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| Callan must extract his new boss (Derek Bond) from East Germany. |
Air Date: Feb. 12, 1969. Written by: Hugh d'Allenger (pseudonym for John Kershaw). Directed by: Peter Duguid. Produced by: Reginald Collin.
THE PLOT:
Hunter is dead.
After attending his funeral, Callan and Meres are called to the office of Sir Michael Harvey (John Wentworth). Bureaucracy is getting in the way of appointing a permanent replacement, but Sir Michael has found a workaround. An "acting Hunter" will be named; assuming he works out, making his appointment permanent should be straightforward.
Actually getting him to London will be a little more complicated, however. The man selected is John Ramsay (Derek Bond), who is undercover in East Germany. There is no time to get him out through normal channels, so they will have to smuggle him out. The location chosen for the operation is an abandoned World War II bunker. The complication? It's surrounded by a minefield, which Callan will have to navigate to get both in and out with his new boss.
There is a plan in place, of course. But once Callan and Meres reach the rendezvous, they discover that no part of that plan is going to survive contact with reality...
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| The survivors: Callan, Meres, and Liz at Hunter's funeral. |
CHARACTERS:
Callan: It's clear from his body language just how uncomfortable he is when called to Sir Michael's office. He doesn't quite know how to speak or move, largely following Meres' lead; he even hesitates about sitting until Sir Michael finally takes his seat. Only after perceived criticism over Hunter's death does Callan return to his usual defiance. By contrast, he is absolutely in command in the field operation. Meres and later Ramsay question some of his caution in making the crossing, but both defer to him - and as it happens, his caution proves to be well-founded.
Hunter: By which I mean, the late Hunter #2. The first part of this episode sees Callan and Meres learning things about him they hadn't known. They learn his real name (which is not shared with us), and they see his wife and child. Sir Michael mentions that he liked to paint, and once did a portrait of his son that was "a very good likeness." After his funeral, when Callan and Meres return to The Section, Callan hovers over Hunter's empty chair. He might not have liked the man, or even particularly respected him, but the office doesn't quite seem right with nobody in that chair.
Meres: When Sir Michael remarks on how "disturbed" the various Ministers were by the deaths of the previous episode, Callan sarcastically replies that he and Meres "quite enjoyed it" - and Meres has to struggle to suppress a laugh. It's an early sign of what becomes apparent throughout the episode: That for all of Meres' and Callan's oft-stated disdain, they actually work well together. During the crossing, when a German patrol gets too close to the bunker, Meres thinks fast to draw them away. Still, he isn't pleased at the prospect of their new boss being someone Callan actually gets along with, as can be seen from his scowl when Callan labels Ramsay "all right."
Liz: There's a lovely visual of her meeting them after Hunter's funeral. As she steps up beside the two, Callan takes her arm in his own. The scene only lasts for about a minute as they walk and talk, but there's an unforced quality to it: The three survivors of last episode's carnage, united for at least this moment. Lisa Langdon does a lot with very little, making Liz feel like an integral part of this trio who remain even as Hunters come and go. After Callan and Meres depart for Germany, we cut back to her, waiting to hear word about their operation, doubtless worried that she's might become the last one standing.
John Ramsay: Our "Hunter-in-Waiting." Per the Callan: This Man Alone documentary, Derek Bond was the producers' first choice for the Second Hunter, but Bond had reservations about the character brief. Fortunately, he was still available when Michael Goodliffe decided to leave; and with a different character brief, he agreed to come aboard.
Ramsay not only has field experience, but experience that Callan readily admits he doesn't have: Namely, the long-term undercover operation in East Germany. His strongest character moment of the episode comes when he talks about that, telling Callan that "there comes a time when you forget all about what you're really doing... (and) you actually become a chap who runs a sports shop in Leipzig." In contrast to the previous Hunters, Ramsay is more laid-back, waving off Callan's "sirs," and actively ceding authority until the extraction is over. It will be interesting to see how much of this personality is able to survive the demands of the job. A pity so many of his episodes ended up wiped.
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| Meres stands watch, ready for action. |
THOUGHTS:
It's interesting to compare Heir Apparent with Red Knight, White Knight. Both are episodes structured around introducing a new Hunter, and I'd rate both as successful both in that task and as rather good episodes in their own right. Though they achieve the same goal, however, they do so in radically different ways.
Red Knight, White Knight was a showcase for the new Hunter, with the plot tailored to display all the ways in which he differed from his predecessor. From the precredit scene to the end, the Second Hunter was very much the dominant character, with the other regulars mainly reacting to him. Heir Apparent is about the existing regulars, with particular focus on the dynamic between Callan and Meres. We don't even meet John Ramsay until the last 15 minutes, and even then he follows Callan's lead until the operation is complete.
Heir Apparent is very well structured, falling into three distinct phases. First, it deals with the aftermath of Let's Kill Everybody. The episode opens with the old Hunter's funeral, and follows with several moments disclosing things about him that neither the characters nor us had previously known, but that are fully in keeping with what we saw of him (i. e., his perfectly-correct family, his painting - a perfectly class-correct hobby). In the process, we get some excellent character moments for Callan and Meres, and some pretty good ones for Liz as well.
The second phase is mission prep, with Sir Michael carefully laying out the plan so that we know how it's supposed to go. That all will not go to plan is indicated when Callan receives a briefing from Capt. Jenkins (Peter Cellier) - which ends with Callan humiliating the man when he gets him to admit that the map is not 100% accurate.
The final phase dominates the second half: the mission itself, in which nothing goes to plan. Ramsay is forced to leave early, and patrols are searching for him at far more regular intervals than expected by the time Callan and Meres get there. A local man's car breaks down, trapping Callan and Ramsay in the bunker for an extended period. Even just reaching the bunker, Callan nearly blows himself up by carelessly tossing a rock aside... which sets off a nearby mine. The entire sequence moves from tense to funny, then back again, though I will say that it perhaps stretches out a bit longer than necessary.
Overall, Heir Apparent does a fine job transitioning the series from one Hunter to the next, and acts well as a direct follow-up to Let's Kill Everybody. It may not quite have the spark of the best episodes, but there are enough good character moments to make this installment not only essential, but also very enjoyable.
Rating: 7/10.
Previous Episode: Let's Kill Everybody
Next Episode: Land of Light and Peace
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