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| Callan is a witness at an inquest into the death of an innocent man. |
Air Date: Apr. 15, 1970. Written by: Trevor Preston. Directed by: Voytek. Produced by: Reginald Collin.
THE PLOT:
Callan and Cross are pursuing Palanka (Sylvester Morand), a Polish agent who recently came close to killing Karas (George Pravda), a Polish academic writing an exposé about the Communist takeover of his country. Though Karas survived, he is now crippled - and Callan warns Cross to be mindful lest the same thing happen to one of them.
They pursue Palanka to a train station. When he notices them and flees, Cross gives chase without checking his surroundings... and accidentally shoves an innocent bystander to his death. Callan covers for him, indicating to Inspector Kyle (Norman Henry), the investigating officer, that the man threw himself under the train. But one witness saw Cross, meaning that an inquest will be held, with Callan as one of the witnesses.
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| The results of Cross's carelessness... |
CHARACTERS:
Callan: This episode offers the fundamental Callan scenario, with the demands of The Section placed directly at odds with Callan's own conscience. Though he gets worked up after Inspector Kyle confronts him with a sketch of Cross, he's in no real danger from the inquest. Even so, he can't stomach being party to this "incident," raging when Hunter reduces the bystander's death to that one word. When the widow's attorney pays him a surreptitious visit, letting him know that if the ruling is suicide that she is unlikely to receive any insurance settlement, his private agony grows worse, leading him to look for a solution that will satisfy both himself and his Masters.
Hunter: A caustic jab at Cross makes clear his displeasure with the young agent, but that's all about Cross's sloppiness and the potential exposure of The Section. He never shows the slightest remorse over the death, casually shifting focus to setting a new trap for Palanka by using Karas and his wife (Hana Maria Pravda) as bait.
Cross: The episode opens with him mocking Callan's wariness as "middle-aged intuition" - right before his youthful impulsiveness leads to tragedy. Later, after Hunter's trap has been set and Callan has stated that Palanka will come to them, Cross wonders how he can be so certain. Callan responds in a way that describes Cross every bit as much as their target: "He's young, and he's arrogant, and he has something to prove." As the days pass with no appearance by Palanka, Cross decides the assassin is not coming and lets his guard down - another mistake by an agent who's already made too many.
Lonely: For all of his comically obsequious tendencies, he is - as Meres once observed - "a very good burglar." When he's assigned to keep watch for Palanka, he never actually spots his target... but he tells Callan that he's certain the man is there. Ordinarily, I suspect Callan would have taken extra precautions after that warning; too bad he's so distracted by the inquest...
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| Cross, caught off-guard, fumbles for his weapon. |
THOUGHTS:
Quick note, not so much about this episode as about the season thus far. Despite the move to color, in its third season Callan suddenly looks cheaper than before. It's not just that the black & white hid the cheapness better. The entire style seems stagier. It doesn't make it bad - so far, I think Series Three is shaping up quite well - but it's odd that the 1970 season feels less stylistically modern than the 1960s seasons did.
Fortunately, the writing remains sharp and intelligent, and the acting is top-notch; those qualities trump production values any day. Two episodes in, I'm enjoying the use of Cross. He fulfills the basic role of Meres, but he's a starkly different individual. He has all the arrogance, but with a lot less justification for it. His overconfidence and lack of respect for the more experienced Callan leads to brashness and carelessness. If Meres were here, one suspects he would look on Cross with at least as much disdain as Callan does.
In an episode that sees Callan decrying the word "incident," it's a little too clear that the subplot involving Hunter's trap for Palanka is there solely to provide exactly that. The episode's climax cuts between Callan at the inquest and some standard action/suspense fare involving Cross and Palanka. Unsurprisingly, the inquest scenes are the more interesting, with Edward Woodward in typically fine form.
I actually think this episode would work at least as well had Palanka been killed or captured just after the train station scene, leaving the rest of the running time focused entirely on Callan's personal dilemma. The two plotlines never quite gel, particularly in the second half when Callan stops interacting with the "B" plot entirely. I would miss the scene showcasing Lonely's instincts... but the rest seems to be there just to make sure the episode isn't a talkfest, which isn't exactly a problem when the talking scenes are the best part of the show and the "action" bits are the worst!
The ending is well-suited to Callan - both show and character. He finds a solution of sorts, one that allows him to live with himself. But it is far from ideal, and the final shot makes clear that his conscience is anything but eased.
Overall Rating: 7/10.
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