4-13. The Richmond File: A Man Like Me.

The walls are closing in on the elusive Richmond (T. P. McKenna).

Air Date: May 24, 1972. Written by: James Mitchell. Directed by: Reginald Collin. Produced by: Reginald Collin.


THE PLOT:

Time is running out for The Section to locate the KGB agent known as Richmond (T. P. McKenna). By this point, Richmond has taken care of his loose ends in the UK and is looking for a way back to the Soviet Union. Under increasing pressure, and fearful that Richmond will slip through their fingers again - this time permanently - Hunter reluctantly agrees to use a government computer to cross-check all information on the elusive agent.

Meanwhile, an offhand remark by Lonely sends Callan hunting for newsstands selling Russian newspapers and journals. This leads him to a name: Harris (Robin Ellis), who popped into a shop looking for a specific, obscure journal "for a friend." When Callan returns to Hunter, he learns that Harris was among nine potential Richmond contacts returned by the computer, along with one other name of partiuclar interest:

Callan himself!

Callan gets a breakthrough from an unexpected source...

CHARACTERS:

Callan: Suspicion was cast on Meres two episodes ago; now it's Callan's turn, after the computer returns his name. Most of the reasons are unspoken, but easy enough to guess: He was in a red file, he despises authority, and - the one reason that is voiced - he genuinely likes Richmond. Callan protests that you can't help who you like, which echoes Richmond's own words... but even though Hunter doesn't really suspect Callan any more than he previously did Meres, he remains unimpressed by that protest. He even reproaches Callan's soft-heartedness in a way that recalls the original Col. Hunter. This episode was clearly made as a finale, and Callan gets perfectly judged final exchanges with Richmond, Lonely, and Hunter - though I wish there was a similar final exchange with Meres as well.

Hunter: The extended hunt for Richmond has worn on him. The usually calm Hunter is now snappish and impatient, slamming file cabinet drawers and snapping at those around him. He hates using "American methods" such as a computer to do a job he prefers to do with agents, but he feels backed into a corner by the situation. He also gives what may be his first truly bad order of the series, refusing to just let Callan and Meres go into Ross's house to nab Richmond while he's still there. He's too wary of losing Richmond by spooking him - and comes very close to actually losing him as a result.

Meres: When he first stops by Ross's flat, he plays on his upper-class roots, putting on the persona of a vacuous Bertie Wooster clone while pretending to be putting together a class reunion. The grinning idiot act completely fools Ross. Later, he sees the man a second time... unfortunately for Ross. He still grins, but with gleeful malice as he pours a pitcher of water over his victim while promising an unpleasant time to come: "When I was at school... my school, not your school, I was an absolute stinker - and I haven't changed a bit!"

Lonely: Kills time reading through the personal ads in the newspaper. This is what gives Callan the idea that Richmond might be communicating through personal ads, which in turn leads him to Ross. Though the computer also returns Ross's name, Callan's investigation is important: Without it, Ross would likely have been casually cleared, Meres's initial visit having turned up nothing of interest. This makes Lonely instrumental in finding Richmond. He is also critical to the episode's climax, when he has to act in order to keep Richmond from escaping. For all of his surface cowardice and all the problems he has caused in the past, Callan still shows complete trust in him to do his part.

Richmond: Still more parallels are drawn between him and Callan. He handles Ross much in the way Callan has often handled Lonely, imposing his will through a series of barely veiled threats. He gets Ross first to put him up until his extraction, and later to run errands for him. He retains his fondness for Callan.  Even at the end, he passes up a chance to shoot his adversary, instead attempting to bargain by offering to go freelance as partners.  Callan turns the offer down, but he doesn't seem entirely untempted.

Meres, doing what he most enjoys: tormenting a prisoner.

THOUGHTS:

The Callan television series comes to an end with an episode that's rich in good character material, particularly for Callan and Richmond.

Richmond is the villain of both episode and arc, but he's a generally sympathetic one. As Hunter points out, the things he's done over the past three episodes were actions Callan himself would have taken under orders, even if he didn't like them; and the last episode showcased how little Richmond liked at least one of his orders.

Pacing has been a strong suit of Series Four, and that is true again here. The episode moves along quickly.  It also provides some highly entertaining moments, from Richmond's casual domination of Ross to Meres's two encounters with the unfortunate (though far from innocent) young man.

The last Act is very strong. Callan is left to face Richmond alone, with only Lonely to back him up.  His final instructions to Lonely before he goes in show none of his usual bluster, or threats, or even condescension.  When Lonely asks if he's scared, Callan freely admits that he's terrified.  The sequence that follows is tense and well-shot, making excellent use of lighting and shadow as the two men stalk each other. It also never loses sight of them as characters. This carries through to the tag, with the final scenes between Callan and Richmond, Callan and Lonely, and Callan and Hunter all perfectly judged.

A few minor debits keep me from ranking this among the series' very best. The rivalry/not-quite-friendship between Callan and Meres has been a touchstone of the series, and yet the two receive no real final scene. In fact, though he's received several entertaining scenes, Meres has been generally underused throughout the three-parter.

The idea of Callan falling under suspicion has potential, particularly in the series finale.  However, it comes far too soon after Call Me Enemy's attempt to do the same thing with Meres... and as with that episode, nothing is done with it.  In the end, the computer naming Callan only fuels a single fade-to-commercial. Finally, a nit-pick: Across all three episodes, we never learn Richmond's reason for coming to the UK.  Tying up loose ends with Flo was explicitly a secondary goal, but his primary objective is never disclosed or even hinted at.  I'll allow that his objective ultimately doesn't matter to his interactions with The Section.  Still, it feels like a dropped plot point, and that can't help but annoy.

Still, this remains a strong finale overall.  Most important is how well it showcases Callan's greatest strength: Character interactions that are interesting and entertaining, and that feel authentic. I would rate Callan overall as a genuinely great series, one that has aged startlingly well; and while this spells the end of the television series, I'm glad of the two movies that remain, which give me just a little more time with this world and (some of) these characters.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: The Richmond File - Do You Recognise the Woman?
Next: Callan (1974)

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4-11. The Richmond File: Call Me Enemy.

Soviet spy Richmond's observations about
Callan hit a little too close to home...

Air Date: May 10, 1972. Written by: George Markstein. Directed by: Bill Bain. Produced by: Reginald Collin.


THE PLOT:

Richmond (T. P. McKenna), the top Soviet agent who was once exchanged for Callan, has returned. After popping back up in London, complete with his old code name, Richmond turned himself in. Hunter has assigned Callan to debrief the enemy agent in an isolated safe house far from London, to learn what he knows and what he wants.

Richmond insists that he has no desire to betray his country. He has simply grown weary of the job, and he has no safe Soviet retirement option. As he tells Callan: "For people like you and me, safety can only be found amongst our enemies. It's our friends who will kill us." To buy his Western retirement, he has come with a piece of information.

There is a traitor inside The Section: None other than Callan's long-time rival/partner, Toby Meres!

Richmond accuses Meres of being a traitor;
Meres doesn't exactly make himself look innocent.

CHARACTERS:

Callan: The heart of this episode lies in the interactions between Callan and Richmond. Richmond, the faithful Communist, reminds Callan of the exact type of upper-class officer he despises. After it's revealed that Richmond was a colonel in the Soviet military, Callan begins snapping an angry but military-crisp "colonel, sir!" at him. Callan tries to get under Richmond's skin, using a photograph of the man's wife to rattle him at one point... but Callan is himself shaken by some of the other man's all too true observations about how trapped they are in their lives. While he doesn't believe Richmond's accusation against Meres, he also doesn't seem 100% certain that the other man is lying.

Hunter: When Callan reaches the safe house with Richmond with no problems, he is surprised, and a little unsettled, at the absence of any sign of pursuit. He spends most of the episode listening in on Callan and Richmond, reacting with annoyance when Richmond bids his listeners a good morning. Though he monitors the situation closely, it's clear that he can do nothing to affect the outcome; if the house is attacked, then he and his agents are simply too far away to do anything about it.

Meres: Only enters the episode in its final Act, after Richmond has fingered him as the traitor. His aloof manner and general callousness are well-established traits. In this new context, however, they make him into a sinister figure, and Callan cannot help but regard him with suspicion even while loudly insisting that he doesn't believe a word that Richmond is saying.

Richmond: Richmond is very much Callan's opposite. Callan is working class, while Richmond affects the mannerisms of the upper class. Callan is emotional and prone to anger, while Richmond is almost continuously unflappable, seeming to find his situation amusing even when Callan threatens him. His calm is so absolute that it makes the rare moments in which it breaks all the more effective... and McKenna keeps those breaks brief and subtle for the most part, minor twitches that belie an otherwise perfectly placid mask.

The enigmatic Richmond (T. P. McKenna):
What does he know, and what does he want?

THOUGHTS:

The series' final arc begins with this excellent first installment. It would not be difficult to adapt this script into a two-hander. The bulk of it consists of conversations between Callan and Richmond, the story boiling down to a battle of wills and wits between two smart, experienced, and stubborn men.

Edward Woodward and T. P. McKenna are tasked with carrying the hour, and they play off each other splendidly. George Markstein's script gives both actors good material, too, zeroing in on the two spies as characters. Callan is theoretically in the more powerful position, as Richmond is in his custody. Nevertheless, Richmond's statements increasingly hit home for him. The ending sees each man taking a moment to size up the other. Both men's observations seem entirely accurate... but Richmond's assessment of Callan seems to strike closer to the core than Callan's does of Richmond, leaving our anti-hero to mull a few unpleasant truths in the final moments.

Though this episode features all the current regulars (even Bishop returns after a few episodes away), most of them have little to do here. Lonely is disgruntled by the long drive; Liz is clearly worried at a situation that's beyond immediate Section control; Bishop fumes about the risk to Callan; and Hunter has some amusing interactions with the surveillance man (an entertaining Brian Croucher) who dresses a bit too casually for the older man's liking but who shows a sharp mind, catching on quickly to the ramifications of the situation.

The episode is a gold mine for continuity lovers. References are made to events from earlier this season: Callan's imprisonment in Russia and his brief stint as Hunter receive mentions. Richmond also tries to enhance his accusations against Meres by reminding Callan (and us) that Meres once shot him, almost fatally, while playing on Callan's resentment against the Section by noting that they keep him in line through blackmail. All of these continuity points tie in well with the current situation. They also create the sense of the series being bound together just in time for its ending.

Several loose ends are left to bring us into the next episode. Callan, Hunter, and Bishop all agree that Richmond came back to the UK with good reason, leaving the enemy agent's agenda still unknown. Then there is the question of the traitor. While I don't believe Richmond's claims about Meres (among other things, the sadistic Meres being a villain is too easy for a series that rarely opts for "easy"), it is nevertheless clear that he has a lot of information about The Section - enough that it seems probable that there's a leak at least connected to the team.

In any event, on its own terms, Call Me Enemy is a splendid opening episode to this arc: well-plotted, sharply-scripted, and impeccably performed. I'd rank it as one of the best of a very good final season.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: The Contract
Next Episode: The Richmond File - Do You Recognize the Woman?

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4-10. The Contract.

Callan goes undercover as a hit man.

Air Date: May 3, 1972. Written by: Bill Craig. Directed by: Reginald Collin. Produced by: Reginald Collin.


THE PLOT:

Callan and Meres are assigned to bring in Major Harcourt (Robert Uquhart), a former British officer turned hit man. Harcourt has a new contract, to assassinate the leader of an authoritarian regime. Hunter wants the hit stopped - but just as crucially, he wants to know who issued the contract and why.

A bit of bad luck results in Harcourt's escape... but not before Callan learns where and when the assassin planned to contact his client. So the agents switch to Plan B: Callan impersonates Harcourt, taking on the contract himself.

There are only two complications: First, the contact - fanatical amateur Kristina (Jane Lapotaire) - insists that Callan work with a partner, the hotheaded Lafarge (Michael Pennington). Second, Harcourt himself is still on the loose, and he is unwilling to surrender his assignment so easily...

Hunter berates Callan and Meres after Harcourt escapes.

CHARACTERS:

Callan: "I've got one thing that you haven't... judgement!" Callan spends the last part of the episode holed up with assassin Lafarge. The only guns on hand are the sniper rifle, which is loaded with only a single bullet, and the ones in Lafarge's possession, leaving Callan with only the weapon honed by long, bitter experience: his wits. He goes to work planting seeds of doubt in the younger man. At times, their interactions are reminiscent of the Callan/Cross relationship, with Lafarge initially sneering about Callan being "over the hill," but gradually coming to listen to each of Callan's observations and conclusions.

Hunter: Is only briefly seen in this episode, just long enough to establish that for this particular mission, he will accept no excuses for failure.

Meres: This may be a light episode for Hunter (and also Lonely, who's relegated to being "an extra pair of hands"), but it's a terrific one for Meres. By this point, he and Callan have firmly settled back into their Series Two partnership, fully in sync and watching each other's backs even as they trade disdainful barbs. Midway through, a single piece of information elicits amusement from Meres.  This is fully - and entertainingly - paid off in the final scene.

An unarmed Callan uses his wits to plant doubts in
hotheaded hitman Lafarge (Michael Pennington).

THOUGHTS:

On a production level, The Contract all but screams "filler episode."  There are only a few significant guest characters, and most of the sets are barren and shaky-looking. If this wasn't the season cheapie, then it does an excellent job of impersonating it.

None of which matters, because Bill Craig's script hits the mark, and the performances of both regulars and guest actors are fully on point.

Like most of Series Four's offerings, the story is well-paced, moving nicely from one plot point to the next. The first Act follows Callan and Meres in their botched attempt to capture Harcourt. It's clear from the first that the situation is not ideal, with Harcourt inside an apartment building with no way to know which of the flats is his. The agents are left to improvise, and it's a testament to how well they work together that they come very close to succeeding.

Midway through, the script switches gears, focusing on Callan's impersonation of Harcourt. This refreshes the story, and it also clears the way for the well-scripted Callan/Lafarge conversations. The very last part of the episode almost resembles the ending of a Poirot story, with Callan working out exactly what the assassins' mysterious employer is up to and laying it out for the benefit of all the different parties in the room, each of whom has a different reaction. Edward Woodward is particularly good here, with Callan literally talking for his life.

The dialogue is sharp, and the script even manages a couple of surprises. As a bonus, there's a lot of focus on the always-interesting Callan/Meres dynamic. As a result, and despite a bit of production cheapness, Callan's final standalone ends up being a thoroughly enjoyable one.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: The Carrier
Next Episode: The Richmond File - Call Me Enemy

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4-08. I Never Wanted the Job.

Lonely's latest misadventure puts Callan in an awkward position.

Air Date: Apr. 19, 1972. Written by: John Kershaw. Directed by: Jim Goddard. Produced by: Reginald Collin.


THE PLOT:

Lonely is making extra money on the side using The Section's cab. Not a serious problem in itself... until Lonely's latest fare, vicious underworld figure Ted Dollar (Val Musetti), is gunned down right in front of him!

Callan orders Lonely to tell nobody about what he saw, which pretty much lines up with Lonely's own instincts. Unfortunately, the assassins find Lonely anyway - and when they threaten him and take a hammer to his cab, Lonely lets slip that he has a tough friend. The men report to their employer, shady club owner and would-be crime boss Abbot (William Marlowe), who decides the smelly little cabbie is an unnecessary risk.

Leaving Callan yet again having to save Lonely - something that Hunter is losing patience with...

Shady club owner Abbot (William Marlowe)
with his girlfriend, Tina (Cleo Sylvestre). 

CHARACTERS:

Callan: Spends the episode suffering from a particularly nasty head cold. When events require him to focus, he is mostly able to forget about his discomfort to deal with the crisis at hand. The second he's by himself, however, he collapses into misery... and with Lonely interrupting him every time he's about to get some rest, he's in a bad state by the end. The cold gives Edward Woodward something slightly different to play, and it also likely contributes to Callan's being even more snappish toward Lonely than usual.

Hunter: He's already annoyed with Callan over the agent's open scorn toward his current assignment - a minor bit of business that barely impacts the main plot. Once he learns that Lonely is again potentially interfering with Callan's focus, he loses all patience, coldly threatening Callan and even telling Meres that he's growing tired of "our friend Lonely" - though he isn't quite ready to have Meres dispose of him (yet).

Lonely: This entire episode is a strong look at the peculiar Callan/Lonely friendship. The dynamic is familiar: Lonely gets into trouble; Callan shouts at him and threatens him; then Callan saves him. Lonely knows the pattern too, which makes him apprehensive about going to him for help to start with. When he tells Callan about his latest predicament, there is a moment in which he visibly shrinks, bracing himself for what will come next. When Callan pushes a little too hard, Lonely finally hits his limit: "Don't you start threatening me again. You're always doing that, and I'm fed up with it!"  Russell Hunter is splendid throughout, and I particularly enjoyed seeing him getting that one moment of strength to balance out his usual weakness.

Meres: The ending confrontation, as Abbot and his thugs try to ambush Callan, shows Meres's Achilles heel: overconfidence. None of these minor gangland thugs is remotely in the same league as him or Callan, so he never takes the fight completely seriously. He turns and starts to walk away, certain the crisis has past... leaving it to Callan to save him from being shot in the back. The final scene, in which Callan and Meres first improvise an unconvincing explanation to Hunter, then laugh to each other about how they are "civil servants," harkens back to their late Series Two dynamic: these two aren't quite friends, but they also aren't quite not friends.

One of Abbot's thugs threatens Lonely.

THOUGHTS:

On a story level, I Never Wanted the Job is a minor episode. The stakes are small. From the get-go, we know that these small-scale hoodlums aren't remotely on Callan's level, even with a cold. A scene in which Callan easily swats away the thugs, then drags them back to Abbot for a confrontation, confirms just how outmatched these criminals are.

It is far more significant, however, as an examination of the relationship between Callan and Lonely. By this point, we know the rules as well as they do. Lonely expects Callan to be surly toward him, even to threaten him... but even Lonely has a breaking point, and it's almost surprising just how satisfying it is to see him finally stand up for himself (even if, being Lonely, he picks a bad moment for it).

The episode makes explicit that Callan's fate is now tied to Lonely's. During his brief time as Hunter, Callan put himself far out on a limb to protect his friend. The only time he played politics effectively was when he convinced Bishop of the need for a "Mobile Communications Facility," thus allowing him to nix Lonely's Red File by bringing him into The Section. Now Lonely's personal problems show the potential to interfere with Section business - and both Hunter and Meres warn Callan that if the little thief creates big enough problems, then Callan will be held responsible.

Series Four has seen very few sluggish episodes, and I Never Wanted the Job is another briskly paced offering. It hits the ground running with the murder, and every scene that follows develops and complicates the plot. The story may be minor, but it's never dull, and the final confrontation scene is particularly well-staged.

I might wish for a little bit more of a sense of jeopardy. That aside, this is another very entertaining episode. With about two-thirds of the final season now reviewed, I think there's an excellent chance that Callan's last season may also turn out to be its best one.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Charlie Says It's Goodbye
Next Episode: The Carrier

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4-06. None of Your Business.

Callan is caught at a disadvantage.

Air Date: Apr. 5, 1972. Written by: Trevor Preston. Directed by: Voytek. Produced by: Reginald Collin.


THE PLOT:

Callan has been relieved of his duties as Hunter. Bishop places him on "special leave" (aka, suspension), and strongly hints that Callan's days with The Section are numbered.

Callan decides to go on holiday abroad, requesting his passport for a trip to Spain. When his request is denied, he leans on Lonely to help him acquire a fake passport. This leads him to Lucas (Tony Selby), a small-time crook with a sideline in forged passports.

Lucas's passports are good... too good for such a minor operator. His "silent partners," who work out of an art gallery, have ended up on The Section's radar, after similar forged documents were found on a KGB assassin who died in a car accident. Meres is investigating the forgery operation, with the somewhat befuddled backing of Bishop, who is acting as Hunter during the transition.

Inevitably, Callan's pursuit of a passport leads him right into the middle of Meres's investigation - and leads both of them to the true mastermind of the operation!

Meres has to walk Bishop through
the latest developments in his investigation.

CHARACTERS:

Callan: Callan's neither naive nor an idiot: He fully comprehends that he's not going to be allowed to leave the country immediately after being removed as the head of an intelligence division. However, he still feels the need to push, in part to test his freedom and in part to rebel against the very authority that coerced him into taking the job of Hunter in the first place. Add paranoia to the mix particularly after Bishop behaves too high-handedly in his dismissal. If he is no longer with The Section, then he'll have no protection... not to mention the potential danger from The Section itself. Another fine performance by Edward Woodward, who thus far is doing his best acting of the series this season. Note a scene in which he loses his temper and strikes Lonely: You can see the rage that drives him to it, followed an instant later by clear regret in both his face and posture.

Bishop: During his brief stint in the big chair, he proves to be at least as poor a Hunter as Callan. Meres has to patiently explain why the death of the KGB spy isn't simply "a lucky break" and "case closed" - an explanation none of the previous Hunters would have required. One might at least think that, unlike Callan, Bishop has the right temperament for the job... except his aloofness is less a lack of emotion than an egotistical attitude of being above it all. When Callan shows disrespect for him, Bishop becomes annoyed, snaps that he finds Callan's attitude offensive, and then indicates (falsely) that Callan's days with The Section are numbered. This annoys the previous Hunter when he learns of it, and with good reason: Bishop's own attitude unnecessarily sets off Callan's paranoia.

Hunter: Checks in with Callan after he is put on "special leave." Attempts to be friendly, but he stands firm on the issue of the passport, warning him not to attempt to leave the country. Later, he fills in for Bishop when the administrator comes down with a convenient case of food poisoning. I can't help but wonder if that food poisoning was arranged, given that it occurs after Hunter learned of Bishop's professional lapse. When Hunter returns to the office, he shows how perfectly suited he is to the job, instantly ready to defuse internal tensions and issue orders. The correct orders, at that.

Meres: He returned to The Section because he saw an opportunity to become Hunter. Now the position is vacant, and he's eagerly taking the leadership role upon himself. Truthfully, he seems like he'd be a decent fit. He's intelligent, not emotional, and understands the job. He sees himself as the logical next in line... and when the previous Hunter returns to "fill in" for Bishop, the way Meres' face freezes is perfect. In an instant, he recognizes that if the previous Hunter is filling in, then he is himself not seen as a replacement, whether Hunter's return ends up being temporary or not. Great nonverbal acting from Anthony Valentine, in a beat that director Voytek wisely lingers on before moving on with the scene.

Liz: Is clearly distraught in the wake of Cross's death. She was unable to make herself go to the funeral, and she is on the verge of tears even at the office. When Callan asks why she doesn't just take a few days off, she replies that she wouldn't know what to do with herself. As A Village Called 'G' made clear, The Section is her life.

Hunter (William Squire) comes to Callan as a friend
- but also warns him not to leave the country.

THOUGHTS:

None of Your Business is a transitional entry, tasked with cleaning up after the mess left by the previous episode.  A sense of uncertainty hangs over much of the action: Callan is suspended and left to wonder what his future may be; Meres believes he knows what his future is; and The Section itself is in turmoil. Cross also gets a mention, and we see that his death had a genuine impact on Liz and Callan, at least.

The character material is excellent. Callan's anger and paranoia push him to be harsh first with Lonely, then with Hunter, and even (to a much lesser degree) with Liz... the very people who are on his side. We also see both sides of Callan's dynamic with Meres. First we see the rivalry, as Meres emerges from Hunter's office - acting in all but name as the new boss - to ask why Callan is late. Then we see their partnership, with them falling fully and wordlessly into sync during the final operation. No one has to say anything about how perfectly the two work together - It's clear. Callan can trust Meres to make good decisions in the moment and to have his back... unlike Cross, whose lapses tended to complicate missions.

There isn't much dead space, with both the Callan and Meres plots moving along briskly. The major guest characters are well-written and well-played. Tony Selby is appropriately smarmy as the small-time criminal who doesn't realize just how far over his head he is, both with Callan and his "associates." There's also a good turn by the actor playing the real villain, who is physically unassuming - right up until he decides to act.

There's so much that's good in None of Your Business that it's all the more aggravating that the merging plotlines hang on an implausibly big coincidence. Callan is seeking a forged passport... and he just so happens to hit up the very forgery ring that Meres is investigating. Not to put too fine a point on it, but London is a very large city, to put it mildly, and it seems unlikely that Lonely would just happen to take Callan to the exact same forger.

There were ways around this. Had Meres's investigation progressed to the point of linking Lucas to the gallery, then you could have Callan secretly working under orders to try to get into the ring as a customer.  Alternatively, Lonely could have been given orders to steer Callan in that direction; after all, warning Callan not to get a passport amounts to the same thing as asking him to please get one, something Hunter at least would realize, so Callan's next move would have been obvious. But no; Callan going to the same forger Meres was investigating actually is just a giant coincidence, and that harms the episode's internal credibility.

The episode is still entertaining, and it's boosted by good performances and some fine character moments. But it comes so close to being very good that it's annoying that it settles for being merely decent.


Overall Rating: 6/10. Almost a "7," but that central coincidence is just a little too much for me.

Previous Episode: If He Can, So Could I
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4-05. If He Can, So Could I.

Cross goes back on active duty - but is he up to it?

Air Date: Mar. 29, 1972. Written by: Ray Jenkins. Directed by: Peter Duguid. Produced by: Reginald Collin.


THE PLOT:

Cross is on medical leave following his injuring of a defector's daughter during his last assignment. Though he's physically sharp and gives all the right answers when interviewed, Snell (Clifford Rose) is certain that something is wrong.

The Section has a new mission, however. Bishop has reason to believe that Vadim (Morris Perry), a Russian tractor salesman, is actually a notorious Soviet assassin named Burov. It doesn't take long to identify his likely target: Trofimchuk (Peter Blythe), a dissident poet preparing to publish. Callan assigns Meres to follow Burov - and, against Snell's advice, calls Cross back to active duty to protect Trofimchuk.

Cross seems ready for the job. He watches over his ward, keeps him away from the windows, and even tasted his food before allowing him to eat it. But when Burov evades Meres to go after his target, Cross finds himself put to the test - and if Snell is right, he might not be up to the challenge...

Callan gets drunk, much to Lonely's discomfort.

CHARACTERS:

Callan: He overidentifies with Cross, seeing himself in the younger agent. He recalls Snell's dismissal of him not long ago - either forgetting or unaware that Snell allowed for the possibility that Callan could again be his old self, an allowance he isn't making for Cross. When a crisis hits, Callan cannot restrain himself from leaving the office against protocol (the very mistake that got the second Hunter killed).  Callan's instinct is to be where the action is when things go wrong, even though that is no longer his job. Of course, this is also where he's at his best: Once out of the office, he deals effectively with Trofimchuk and eventually with Burov, displaying a confidence that just isn't there when he's behind a desk. 

Cross: Though he insists he's fine, he continues to check up on the girl he injured. This is something remarked on by both Meres and Snell, and he never provides a good answer to reconcile his claims of remorselessness with his actions. He's clearly eager to get back to work, and he blames Callan for his extended furlough - not realizing that Callan is actually the one defending him. He tries to be all business while protecting Trofimchuk, but as the time passes, it becomes clear that he's not unaffected by the poet's various musings.

Meres: "No such thing (as accidents), old son, not in our trade." When Meres checks on Cross at the start of the episode, he is smugness personified. Even so, in his own way, I think he's trying to help. He's clear-eyed about Cross's predicament, in a way neither Cross nor Callan can be, correctly diagnosing that it's actually harder for Cross that the girl is alive but injured than if she had died. This is Meres, of course, so his "therapy session" involves pointing an unloaded gun at Cross and pulling the trigger. I'd comment on the bad gun safety protocol - but Meres likely wouldn't have been bothered if a round had ended up being in the chamber.

Lonely: Is only in a single scene, one in which he barely speaks. Once the operation is over, Callan indulges in some heavy drinking back at his flat, with Lonely for company. A lesser actor might have come across as a prop here, someone whose presence allowed for the main character to rant. Russell Hunter, however, reacts to every one of Callan's movements, his eyes and body language showing bewilderment, compassion, discomfort, and more than a hint of terror.

Professional vultures: Snell and Bishop.

THOUGHTS:

An interesting aspect of Callan's fourth season is the way in which events from one episode keep feeding future ones. This is very true of If He Can, So Could I. The episode's story is centered around Cross's return to duty, with both that fact and Cross's questionable mental state a direct result of the events of The Rules of the Game.

Multiple additional continuity points are raised, and to good dramatic effect. This is particularly true of an early scene between Cross and Snell. As Cross emotionlessly recites what he believes are the correct answers, Snell hammers away, using every one of Cross's "accidents" and misjudgments of the past season and a half: The bystander Cross knocked in front of a train; the young woman who killed herself; the affair with Liz; and several other examples. Frankly, by the end of Snell's assault, my question wasn't whether Cross was fit for duty: It was how he had ever been considered fit.

The focus of the episode is not just on Cross, but also on Callan's insistence on identifying so strongly with him. The two men are very different, as has been clear from the start. Late in the episode, Bishop observes that Callan has never killed an unauthorized target; in a relatively brief span, Cross has killed one unauthorized target and one bystander, and also injured a young girl. Cross has consistently been reckless, not stopping to think or even to properly observe a situation before acting. Callan has observed these very traits in the past... but now, feeling trapped in a job that doesn't suit him and burdened by a bit too much empathy for the young man, he cannot make himself be objective.

By the end, both Cross's issues as an agent and Callan's as a Hunter have been brought to a crisis point. The supporting cast is not forgotten either. Meres' early scene with Cross is terrific, showing the cold intelligence that sits side by side with his ruthlessness. Liz is in a mostly reactive role, but Lisa Langdon once again shows her ability to do a lot with a little, from her facial reactions as she listens to a phone call to her frantic searches through files, keeping herself busy to avoid her own emotions.

Snell and Bishop also make strong impressions. One of the episode's last shots is of the two of them, standing side-by-side, as they review the operation. Both are so clinical that they come across as inhuman - more callous and unfeeling than Meres on his worst day. Callan could certainly never match that callousness, and he is left speechless in the face of it.


Overall Rating: 10/10. One of the series' best.

Previous Episode: Rules of the Game
Next Episode: None of Your Business

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4-03. First Refusal.

Toby Meres (Anthony Valentine) returns to The Section.

Air Date: Mar. 15, 1972. Written by: Bill Craig. Directed by: Jim Goddard. Produced by: Reginald Collin.


THE PLOT:

Kitzlinger (Martin Wyldeck) is a very special kind of broker. His trade is secrets; any government is fair game, and any government is a potential client.

Kitzlinger's current client is selling a list: the names of ten highly placed agents in Eastern Europe. The British government is allowed first refusal, but at a particularly steep price: £100,000. An additional agent, Bristac (Christopher Owen), is used as a demonstration that the goods are genuine, leaving Bristac lucky to escape with his life.

If the British don't pay by the end of the week, then Kitzlinger will go to the Russians. Bishop (Geoffrey Chater), Callan's superior, thinks they have no choice but to make the deal. Callan is more concerned with how this information leaked in the first place. Normally, he would hit the streets, pushing the right people until he found the answer. Stuck in the deskbound Hunter's job, however, he must rely on his agents to do that for him.

With Cross proving ever more unreliable, Callan turns to a previous Section operative. The only other agent he's ever actually respected: Toby Meres (Anthony Valentine). The man who, the last time they crossed paths, very nearly killed him...

Lonely becomes a driver for The Section.

CHARACTERS:

Callan: "You know, you really are a very bad Hunter!" Bishop thunders this at Callan near the end - and he isn't wrong. It's not so much Callan's actual decisions, most of which are reasonable given the information he possesses. It's his manner. Look at all four previous Hunters. Even Hunter #2, who all but specialized in overcomplicating situations to their detriment, always presented himself as calm and in control. None of the previous Hunters tended to let their emotions show. By contrast, Callan is constantly showing his reactions, something even Kitzlinger picks up on.  As a result, he never seems as in-control as his predecessors.

Meres: I didn't realize just how much I missed Meres. I've never hated Cross, who is a pretty decent character in his own right (at least, when he's not written as a Meres replacement). However, Cross lacks the experience and competence to be a genuine rival for Callan. Meres fits that role perfectly. He's all the things Callan isn't: Upper-class, polished, unemotional, and sadistic. He reveals that he sought a transfer back to The Section when Callan was made Hunter. Not for sentimental reasons, but because he doesn't believe Callan will last in the job, and he sees himself as the obvious replacement.

Lonely: Callan comes up with a brilliant solution to the problem of Lonely's red file: He hires the thief to be a driver for The Section's new "Mobile Communications Facility" (translation: radio taxi cab). Lonely's knowledge of Callan and The Section won't be a problem if he's actually working for them. Lonely almost balks when reading the penalties if he breaches the Official Secrets Act. Callan, knowing that the alternative might be killing Lonely, immediately and harshly quashes that.

Kitzlinger, with an uneasy associate (Coral Atkins).

THOUGHTS:

There's a lot goign on in First Refusal. The episode follows up on two threads from Call Me Sir!: Callan's unwanted promotion to Hunter, and the complications created by Lonely knowing enough to be considered a danger to The Section. It also reintroduces Toby Meres - and since it's been some time since his last appearance, it has to re-establish his character and relationship with Callan in a way that will work for viewers old and new. And all that has to be fitted around the standalone story, which is a reasonably involved one.

In short, this easily could have fallen into the same trap as Call Me Sir!, which felt awkwardly paced, with multiple subplots that didn't seem to entirely fit together. Thankfully, this is a much better script. Aside from a little bit of choppy editing near the start, First Refusal does a good job of fusing all its threads together into a cohesive whole.

Every subplot is woven into the main story. Lonely's first task as driver is to take Bishop and Callan to meet Kitzlinger. Later, Lonely is used to delay the broker while surveillance is set up at his destination. Meres first appears as Kitzlinger's newest contact before we see him reporting to Callan. Meanwhile, the story as a whole furthers the Callan-as-Hunter arc, with the entire episode showing all the ways in which Callan is not suited to his desk job.

The story is well paced throughout, with several good scenes that showcase the characters without sacrificing plot progression. I did guess the ending... but in fairness to the episode, I only guessed it a few scenes beforehand, despite everything seeming obvious in retrospect.

All told, a fine episode, both on its own terms and in its implications for the rest of the season.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Call Me Sir!
Next Episode: Rules of the Game

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2-15. Death of a Hunter.

Callan is captured and drugged by the enemy.

Air Date: Apr. 16, 1969. Written by: Michael Winder. Directed by: Reginald Collin. Produced by: Reginald Collin, John Kershaw.


THE PLOT:

Hunter is back from Russia, and he has bad news and worse news: There is a leak within The Section; and now that he is aware of that leak, he has been targeted for elimination. Callan is the only person he can be certain isn't the traitor, so he assigns him to perform solo 24-hour surveillance on a suspected Soviet cell. Callan protests that without help, this job is impossible... and unfortunately, his prediction proves all too true.

Soon, Callan is in the hands of the enemy, who use drugs and hypnotic suggestion to make him believe that he has been arrested as a traitor. The enemy's plan is to make Callan believe that Hunter is the real double-agent, building a scenario that will end with Hunter's death - with Callan himself as the murder weapon!

Lonely makes an unpleasant discovery...

CHARACTERS:

Callan: He's already tense from the difficult and secretive job he's been assigned, which likely gives the enemy a head start on wearing him down. He spends the rest of the episode being pushed past his limits, confused by drugs and battered by physical and psychological torture. In one scene, a gun is put to his head and the trigger is pulled. The gun is empty - but Woodward's reaction once he realizes that he's still alive, as the terror and shock and relief all basically hit at once, is superb.

Hunter: In setting up Callan's solo assignment, he more or less replicates the mistakes of his immediate predecessor: Giving his agents only partial information to work from. He does have a reason; only Callan is clear of suspicion, by virtue of not being with The Section when some of the information was leaked, and therefore only Callan can be trusted. But other Sections exist, and are even referenced in this episode, so I'd tend to expect Hunter could have borrowed a spare agent.  The real reason for Callan working fully alone is so that he can be captured and the plot can happen - a symptom of some of this episode's flaws.

Meres: Anthony Valentine is particularly good in this episode. It's clear that he doesn't believe Callan is a traitor even when the fake agents (armed with real codes) arrest him as such. When he realizes that Callan has been taken by the enemy, he shows a hint of outrage when Hunter writes him off. On his own initiative, Meres tracks down Lonely to receive clues as to what happened. At the episode's end, he actually cradles an injured Callan in his arms, calling him by his first name, his voice showing clear emotion for the rival for whom he's so often declared his hatred.

Lonely: His first major scene is yet another burglary he's performing on Callan's orders. As always, he is successful in collecting what he was sent for - but a shocking discovery sends him retreating quickly. There's some lovely nonverbal acting by Russell Hunter, first in the burglary scene and again when Meres finds him near the end. Face-to-face with Meres, Lonely shrinks back, terrified, and his stammer grows more pronounced as he rushes to answer Meres' questions.

Meres demands answers from Lonely.

THOUGHTS:

Death of a Hunter is a big, series-changing episode. As such, it's impossible to discuss without giving away some spoilers. I would strongly suggest reading this review only after viewing.

It is also an episode I have very mixed feelings about.


IT'S ALL ABOUT THE ENDING... TO A FAULT:

Death of a Hunter was made not just as a season finale, but a series finale. This was intended to be the end of Callan; the show's Series Two upswing in popularity instead made it the midpoint. The ending scene is strong, with an injured and possibly (originally definitely) dying Callan gasping his final words to his best enemy, Toby Meres. Had this been the series' final image, it would have been a wrenching one.

The problem, I suspect, is that the ending was so strong in the showrunners' minds that the episode was created expressly to deliver that moment. For the scene to play out as it does, The Section is required to display security that wouldn't pass muster at the average drugstore. Hunter knows that the opposition is targeting him, and even puts everyone on alert a couple scenes previous. Even so, he is left entirely unguarded, vulnerable to not one but two critical unlocked doors.

Look at the death of Hunter #2 for a contrast. That Hunter fell to his own character flaws, all of which had already been clearly established: a false sense of invulnerability, a belief that he was always the smartest person in the room, and a lack of the field experience that might have gotten out of his own mess. Hunter #3 suffers from none of these failings. He is exposed to danger simply because he and everyone around him comes down with a sudden and inexplicable case of Idiot Syndrome. It goes without saying that I find this significantly less brilliant than his predecessor's exit.

Callan is worn down by an extended "interrogation."

BRAINWASHING

About half of the episode is heavily inspired by the extended brainwashing sequence in 1965's The Ipcress File. Unfortunately, the Callan version isn't as effective. We never get any sense of him resisting his captors' suggestions, leaving no real suspense about him potentially finding out what the enemy is up to.

I think this middle portion would have worked better had it been presented strictly from Callan's viewpoint, without us being tipped to the truth. Had the episode hoodwinked us along with Callan, only to reveal what was actually happening after his escape, then the same scenes would have been far more suspenseful and effective.

As it stands, this entire strand becomes a mechanical exercise. Like the poor security at The Section, it feels like it has been engineered solely to put Callan in the right state of mind for the ending to happen.


STRONG ATMOSPHERE AND RESPECT FOR THE VIEWERS:

Even with all these faults, I can't dismiss Death of a Hunter. Yes, I think the script has some failings... but the episode also gets a lot of things very right.

The atmosphere is terrific, with a sense of the grim and oppressive hanging over everything from the opening moments. The plot has genuine momentum, and the stakes feel high. After two episodes that I found a touch slow-paced, I appreciate sitting down to a Callan that moves.

Also, it shows real respect for the viewer in the way it finally reveals the identity of the traitor. The character isn't some random individual; it's a person we've seen multiple times this season, and in a role that fits the revelation well. Once we know who the villain is, events going back potentially as far as Let's Kill Everybody gain new context.

Only for viewers who have been paying attention, however. The episode does nothing to draw attention to the character's significance beyond presenting that person at a key moment. Someone tuning in for the first time, or someone who wasn't paying attention to this or earlier episodes, could miss the reveal entirely and never know it had been given. I appreciate such an uncommon level of respect to regular viewers; most series would have zoomed in and then presented quick flashbacks to make sure the point wasn't missed.

Callan, on the run and desperate.

OVERALL:

Death of a Hunter is the most difficult Callan review I've written. The good elements of this episode are extremely good: A strong sense of pace, excellent atmosphere, and a cleverly-delivered reveal. It also offers some excellent character material for Meres and Lonely, and benefits from another terrific turn by Edward Woodward. And yes, that ending scene is quite strong.

On the other hand, too much of the episode feels single-minded in its dedication to getting to that ending. The middle of the episode lacks suspense, with us given too much information about the overall situation. Finally, The Section itself has to be made utterly incompetent for the ending to actually happen.

I'm left with an almost even split. The many good elements and the episode's sheer significance leave me rating it as slightly above average... but only very slightly, which given its importance to the overall series can't help but be a disappointment.


Overall Rating: 6/10.

Previous Episode: Nice People Die at Home
Next Episode: Where Else Could I Go?



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2-09. Death of a Friend.

A friend of Callan's meets a sudden end.

Air Date: Mar. 5, 1969. Written by: Ray Jenkins. Directed by: Peter Duguid. Produced by: Reginald Collin.


THE PLOT:

Callan is shocked to learn that an old friend, French agent Jean Coquet (Geoff Cheshire), has died in an apparent car crash in England. Coquet's "accident" was not so simple, however. Hunter reveals that Coquet had been "doped," causing him to fall asleep at the wheel. Meres is following up with workers on the ferry Coquet took into the country. But he ends up coshed over the head, waking up hours later to find the ferry departed.

Hunter sends Callan to watch after Coquet's widow, Francine (Ann Lynn), leaving Lonely to watch Callan's flat. Not long after, a man enters the apartment and holds Lonely at gunpoint, insisting that he needs to talk to Callan. This is Marcel Latour (David Leland), a low-level worker at the French Ministry of Defense... who introduces himself as Coquet's "wife."

Lonely thinks Callan's flat is being watched. 
Turns out, he's right.

CHARACTERS:

Callan: Dislikes Francine, and when he learns that she and Coquet had been separated, he is inclined to blame her. He is surprised when Francine reveals that Coquet had a "photograph of a man" in his new home, rather than one of her, but he takes it in stride.  When he finally does connect with Latour, he is nothing but compassionate in his interactions with him - significantly more compassionate than he is with Francine.

Hunter: Immediately realizes something is off about Coquet's car crash. We first see him tracing routes from the ferry dock to multiple destinations, and he later explains to Callan that the site of the crash only made sense if Coquet was headed to London - which was not the city hosting the conference he was supposedly attending. He is wary of Flomard (Jerome Willis), the French intelligence contact working with him on the case, particularly after details Flomard shares don't line up with Francine's claims.

Lonely: Not for the first time, his loyalty to Callan breaks through his instinct for self-preservation. After Latour pulls his gun and insists he will wait in Callan's flat for him to return, Lonely hops to the door and locks it - ensuring that Callan won't simply walk into an ambush. Russell Hunter gives a quite funny nonverbal moment of self-congratulation before shrinking back into Lonely's accustomed obsequious manner.

Meres: When Hunter orders Meres to pick up Latour, Meres disarms the Frenchman effortlessly.  He then takes glee in sneering sadistically at him. Latour declares him "evil," but later puts himself in jeopardy to rescue Meres from a sudden attack. Meres is left bewildered as to why the man saved his life when he "wasn't very nice to him." Callan calls him out for "remorse at nine o'clock in the morning," and Meres snorts derisively in response - but it's clear that he does regret his behavior, and that he's as uncomfortable with that feeling as he is unfamiliar with it.

Meres is "not very nice" to Marcel Latour.

THOUGHTS:

Death of a Friend is an oasis in a desert of missing episodes, being the the sole existing installment between Heir Apparent and Season Two's final three installments (and even one of those had to be recreated from an unedited studio recording session). I have no idea why this episode survived when those around it fell. Still, I'm glad of it. It's not the series at its very best, with some spotty plotting marring a strong pace and good character bits, but it's still highly enjoyable.

Death of a Friend is tightly paced, moving rapidly from Meres' questioning of the ferry workers to Callan's questioning of Francine to the unexpected visitor at Callan's flat. There are strong character moments spread amongst the regulars and the main guest cast, with both Francine and Latour emerging as complex characters despite relatively brief screen time.

Unfortunately, plot issues keep this from being the great episode it might have been. Details surrounding Coquet's death are muddy. We first see him driving at high speeds, so he was drugged without realizing it. We learn that he was being careful during the crossing and thought someone was following him, so he would have been unlikely to accept food or drink from anyone. So he was evidently drugged by The Plot Fairy, sacrificed so that the story could happen.

Much is made of Hunter's suspicions about Flomard, his French counterpart. Save for a namecheck, however, Flomard is entirely absent from the story's resolution, leaving his entire role feeling like padding disguised as intrigue. That's not even mentioning the coincidences needed for the story to unfold, or that both Callan and Meres get knocked unconscious in the same episode, and in both cases are left alive for no particular reason.

All of that makes the episode sound sloppier than it plays. I honestly only thought of a couple of those issues while watching, and was mostly caught up in the fast pace and the great character moments. Director Howard Hawks once defined a great movie as one with three good scenes and no bad ones. Death of a Friend easily meets that definition... though the plot issues leave me ranking it as merely good, rather than great.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

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