3-06. Act of Kindness.

Callan engages a British business executive in a war game.

Air Date: May 27, 1970. Written by: Michael Winder. Directed by: Mike Vardy. Produced by: Reginald Collin.


THE PLOT:

Donovan Prescott (Ray Smith) has a problem. On a business trip to Moscow, he was photographed in bed with a pretty young woman. Those photos have now found their way to Heathcote Land (Anthony Nicholls), a rival manager within Prescott's company, and Land intends to use them to force Prescott out.

What makes this Section business is that, while in Moscow, Prescott was spying for British intelligence - and the photos in question came direct from the KGB. Land appears genuinely above reproach, both in business and in his personal morals, with his only vice being an enthusiasm for war games using model soldiers... an enthusiasm Callan shares.

It seems a simple enough job: Just convince Land to forget about the photos and leave Prescott be. But when Callan engages Land in a series of war games, it becomes clear that Land is prepared for every move Callan makes, both in the game and in their real-world faceoff...

Heathcote Land (Anthony Nicholls) proves
to be a surprisingly formidable opponent.

CHARACTERS:

Callan: I love the moment when Callan first walks into Land's "war room," fully decorated with maps, laid out with model cannons, and with a giant table for the model soldiers in the center. His eyes all but pop out of his head as he regards it all with childlike glee. Though he returns to his businesslike demeanor quickly enough, that glee makes a momentary return when the game starts - and Land starts up a tape with appropriate background noise to set the mood.

Hunter: "Callan, it is just possible I agree with you. That is not the point!" When arguing with Callan over their next course of action, Hunter essentially admits that on a personal level, he agrees that the amoral Prescott is not worth pressuring an innocent man. However, he goes on to make a strong point of his own: regardless of Prescott's character, Intelligence cannot allow the KGB to use these sorts of tactics against someone who was working for them. Land may be a better man that Prescott - but on a coldly practical level, it is difficult to argue with Hunter's assessment of the larger situation.

Lonely: Has the skills to help Callan make a replica of a lost model soldier that Land has been specifically looking for - a replica that effectively acts as Callan's introduction to Land. When Lonely recalls the days when he could make a living doing this, Callan is surprised. "Making model soldiers?" he asks. Lonely quickly corrects him: "Making coins." Unfortunately, Lonely gets so caught up in this nostalgic task that he forgets his weekly meeting with his parole officer, putting his continued freedom in jeopardy, though Callan assures him he'll be fine if he just owns up to the lapse and apologizes.

Heathcote Land: This episode would not work if we weren't convinced of Land's intelligence and strength. We need to believe that, so long as violence remains out of the question, he is Callan's equal. Anthony Nicholls does a fantastic job of this. Land is absolute calm and utterly polite, with a gaze that seems to take in everything. Just as he is ready to counter Callan's moves in the game, he is equally prepared for any action The Section might take against him. At one point, Callan observes to Hunter that they should offer Land a job, which Hunter actually finds amusing.

Callan considers his next move - both on the board and off...

THOUGHTS:

"He visited this girl regularly. She was in love with him, the silly little idiot. Now, that girl's going to be hurt, she's going to be hurt very badly. Not only by his non-return, but by the Russians. He should have known that... You can't hurt people that way..."
-Heathcote Land (Anthony Nicholls)

Act of Kindness is a low-key episode. There are no action scenes. The stakes are not terribly high: control of a company that exports tractors. It's dialogue-heavy, even by Series Three's somewhat stagy standards, and most of that dialogue is delivered in pleasant and friendly tones.

I absolutely loved this episode, and I was caught in its spell from beginning to end.

Michael Winder's script strongly parallels A Magnum for Schneider, as Callan plays out a contest against a target he genuinely likes, in both episodes with much of the confrontation playing out through war games using model soldiers. There is one big difference, however: Schneider was guilty, and was responsible for many deaths, while Land is a genuinely good man, as decent as he is intelligent. The scenes between the two are terrific, each man pleasantly and casually taking the other's measure while working to outmaneuver him.

The script isn't completely black-and-white in its treatment of Land and Prescott. Land's disdain for Prescott has nothing to do with his work, and we eventually learn that he actually made Prescott a sales manager. As the quote above indicates, he's appalled by Prescott's affair - not just the indiscretion, but how careless Prescott was with the girl, giving no consideration to her feelings or her future. This comes back in a big way at the episode's end.

Prescott also isn't the two-dimensional slime that he first appears. He may be a bad husband and a careless man, but he's genuinely devoted to his job. He's been at the company his entire working life, moving up from the very bottom, and he believes that he knows and understands the business in a way that the privileged Land cannot... and he is persuasive when he tells Callan this. Just because he's a heel, that doesn't make him a bad manager.

Callan's particular hobby is very much at the center of this story, and director Mike Vardy makes good use of it. As Callan and Land pit their soldiers against each other, we see the battles unfold in a series of still frames, showing the movement of the model battles. It's not quite animation - each frame is on screen for long enough to register as still, with huge gaps between one setup and the next. But it has the desired effect, bringing the model war to life.

In the end, the episode soars thanks to the convincing relationship between Callan and Land. These two men genuinely like, respect, and understand each other, which propels Callan to the solution. Just as the episode's dilemma hinges on Land's immovable morality, so does its resolution. The final moments, and the last exchange they share on screen, is a perfect close to what I found a wonderful hour of television.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Suddenly - At Home
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