ftao-861-738382 Reviews

Star Trek: Secret Voyage (2012–2014)

OK Fan Production, intriguing story and character, but hampered by low budget

[7/10 · 17 May 2019]

It's too bad they have not completed the story line for this fan produced Star Trek TOS spinoff. It's obviously got a low budget, with minimal sets and just adequate effects. However, I found the premise and characters to be interesting. An eclectic crew is sent by a Federation admiral (who may be acting on his own) taking the Enterprise on a secret mission to negotiate with the secretive inhabitants of a far off planet. What's at stake is a mineral on the planet that could replace dilithium, allowing much faster speeds for warp engines. Most of the action takes place on location on the planet (which appears to be shot in the Mojave Desert), with strange encounters with various people on the planet.

The new crew of the Enterprise does have intriguing characters, two of which have a strong history with the captain - one is like a family member (their fathers were close), the other is resentful of the Captain and his father, and may be acting on the Admiral's orders. The actor playing the Captain makes a strong impression. The other cast members are variable but there are several strong female characters including a half Romulan stranded on the planet who has very useful skills. I would have liked to have seen more of this character and how the story played out!

Mission: Impossible: Live Bait (1969) Season 3, Episode 18

Very Good Espionage Episode with a Young Martin Sheen

[8/10 · 26 September 2017]

"Live Bait" is a good example of a spy caper with the Mission Impossible team out to rescue a captured agent before he exposes a colleague planted in an Eastern European country's intelligence agency. They do this with the unwitting help of a young, somewhat naive enemy agent played by a young Martin Sheen. This is before Sheen became famous for portraying more intense characters such as in the movie "Badlands" (1973). Here Anthony Zerbe has the juicy character, chewing up the scenery as Sheen's scheming superior who is out expose the mole. The lovely Diana Ewing has a role as Sheen's girlfriend who also plays into the plan (the actress is perhaps most memorable in an episode of Star Trek as one of the few women who Spock falls for). The complex plan implemented by the team includes the use of a split screen movie production system (presumably real) that Barney operates. Also Cinnamon risks her life in a bicycle accident!

This episode also features some exciting camera work with lots of closeups, interesting framing and angles, and roving hand-held shots. I really enjoyed this episode. It's recommended if you like these kind of spy stories.

Mission: Impossible: The Freeze (1968) Season 3, Episode 11

Mediocre version of "Sleeper" but with interesting futuristic set design

[7/10 · 22 September 2017]

"The Freeze" is similar in concept to Woody Allen's futuristic film "Sleeper", though it actually predates it by a few years. In the 1960's and 70's cryogenics was a popular topic, and some people did undergo the procedure, though there was no method to safely unfreeze people.

The Mission Impossible plot is not very believable. First of all the villain (decently played by Donnelly Rhodes) seems too gullible, not questioning the doctor's prognosis of his terminal illness. Plus one more big point, at the end (Spoiler follows), the success of the team's deception (regarding the statute of limitations running out) seems to hinge on the villain buying the newspaper outside the clinic. What if he got the newspaper elsewhere, or turned on the radio in his car, etc.?

Where I found this episode to be interesting is in the futuristic designs (more spoilers follow). The cryogenic chamber is very elaborate and impressive, like something out of "Metropolis". It is ironic, however, that in the scene where we see Jim designing the chamber, there is a schematic on the table displaying a vacuum tube circuit (transistors and other solid state circuitry were well on their way to obsoleting vacuum tubes by 1968)! After the villain wakes up, he is confronted by futuristic props such as Jetsons-like cars, instantaneous x-ray machine, videophone, and huge flat screen display (with plug in data modules like on the original Star Trek - these are not too far from modern USB drives). This is all supposed to be in 1980 - as usual, the filmmakers were too optimistic - most of these things did not appear until the 1990's or later. The flat screen monitor is particularly unbelievable - it's hanging from the ceiling, so projecting an image would be visibly obvious. I don't see how even Barney could pull this one off, even with an unlimited budget and more than a few days of development.

So, this is a fun episode to watch if you're not too picky about plot holes.

Mission: Impossible: The Mind of Stefan Miklos (1969) Season 3, Episode 13

Superb ensemble cast plays out an intricate clockwork story

[9/10 · 19 September 2017]

"The Mind of Stefan Miklos" concerns an enemy agent (the titular character) whose mission is to confirm the veracity of American secrets that have fallen into the hands of a double agent (Townsend). The team's job is to convince Stefan Miklos that the information is true (it's actually false intelligence). Jim conceives an intricate plan, or jigsaw puzzle, as he calls it, for Miklos to figure out. So the episode is really about the mind of Jim Phelps vs. the mind of Stefan Miklos, though they barely confront each other physically. The "puzzle" includes a statue, a painting, a safe containing Townsend's keepsake photographs, video surveillance footage, a scrap of paper in a fireplace, a wristwatch, and matchbooks (this also relates to a character being left handed). The plan relies on Miklos' slightly arrogant, brilliant mind which has photographic recall. Steve Ihnat does a fine job as Miklos, playing him as a modern day Sherlock Holmes, complete with pipe! Although he is the enemy, you have to admire his methods. Martin Landau is outstanding as usual, impersonating multiple characters, without any disguises in this case. For those of you only familiar with Ed Asner from comedic roles, you may be surprised as I was by his finely nuanced performance in a dramatic role as an enemy operative who opposes Townsend.

As this episode starts out, you may be confused by what's happening and the roles of the characters, but by the end, all the pieces fall into place (just barely) for a satisfying conclusion. Miklos' ironic closing line says it all: "I wish I could meet the man that masterminded their operation. He was brilliant. I feel sorry for him. He played the game well, but he lost. It'll destroy him."

Mission: Impossible: The Contender: Part 1 (1968) Season 3, Episode 2

Pretty Good Boxing Episode with Interesting Actors

[8/10 · 30 August 2017]

"The Contender" features Greg Morris (Barney) prominently in a boxing role, training and eventually fighting to take down a sports betting syndicate. The boxer whom Barney is impersonating is played by an almost unknown actor, Ron Rich, who doesn't make much of an impression. Interestingly, however, the former boxer Sugar Ray Robinson displays a lot of screen charisma as not a boxer, but one of the bad guy's "heavies" who does his dirty work. John Dehner and Ron Randell are both very good as the two main villains. A bit of a spoiler here, Robert Conrad, who was starring in "The Wild Wild West" at the time, has a cameo as a sparring partner for Barney (if it appears that Conrad looks like a real boxer, it's because he did have a brief boxing career). The boxing scenes are fairly exciting, though purists may complain that it's not authentic enough. Overall, an interesting two part episode for the sports fan.

Mission: Impossible: The Phoenix (1968) Season 2, Episode 23

Clever use of art, great villain and Willy as "Atlas Shrugged"

[8/10 · 17 August 2017]

Contrary to some other reviewers, I really enjoyed this episode. Yes, the bad guys are stupid and easily fooled, but Alf Kjellin does a great job as the megalomaniac villain Stefan Prohosh (interestingly, Kjellin also directed several episodes). Prohosh, who used to be head of security in an Eastern European country, has been demoted to the culture department in charge of the State Museum, apparently because of his power ambitions. Prohosh plans to regain power by selling a super alloy, cleverly hidden in a massive sculpture shipped to his museum. He is so paranoid that whenever someone comes into his office, he pulls out his gun and stands to the side of the door before he lets them in.

Anyway, the team's mission is to stop Prohosh and get the special alloy. To do this, they fake an assassination attempt on him and set him up for a downfall when the Chairman visits. Meanwhile, Barney and Willy must partially dismantle and reassemble the metal sculpture using torches while guards regularly make their rounds. The highlight is when Willy, like Atlas, must hold the two ton (may be a slight exaggeration on my part) sculpture together with his bare hands while guards talk only a few feet away. You feel agonizing sympathy for Willy, yet, when the guards finally leave, he shrugs as if it's no big deal - "I'm fine".

Mission: Impossible: The Condemned (1968) Season 2, Episode 19

Somewhat Unusual Episode with Cool Cars!

[8/10 · 12 August 2017]

"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).

Mission: Impossible: The Seal (1967) Season 2, Episode 9

Memorable, Fun Episode featuring a Long Tailed Burglar

[9/10 · 27 July 2017]

"The Seal" is one of those Mission:Impossible episodes that I remembered for years afterward. Why? Because of the outrageous story involving a cat named Rusty who helps to retrieve the national treasure (a jade seal) of an Asian country. An arrogant rich American industrialist, superbly played by Darren McGavin, purchased the treasure and won't return it even though he knows that it's been stolen. The treasure is locked up in his penthouse secured with an electrified door, pressure sensitive floor, and sonic detector. That's where Rusty the cat comes in. Never mind that there must be easier ways to steal the jade seal, you'll laugh as the cat has an encounter with a tank of fish that almost spoils the whole operation. Old computers using punch cards also figure in the plot. Martin Landau plays an Asian with supposedly supernatural powers - of course he doesn't look Asian (I'm glad they didn't use much makeup in an effort to do so), but does a decent job as usual.

Whom ever trained Rusty the cat deserves some kind of an award - he does make it look like he understands verbal commands from Barney (Rusty even wears an earpiece!)

Mission: Impossible: The Bank (1967) Season 2, Episode 4

A Fine Example of Mission Impossible

[9/10 · 21 July 2017]

"The Bank" from the second season is a example of Mission:Impossible at its best. This episode is set in East Berlin when the Berlin Wall was still standing (for those of you too young to understand, in those days Berlin was divided into the "free" western zone and "communist" eastern zone, separated by a wall - guards would shoot you if you tried to escape to the West). The director of an East Berlin bank, Belzig, runs a sort of perverse underground railroad. Unsuspecting people would deposit money in the bank to secure passage to the West, only to mysteriously disappear before reaching freedom. Belzig's goal is to resurrect a fascist regime (what, he's not doing it just for the money?), but that's secondary to the story. The team's mission is to stop Belzig's operation and to recover the money. How they do it is not so obvious, and there is plenty of suspense and a few twists. It's unusual in that Jim's character, who impersonates a communist Federal agent, cooperates with the local police in the sting. Also, Cinnamon gets to do some technical stuff that Barney usually does (it seems the writers in the second season made an effort to deglamourize her role). Martin Landau once again demonstrates his fine acting ability in a small role as an older shop owner who becomes Belzig's latest victim. All the characters are well cast and played in this episode. The ending is very satisfying and there's literally a twist in the ending shot! Plus the theme of political refugees escaping to the West is still very relevant today.

I do have one nitpick about "The Bank". At one point, Jim zooms in on a videotape recording with a pocket telescope and views a crystal clear image of the safe deposit number - why do they always show an unrealistic blowup of videotapes? It would have been more realistic to just figure out the location of the safe deposit box by counting the rows and columns.

Mission: Impossible: Trek (1967) Season 2, Episode 2

M:I does Tortilla Western, Good Change of Pace with Trek References

[8/10 · 18 July 2017]

"Trek" is a very appropriate title for this episode as it contains many Star Trek references. The story is not very original, but it is a nice change of pace from all the Cold War and Syndicate episodes. The team's assignment is to find a cache of gold treasures looted by a man named Cole from a Latin American country. Much of the episode is shot on location in Southern California locales familiar in Westerns. Vasquez Rocks is visible in the background of the prison camp - the set of which I swear is recycled from the opening of the Star Trek episode "Arena" (which also prominently featured Vasquez Rocks). Also seemingly recycled from Star Trek are Gerald Fried's memorable musical motifs. And of course, Mark Lenard, who played both a Romulan and a Vulcan on Star Trek, appears as the commander of the prison here (his second appearance on M:I). Jack Donner, a guest team member (apparently a specialist in stunts) also played a Romulan! In a nutshell, Jim Phelps and Cole break out of prison and the team tricks Cole into revealing where he did the treasure. Mark Lenard's character, who also wants the treasure, comes along as a hostage. Rollin and Cinnamon play supporting roles as prospector types. Barney's main task is to fly a helicopter. Willy does not appear in this episode.

There are really no surprises in the plot, but it's still enjoyable and the cast members seem to be having fun too.

Mission: Impossible: A Cube of Sugar (1967) Season 1, Episode 26

Crazy and Psychedelic, Jazz & Drugs!

[8/10 · 12 July 2017]

"A Cube of Sugar" is definitely one of the weirdest episodes from the first season. The team's mission is to recover a microchip taken by an agent who happens to be a jazz musician! He's been captured and pumped full of drugs in an Eastern European prison, locked in a padded cell and bound in a straight jacket. The team also must rescue the agent before he's killed in a crematorium because he's memorized the "code" to the microchip.

This episode was influenced by the drug culture in the 1960's, especially in the music scene. The late great Don Ellis contributed an appropriate sounding jazz soundtrack. Don Ellis, who was an experimental jazz trumpeter, later composed the score for The French Connection (another drug story), but died shortly after, so he is not well remembered today. He was kind of a thinking man's Miles Davis.

Some other highlights from this episode: Crazy psychedelic dance girls in a nightclub. Rollin uses the Mother of All Multi-tools while in prison - you'll have to see all the unbelievable things it does! Barney and Willy expend an enormous amount of effort to cut and dig their way into the crematorium - they use a real power saw, you can see the light bulb dimming when they turn it on! A surprising early use of the microchip in a plot, since they were still relatively obscure in 1967. The microchip is hidden in drug laced sugar cubes, hence the title (not a spoiler since they reveal this up front).

I suppose I'm biased in this review since I play the trumpet and made a living designing with microchips (aka integrated circuits or computer chips), but even if you're not like me, you may still appreciate this episode. One reviewer complained that it's similar to another episode, but the details make it memorable for me.

Mission: Impossible: The Confession (1967) Season 1, Episode 22

Fascinating Political Thriller influenced by McCarthyism

[8/10 · 8 July 2017]

This episode's concept isn't entirely original but it is interesting. A foreign agent is accused of assassinating a US senator, and the IMF's job is to prove that the Soviet block was NOT behind it. I grew up in the 1960's and the anti-Communist sentiment in the USA brought to the boiling point by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 50's was still very prevalent. When this episode aired, JFK had recently been assassinated by a communist sympathizer, and Senator Robert F Kennedy's assassination was only a year in the future. The episode was probably also influenced by the then recent popular novel and movie "The Manchurian Candidate".

Pat Hingle gives a somewhat sympathetic performance as the Senator's backer, who is an almost fanatical anti communist. It could have easily been an over the top role but Hingle gives a finely nuanced performance, making him more human and believable. Hingle's character happens to be an amateur artist who made a portrait of the Senator, featured prominently in his office. Bold for its time, the episode gives hints about a subtext that the Senator and his supporter may have had more than a political relationship - the Senator apparently lived part time in his supporter's mansion! In another interesting performance, the assassin (actor David Sheiner) is portrayed as a weak, almost timid character, not at all what you'd expect from a cold blooded killer. Rollin impersonates a criminal to become his cellmate, and has no trouble stepping all over the assassin. There is some good stunt work as they escape from out of a police van.

There is a big plot twist at the end - again, not original but a bit surprising nonetheless. There are a couple of what I call "Mission Impossiblisms" - Dan pretends to be a artist and "unpaints" a portrait, and Pat Hingle's character catches him in the act but Dan kind of "brushes" him off; the TV van that the team uses sports an old time TV multi-element receiving antenna that would be better found on a home's roof rather than the more likely dish antenna for transmitting.

Whether or not you agree with the politics in this episode, the political rhetoric, fear of communist governments (Russia, North Korea), and the killing of members of Congress by fanatics is still very relevant today. A memorable first season episode.

Mission: Impossible: The Frame (1967) Season 1, Episode 17

Silly prototypical stealing from the syndicate episode

[6/10 · 5 July 2017]

I suppose you could consider this episode the prototype for the many later crime syndicate episodes, but it's not that great due to a ludicrous plot and uninteresting characters. On the plus side, the whole team is involved (uncommon for the first season).

The team is tasked with stealing several million dollars from the head of the syndicate in the U.S., (who is making even his underling bosses nervous by knocking off government officials) and to undermine his power. The boss and his underlings are gathered for a meeting in his mansion, which has a nearly impregnable safe in the wine cellar. Here's the huge plot hole - no guards or security are in sight for a meeting of the top crime bosses with millions of dollars in the cellar. Plus the team uses muffled tools (which you'll see in later episodes) but wouldn't there still be obvious noise from the tools sawing/drilling through concrete and walls?

If you can overlook the plot holes, the fun is watching how the team accomplishes the task. You get to see Dan be a gourmet chef and Rollin act as a deaf waiter. Barney devises a fancy gizmo to help them blow the safe. There's not much else to this episode. The crime bosses are stereotypical and uninteresting. It's just your standard theft caper and setup story.

Mission: Impossible: The Reluctant Dragon (1967) Season 1, Episode 16

Interesting characters and performers

[8/10 · 30 June 2017]

I liked "The Reluctant Dragon" for its interesting characters and performances. Often, especially in a one hour TV episode, the characters are one dimensional and predictable. This is pretty much a Rollin episode (Barney joins him but only plays a supporting role with very little tech work). Rollin's adversary, the Commissioner, is superbly played by John Colicos. Spoiler - Rollin and his adversary develop an admiration or respect for each other though they remain enemies. They share drinks several times, and at one point they play chess - how symbolic! At the end Rollin tries to save the bad guy's life - incredible! Plus, you get the feeling that the Commissioner lets them get away (he has an agent watching outside and could warn him to stop the escapees at the border). The barmaid character, Sophia, though a small part, steals some critical items - you wonder what her motives are? Also, one of the Commissioner's lieutenants, played by Michael Forest, has his own agenda and does not tell his boss about a key piece of knowledge. Joseph Campanella does a fine job as the reluctant scientist, and his wife is played by the memorable Mala Powers - he must have been really blinded by his work to leave a woman like that! Star Trek fans, take note that John Colicos and Michael Forest had memorable roles as a Klingon and a god (Apollo) in the original series.