Air Date: July 29, 1967. Written by: James Mitchell. Directed by: Bill Bain. Produced by: Terence Feely, Lloyd Shirley. MISSING, PRESUMED WIPED.
This review is based on the revised script published in Callan Uncovered, Volume 2.
THE PLOT:
Bauer (Robert Lang) is a West German agent with a grudge against Callan. Years earlier, he attempted to double-cross Callan, which cost him humiliation and a severe beating. Now he has found a perfect way to get his revenge - by using Callan's old lover, Eva (Rosemary Frankau), to lure him to West Berlin and then sell him to the East Germans as a spy.
Callan is able to escape the trap, though not without injury. He hides in the home of Dr. Schultz (Gladys Cooper), an English expatriate, who treats him and agrees not to contact the police. Dr. Schultz urges him not to kill. But with Bauer closing in, Callan may have no choice...
CHARACTERS:
Callan: Is practicing his shooting again, something Lonely comments on when he asks for yet another box of black market ammunition. His fondness for Eva proves a blind spot, with Bauer using her perfectly to lure Callan into a trap. But Callan knows exactly which psychological buttons to press to manipulate his opponent into attacking him, allowing him the chance to escape. He shares some effective scenes opposite Dr. Schultz, and it is evident that he both likes and respects her - but when the situation turns violent, his training and nature assert themselves.
Hunter: Bauer sells his plan to Hunter as an opportunity to send a genuine agent in after Callan is caught. Hunter isn't fooled about Bauer's motives, but he sees that Bauer's plan is clever, and he likely sees removing Callan as a way to remove a potential threat while aiding espionage operations at the same time. Still, once Callan escapes, Hunter cools on both Bauer and his plan.
Dr. Schultz: Has a surprising amount in common with Callan. Like him, she is alone, her life marked by violence. She lost both her sons to war, and her husband died trying to protect her from a sexual assault when the Russians overran their city. In the end, however, she is Callan's opposite, her losses having left her insisting on the futility of violence. She tells Callan that her husband "killed a Russian defending me, and the rest of them shot him - here in this house. The Russian died and Heinrich died, and it didn't help me. Killing never helps."
THOUGHTS:
Another good script, one that I suspect was probably a very good episode. Between this and the previous episode, the series seems to have finally abandoned its initial formula. The plot is effective, if obviously tailored to a tight budget.
The meat of the story is found in the exchanges between Callan and Dr. Schultz, portrayed by 1940s film star Gladys Cooper, and its their scenes that I would be most interested in seeing if the episode was ever recovered. The conversations between Callan, who spends most of the time trying to find a weapon while plotting his escape, and the doctor, who desperately wants to keep him from killing anyone, are well-written, providing strong material to both characters while still keeping up the basic tension.
This is the first episode not to feature the character of Meres. An agent named Maitland (Jeremy Lloyd) fills his role for no readily apparent reason. I admit to wondering why. Illness seems unlikely - Maitland is in the script, meaning that the production team already knew Meres wouldn't be in this one. Perhaps Anthony Valentine had a pre-existing schedule conflict? It makes no real difference to the episode, and may even play to the series' advantage in showing that there actually are other agents within The Section, but it is curious.
In any event, a strong piece, and the second missing episode in a row whose absence I greatly regret.
Previous Episode: The Death of Robert E. Lee
Next Episode: But He's a Lord, Mr. Callan
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