twists, double crosses, and you eventually learn that the story involves a jewel encrusted crown. As part of the fun, Barney converts a Porsche 356 to remote control and destroys it by driving it off a hillside (with the crown inside - but you will see how it survives). An Aston Martin and BMW also appear in this episode. A very cool episode for those who like this sort of stuff.
By the way, one reviewer complained about the girl revealing information to the bad guy. Well, it's explainable by one, she's not the brightest person, and two, she never loved her "boyfriend" (Jim's friend) but is really smitten with the bad guy whom she revealed the information to (people do stupid things when they're in love).
By the way, one reviewer complained about the girl revealing information to the bad guy. Well, it's explainable by one, she's not the brightest person, and two, she never loved her "boyfriend" (Jim's friend) but is really smitten with the bad guy whom she revealed the information to (people do stupid things when they're in love).
Decent enough episode
Guad4223 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
An impromptu mission for all gang. Jim rescues a friend from a bad murder rap. I like the way they arrange his "escape" from prison. The friend is Kevin Hagen who does a fine job here both as himself and as Rollin impersonating him. For some reason I always confuse him with Jason Evers. As mentioned by others, the girlfriend is an idiot who doesn't see what is clearly about to happen to her. The car chase is interesting but you have to wonder how Barney kept the car in sight all that time. The prison captain turns out to be a little better than I thought he would. Not the best episode but well worth the time.
One of the best episodes in the entire series
shakspryn20 December 2021
As is often the case with a series, some of MI's best episodes are the ones, like this, that are a little different. Of course what 's different here is that Jim goes all in to save an old friend who is facing execution for a murder he didn't commit. The MI team are the definition of super-professional agents of the US government, and it's enjoyable to see them charge off entirely on their own. What would Langley think? Well, I'm sure our guys didn't bother asking! Cinnamon isn't in this one, which actually helps keep the focus tight on the mission. The beautiful Marianna Hill makes a good guest star. There are exciting twists and turns and the pace never slows down. Fans will like this outing.
THE ONE WITH THE REMOTE CONTROLLED PORSCHE!
tcchelsey17 March 2024
See this episode just for the famous blue Porsche chase. A M. I. TV Classic.
A rather unique tale for two reasons; Cinnamon is not involved in the case and there is NO secret tape recording. Author Laurence Heath did some creative writing, perhaps to change the routine, and it works well. I agree with the last reviewer, it also has the feel of an episode from THE SAINT (minus Roger Moore) with a European setting, and some excellent photography. Heath wrote 23 episodes for the show, later series writer for DYNASTY.
Phelps comes to the aid of close friend David Webster (played by Kevin Hagen), framed and held for murder in a banana republic, quite naturally.
Also in play is a rare jeweled crown, worth a king's ransom. To delay his execution, Rollin and Willie (disguised as priests!) install a fake prison panel in his cell so he could hide, and obviously make it look like he escaped into thin air. The best part is watching the STUNNED expressions of the guards! You have to love creative scenes like that, though the panel is a long shot. Wouldn't the guards have knocked on the walls and discovered it IF they did a thorough search?
Beautiful Mariana Hill plays Louisa, Webster's gal friend who may have set him up in the first place, or is a victim herself. Hill, who was a master of dialects, has an emotional role here, and possibly the reason Cinnamon was not in this story. Veteran actor Will Kuluva plays Constantine, always a treat to see him, generally playing distinguished learned gentlemen. Look for Peter Donat (nephew of Oscar winning actor Robert Donat), later appearing in the X FILES.
Getting to the absolute BEST part, Willie and Barney rig a remote-controlled blue Porsche to fake-out the international police, and a wild chase ensues down a precarious mountain road. Barney working the control panel and shifting gears is great entertainment, especially for all us kids back in the day. An unforgettable scene. Not to forget master of disguises Rollin, who works his magic in the makeup fakeup department, the meticulous rubber and hair application simply fascinating.
Footnote, Kevin Hagen slightly resembles Jason Evers, popular on so many cop shows, and at first I thought it was him. Hagen was best known for playing the doctor on LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, also LAND OF THE GIANTS. Actor and writer Alf Kjellin directs this episode with his usual flair, and the Porsche scene a masterpiece on his part. Kjellin also headed some classic episodes for HAWAII FIVE O.
Hits the bullseye! 10 Stars, though we miss Barbara Bain. SEASON 2 EPISODE 19 remastered color CBS/Paramount dvd box set. 7 dvds, 2007 release.
Get the box set for this one.
A rather unique tale for two reasons; Cinnamon is not involved in the case and there is NO secret tape recording. Author Laurence Heath did some creative writing, perhaps to change the routine, and it works well. I agree with the last reviewer, it also has the feel of an episode from THE SAINT (minus Roger Moore) with a European setting, and some excellent photography. Heath wrote 23 episodes for the show, later series writer for DYNASTY.
Phelps comes to the aid of close friend David Webster (played by Kevin Hagen), framed and held for murder in a banana republic, quite naturally.
Also in play is a rare jeweled crown, worth a king's ransom. To delay his execution, Rollin and Willie (disguised as priests!) install a fake prison panel in his cell so he could hide, and obviously make it look like he escaped into thin air. The best part is watching the STUNNED expressions of the guards! You have to love creative scenes like that, though the panel is a long shot. Wouldn't the guards have knocked on the walls and discovered it IF they did a thorough search?
Beautiful Mariana Hill plays Louisa, Webster's gal friend who may have set him up in the first place, or is a victim herself. Hill, who was a master of dialects, has an emotional role here, and possibly the reason Cinnamon was not in this story. Veteran actor Will Kuluva plays Constantine, always a treat to see him, generally playing distinguished learned gentlemen. Look for Peter Donat (nephew of Oscar winning actor Robert Donat), later appearing in the X FILES.
Getting to the absolute BEST part, Willie and Barney rig a remote-controlled blue Porsche to fake-out the international police, and a wild chase ensues down a precarious mountain road. Barney working the control panel and shifting gears is great entertainment, especially for all us kids back in the day. An unforgettable scene. Not to forget master of disguises Rollin, who works his magic in the makeup fakeup department, the meticulous rubber and hair application simply fascinating.
Footnote, Kevin Hagen slightly resembles Jason Evers, popular on so many cop shows, and at first I thought it was him. Hagen was best known for playing the doctor on LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, also LAND OF THE GIANTS. Actor and writer Alf Kjellin directs this episode with his usual flair, and the Porsche scene a masterpiece on his part. Kjellin also headed some classic episodes for HAWAII FIVE O.
Hits the bullseye! 10 Stars, though we miss Barbara Bain. SEASON 2 EPISODE 19 remastered color CBS/Paramount dvd box set. 7 dvds, 2007 release.
Get the box set for this one.
Fair.
planktonrules26 July 2014
When this episode of "Mission: Impossible" begins, you don't have the usual mission briefing. Instead, Jim finds out that an old friend is being held for murder in some two-bit country. Jim knows his friend could never do such a thing and vows to use his powers to extricate the man. Naturally, the rest of the Force agree to help. Soon it becomes obvious that the man's girlfriend is somehow involved in some sort of setup and it's up to them to investigate her and find out who is paying or threatening her to cooperate with framing the guy. Now at this point, the show gets a bit dumb. The lady gets cold feet and TELLS her accomplice this--and you KNOW he's going to try to kill her. This cliché irritates me, as no sane person would tell a murderer this but would either run to the police, kill the guy or just plain run! Still, the episode is modestly entertaining and it's worth tuning in to see what happens next.
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