Air Date: July 22, 1967. Written by: James Mitchell. Directed by: Robert Tronson. Produced by: Terence Feely, Lloyd Shirley. MISSING, PRESUMED WIPED.
This review is based on the camera script, available in the .pdf archive on Disc Three of the Callan: This Man Alone DVD set.
THE PLOT:
Hunter makes a deal with two CIA operatives, who agree to trade sensitive information in exchange for an American-educated Chinese operative, Li Pa Chao (Burt Kwouk), who is better known by the name he called himself in the States: General Robert E. Lee. The Americans don't care whether Lee is delivered alive or dead, so long as they can identify him.
Hunter decides to use Jenny (Francesca Tu), the former mistress of Schneider - Callan's target from the pilot - to send a message to Lee. He hopes to lure Lee to Callan by making it known that Callan can find his father. When the CIA realizes Hunter's plan, they go to Callan directly, on the grounds that the government would rather pay Callan in money than pay Hunter in information.
Now Callan and Jenny find themselves reluctant allies as they attempt to evade Hunter's men while setting up a rendezvous with Lee. Navigating a web of American, Chinese, and British intelligence operatives, it's a situation in which any mistake could instantly prove fatal...
CHARACTERS:
Callan: When the CIA agents approach him, he seems initially inclined to chase them off. He changes his mind due to a combination of the Americans' money and the realization that Lee will be coming for him regardless. He manipulates Lee's assumption that all he cares about is money... but he is quite happy to profit from the events of the episode, remarking at the end that he should have gone freelance a lot sooner.
Hunter: He may tolerate Meres' nastier tendencies, but that doesn't mean he shares them. When a drunken Meres abuses Jenny, Hunter reacts with open disdain. He even modifies Jenny's message to Lee in order to embarrass Meres as punishment. Still, he makes use of the encounter, dangling the prospect of an unrestrained Meres to ensure the woman's cooperation.
Meres: Though earlier episodes have shown him to be unlikable, this is the first one to portray him as actively sadistic. Early in the episode, he bruises Jenny's wrist. Later, he threatens her: "I won't touch you. Not till you do something wrong And you will do something wrong... and I'll be waiting."
Jenny: The biggest surprise of the episode is the return of Jenny, with substantial amounts of dialogue referencing her relationship to Schneider and Callan's role in his death. She is much more central to this episode, and gets choicer material as a result. She sizes up Meres in her first scene, caustically assessing his willingness to threaten those who are weaker or older than himself, and declares that she hates him far more than she does Callan. As the plot progresses, she admits to being frightened, and the alliance between her and Callan is both convincing and enjoyable.
Robert E. Lee: The villain of the piece. American educated, at the insistence of his capitalist father, but utterly loyal to Mao Zedong and his Communist government. He is well-spoken, and presents himself as almost humorous when first introduced, but it is clear that he will kill anyone without a hint of remorse. It is a great pity that this episode is missing, as I suspect actor Burt Kwouk was splendid in the role, likely bringing a depth to the character far beyond the lines on the script pages.
THOUGHTS:
In my review of Goodbye, Nobby Clarke, I noted that if an episode had to be missing, then at least that one didn't seem like much of a loss. Reading The Death of Robert E. Lee, by contrast, leaves me absolutely gutted at its absence. Even in script form, the story is absorbing. The stakes are high for all the characters, each of whom has his own agenda - including Lee himself, who in the course of one scene goes from being a MacGuffin to a man with plans of his own.
It is the first episode to discard the template of Callan being tasked with killing/disgracing someone he likes. Instead, Callan is put into the middle of a complex situation, navigating it in a way that allows him to come out ahead. It showcases the character's intelligence and ability to improvise. We also get a lighter Callan, cracking jokes (he first identifies himself to the CIA agents as a Martian) and being protective of others. The character becomes more conventionally likeable as a result, and it's done in a way that doesn't undermine his previous characterization; he's the same man, but we're seeing additional layers to him.
Scenes I would particularly enjoy seeing if this episode was ever found include: The first display of Meres' sadism, and Hunter's disdain for that side of him; Callan's alliance with Jenny, which grows less uneasy as the episode progresses; and Burt Kwouk's performance as Lee. Honestly, the script is largely a joy to read (though as a camera script, action scenes are largely undescribed and confusing), and I would have dearly loved to have seen the actual episode.
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