The Man From UNCLE # 007 Carroll O’Connor. Enjoyable…

The Man From UNCLE # 007

Carroll O’Connor. Enjoyable fantasy-driven spy yarn about brain-washing.

• There’s a great start to this when an UNCLE agent has a sort-of meltdown before dying. Some words he mumbled are enough to send Solo undercover working for an eccentric financier.
• Robert Vaughn is fun to watch (and is clearly having fun) as Applegate, his clumsy undercover character.
• Sadly, he breaks that cover quite fast and we then get some running around with a damsel-in-distress for most of the second act.
• After that, the second half of the episode is mostly conversations and escape attempts, with Solo and said-damsel held prisoner while being told what their eventual fate is to be. It’s fine, but really not much is happening. And, sometimes, it is very obvious that the outdoor setting is really inside a studio.
• Carroll O’Connor is in top form, however, as the mastermind behind everything: a plan to brainwash scores of important people around the world and send them back, as human time-bombs with subliminal instructions/beliefs implanted.
• It’s a purely fantasy-based threat, but the tone of the story never gets too silly. There are only a couple of examples of outright humour. Mostly quips from Solo.
• Illya Kuryakin appears only in the opening and closing scenes.
• It’s a straightforward story. The mystery generated by the strong opening is explained away quite quickly. And once the villain appears he doesn’t really do much except talk to Solo.

6/10

The Man From UNCLE # 007 Carroll O’Connor. Enjoyable…

The Man From UNCLE # 007

Carroll O’Connor. Enjoyable fantasy-driven spy yarn about brain-washing.

• There’s a great start to this when an UNCLE agent has a sort-of meltdown before dying. Some words he mumbled are enough to send Solo undercover working for an eccentric financier.
• Robert Vaughn is fun to watch (and is clearly having fun) as Applegate, his clumsy undercover character.
• Sadly, he breaks that cover quite fast and we then get some running around with a damsel-in-distress for most of the second act.
• After that, the second half of the episode is mostly conversations and escape attempts, with Solo and said-damsel held prisoner while being told what their eventual fate is to be. It’s fine, but really not much is happening. And, sometimes, it is very obvious that the outdoor setting is really inside a studio.
• Carroll O’Connor is in top form, however, as the mastermind behind everything: a plan to brainwash scores of important people around the world and send them back, as human time-bombs with subliminal instructions/beliefs implanted.
• It’s a purely fantasy-based threat, but the tone of the story never gets too silly. There are only a couple of examples of outright humour. Mostly quips from Solo.
• Illya Kuryakin appears only in the opening and closing scenes.
• It’s a straightforward story. The mystery generated by the strong opening is explained away quite quickly. And once the villain appears he doesn’t really do much except talk to Solo.

6/10