Smear Job.

Publication Date: 1975. Written by: James Mitchell. Published by: Hamilton & Co. 316 pages.


THE PLOT:

Callan is doing well for himself, working in private security and using Lonely's skills to create "demonstrations" for prospective clients. It's safe, it's lucrative, and - in a change of pace for Lonely - it's legal.

Inevitably, this easy civilian life is disrupted by The Section. Hunter calls Callan in for a case requiring his (and Lonely's) skills. Callan is to participate in a card game, with orders to clean out Gunther Kleist, whose position in East Germany makes him an attractive prospect for The Section. The game is just a side issue, though. More important is where it's occurring: at the Sicilian estate of the Earl of Hexham, a British noble in possession of a very particular book that Hunter wants. While Callan plays cards with Kleist and Hexham, Lonely is to case the property and find the book.

What Callan doesn't realize is that this is only the beginning of a long and complicated series of events that will take him from London to Sicily to the underbelly of Las Vegas - and into the private inquiries of a U. S. senator and his inquisitive daughter.


CHARACTERS:

Callan: When he's called out of retirement, this time he goes with considerable reluctance. He muses that he's "lost the desire" for his old life. He is even halfway honest with Lonely about the job, asking for help rather than trying to trick or intimidate him. When he later has to resort to intimidation to get Lonely focused, he reflects just how much he despises Hunter. He's "gone soft" during his time away. His taste for liquor has become full-blown alcoholism, and Hunter warns him of consequences to himself and Lonely if he can't manage to stay sober for the duration of the job.

Hunter: "Greed takes many forms... What I crave is information, and I'm not alone in that craving." Hunter is particularly cold blooded in this book. When dissatisfied with Callan's training, he has Meres face him, knowing that a beating from his hated rival will spur a desire for revenge - which Hunter then takes steps to thwart. He is equally cold with Meres, lightly but distinctly threatening him after he gives into his worst impulses at a particularly bad moment. Meres spends most of the rest of the story trying to make that error up to Hunter, and Hunter doesn't hesitate to keep dangling it over his head.

Lonely: For the card game, Callan enlists the aid of card sharp Bulky Berkeley. Lonely becomes instantly jealous, because he has always been Callan's "expert." Callan observes Lonely's reaction and deals carefully with it, warning Lonely to lay off Bulky because he's "almost" as good at cards as Lonely is at locks. Lonely picks up on the phrasing and preens at the compliment. As the series repeatedly reminded us, Lonely actually is that good. Chapter 16 is largely occupied with the burglary, detailing his meticulous operations. He feels guilt at destroying an antique mirrored bureau-cabinet, where the book is hidden, appreciating the craftsmanship even as he dismantles it.

Meres: He loses his self-control when he's sent to question a female spy, carelessly killing her in anger. This doesn't go down well with Hunter, who punishes him by making him befriend Kleist - the woman's grieving boyfriend - to manipulate the gullible man into helping to achieve the Section's goals. Meres does, hating every second that he spends with the self-pitying German. As he feeds Kleist lies that are as eagerly gobbled up as candy, Meres reflects on love as something he preferred to avoid ever feeling: "If it made the impossible that easy to believe, what chance would you have?"

Fitzmaurice: The hulking black Section agent introduced in Death and Bright Water returns, and his second appearance builds and improves on the characterization established in the previous book. Smear Job also mercifully drops most of the racial slurs. When he works with Callan in the second half, Fitzmaurice makes it clear that he is ready to enforce Hunter's will if he needs to. Still, he turns out to be a lot more like Callan than like Meres. He'll do the nasty work, but he doesn't revel in it. When the mission's over, he confides in Callan that he's growing to hate this job in the same way that Callan once did, and for a lot of the same reasons.

Bulky Berkeley: The card sharp Callan uses to ruin Kleist. Berkeley is smart enough to recognize that he's out of his depth with Callan. He chooses to focus solely on the game that he's there for and to ignore whatever else Callan and Lonely are up to. He's consistently pleasant, and his demeanor combines with his unquestioned skill to create a good working relationship. He's a well-drawn and entertaining character, and I was actively sorry to see his role reduced in the second half.

Congressman Manette: A separate strand runs through the book involving Manette, a US congressman who has been attached to an Intelligence committee. While it's a while before we know exactly why, he is actively investigating information that's fallen into his lap. He uses his college age daughter, Elizabeth, to identify a contact who will lead him closer to his goal, then uses intimidation based on his position to gain further information. Not unlike Hunter, come to think of it, though with a lot less skill and subtlety.

Elizabeth Manette: Many scenes in the first half of the book are written from the viewpoint of Elizabeth Manette, the congressman's precocious daughter, as she does her father's bidding by completing an investigation whose details are quite vague. These scenes establish that she's bright, both through her questioning of people in a way that's designed to come across as innocent and in her comprehension that she should not ask for any details that haven't been given. She has a good heart underneath her surface sophistication. When she finds herself talking to the mother of a college boy who recently died, she listens to every piece of information she can gather... but then tells her father that she's done with this. Too bad for her that she gets dragged back in for the second half. She also has a fascination for older men, so no prizes for guessing who she ends up in bed with.


EXCELLENT CHARACTERIZATION:

Smear Job was very nearly the last of author James Mitchell's Callan novels. It wouldn't be until 2002's Bonfire Night - more than a quarter century later, at the very end of Mitchell's life - that he would release one final book in the series.

As was often true of the television series, characterization is this book's greatest strength. The supporting cast is particularly good. I loved the interactions between Fitzmaurice and Lonely's shrewd Uncle Lennie. Lennie instantly recognizes Fitzmaurice as someone to be respected, and Fitzmaurice responds by treating the man with absolute respect. I also enjoyed the relationship that built between Fitzmaurice and Callan in the second half. Each man is wary of the other. As the mission continues, however, they develop mutual respect, with Fitzmaurice able to recognize a lot of himself, and his likely future trajectory, in the older agent.

The book moves between different perspectives throughout.  Several scenes in the first half are written from the viewpoints of Congressman and Elizabeth Manette, whose scenes end up feeling sharper and more interesting than a lot of Callan's early scenes. Other moments take us into the head of Kleist, Callan's hapless German victim, as he's roped into becoming an asset for The Section. The scene in which he completes a minor job, alternating between fear and pride at how well (he thinks) he's doing, is a particularly good one.


...BUT A MESS OF A PLOT:

Smear Job soars with its characters. Too bad, then, that it keeps being yanked down to Earth by a story that doesn't best serve its excellent cast.

There are a lot of threads here - too many. The first half jumps between the amateur investigations of Manette and his daughter and Callan's attempts to fleece a gambling addicted German noble. The second half sends Callan and Fitzmaurice on a mission to (a very generically portrayed) Las Vegas, where they somehow end up taking a road trip to Mexico with the Manettes. There are also cutaways to Meres manipulating Kleist, and still more cutaways to a group of petty criminals who cause complications even after a visit from Meres that's designed to warn them off.

The locations are uneven in realization. The scenes in Sicily come across strongly, but the American scenes feel generic, particularly during the Las Vegas chapters. The book labors to create connections among all these people and places, but many of these connections seem... well, labored. The end result often feels less like a novel and more like Mitchell stuffed two novellas and two additional short stories into a literary blender and pressed, "Purée."


OVERALL:

Like its predecessors, Smear Job is highly readable. All the individual parts are good, the characters in particular. But the individual pieces don't add up to a satisfying whole. While reading, I encountered chapters-long stretches in which I couldn't have told you what the book was about. The first half and second half almost seem to be entirely different stories, with only a fairly mild link between them.

It's generally well written, and I enjoyed reading it on a chapter-by-chapter basis. However, at the end, the overall choppiness and lack of focus left me feeling underwhelmed. Smear Job is easily the worst of the Callan novels I've read to date - and I'd also rate it below most of the offerings of the television show.

Ultimately, I'd rate this as one for Callan completists only.


Overall Rating: 5/10.

Previous Novel: Death and Bright Water
Next Novel: Bonfire Night (not yet reviewed)

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Death and Bright Water.

Publication Date: 1974. Written by: James Mitchell. Published by: Hamilton & Co. 194 pages.


THE PLOT:

Callan has left The Section and is determined to put his old life behind him... until he's contacted by an associate of Greek dissident Sophie Kollonaki. Once a freedom fighter for Greece during the war, Sophie now lives in Paris, in exile from the "The Colonels," the military dictatorship currently ruling her home country.

Sophie and her brother, Michael Vardarkis, were once on the same side - but now Michael is a rich businessman, and a firm supporter of the Colonels. He subsidizes her exile and protects her, but he also has leverage to keep her in check: Her daughter, Helena, who is being kept in Greece, safe and comfortable, but also under constant guard.

Sophie wants Callan to rescue her daughter. Not out of any particular affection - just so that she'll be able to once again act freely. Her brother wants Callan to accept the job, but to deliberately botch it.

But the important thing is what Hunter wants - and Hunter wants Callan to rescue the girl and to bring her straight to him, giving him leverage over everyone...


CHARACTERS:

Callan: As the book opens, he is doing manual labor. He dislikes the tedium of it, complaining to Lonely: "They'll tell you (hard work) never killed anybody. Don't you believe it, old son." He acknowledges that it has improved both his mental and physical condition, and his wits are certainly sharp. He recognizes immediately that Sophie's Soviet backers have set her up to fail, and he has no interest in being sacrificed for her cause. When Hunter coerces him into accepting the assignment, he trusts nobody except Lonely. He genuinely likes Dimitri, Sophie's contact inside the house where her daughter is being held, but he knows Dimitri is working to his own agenda. After Callan agrees to break into the house on one day, he immediately makes plans with Lonely to break in exactly one day before.

Hunter: He knows Sophie from her time as a partisan "up in the mountains, knocking off Germans." When Callan dismisses her as "a clown," Hunter firmly responds that he would trust Sophie "with (his) life," a vow a man like him doesn't make casually. After the Greek rebels make an attempt on Michael Vardarkis's life, Hunter muses about how much the rebels genuinely hate the man. He seems almost envious: "In this country, we don't seem to hate anymore... Or love, for that matter. We've lost the talent for it."

Lonely: Lonely is a genuine friend, which Callan is reminded of (yet again) when he learns that he's been stopping by his apartment since he left to check in and to clean. Lonely is indignant when Callan asks if he was followed, observing: "If I didn't want to be followed could you follow me?" His skill as a thief continues to impress, and he forgets to be afraid when he's working the locks during the final operation. His usual cowardice only returns after the alarms are bypassed and the door is open.

Meres: Shows outward respect for Hunter, but inwardly he's impatient. When Hunter muses about the Greeks, he mentally mocks the older man's reflectiveness. "Another minute and the old boy would be crying." Still, the only outward sign he allows is a slight shifting in his chair - and if I was inclined to bet, I would wager that Hunter knows exactly how impatient Meres is with his musings.

Fitzmaurice: A black agent in Hunter's employ, Fitzmaurice's interactions with Callan amount to exchanges of racial slurs. I suspect these scenes are what compelled the publisher of the modern reprint to add a disclaimer: "Please note that these books were published in the 1970s, when social attitudes were very different." Still, give James Mitchell credit: Fitzmaurice is no stereotype. Every time he appears, he is portrayed as completely competent. When he shares a job with Meres midway through, he's the one who shows restraint and keeps Meres from going too far.

Blythe: A mild mannered, homosexual dentist who loves Greece probably more than most of the actual Greek citizens do, and who is completely sympathetic to Sophie's cause. He endures a fair number of slurs about his sexuality, but he is portrayed in entirely sympathetic terms. By the end of the book, even Callan is impressed at his surprising courage in a crisis, and he ends the book determined to continue helping the resistance, even though he's every bit as sure as Callan that this will eventually end badly for him.

Helena Kollonaki: She has no interest in her mother's revolutionary activities. She is actually much fonder of her uncle, her supposed kidnapper, than of her mother. She is genuinely shocked when she sees Callan kill with casual efficiency, but she maintains a realistic attitude toward her situation.


THOUGHTS:

Death and Bright Water was published in 1974, the same year that the Greek junta, aka The Regime of the Colonels, fell after a mere seven years in power. There was no way that James Mitchell could have known that it was about to collapse. Still, it's clear that he did his research, and a sense of decay hangs over the story.

The main plot is well structured. The initial chapters see Callan learning of the job and meeting all the key players. He turns the job down, only for Hunter to intervene and make him accept. The next third or so follows Callan's meticulous preparations, while introducing complications: Dimitri, an ally he likes but can't afford to trust, and Bradley, the latest eager young assassin who lacks Callan's judgment but has enough strength and speed to make him wary. The final third chronicles the operation and the subsequent escape from Greece.

Somewhat surprisingly, it's the setup portion that works best. Mitchell's writing is at its most effective when detailing Callan's preparations and showing how he adjusts to every potential bit of treachery. I particularly enjoyed the scenes of Callan tricking Lonely into thinking they're on vacation before springing the job on him. As was true of both the series and Russian Roulette, the Callan/Lonely interactions are a highlight throughout.

The later action scenes are also well done, described in a way that's appropriate to both Callan the character and the series. In contrast to Meres or Bradley, Callan uses violence only when it's his last option. When violence is needed, he goes in with full recognition of his own mortality. There's no sense of excitement when he eliminates some guards during the escape or when he prepares an ambush for a would-be murderer. It's just a methodical, if unpleasant, task that he must accomplish in order to stay alive.

Mitchell's descriptions remain spare, with just enough description for the reader to clearly visualize settings but not so much as to slow down the pace. His writing feels sharper and more polished than in Russian Roulette, however. Descriptions of locations feel more distinct, probably because of the need to bring the Greek locations to life. Transitions, particularly switches in point-of-view, are also much smoother than in the previous book. There was at least one viewpoint switch in Russian Roulette that briefly threw me, something that never happens here.

I do have one quibble: a subplot involving a stubborn young police officer tracking Lonely. Though this thread arises from the main plot, it doesn't actually go anywhere. Yes, it showcases The Section's ruthlessness... but frankly, the scenes between Hunter and Callan already do that far more effectively. In my opinion, this entire strand should have been jettisoned, as all it does is steal focus from the more interesting central story.


OVERALL:

I thoroughly enjoyed Death and Bright Water. The story is well plotted, and it makes good use of the background involving The Regime of Colonels without ever getting bogged down by it. It also features fine character moments for Callan, Lonely, and Hunter, along with a passably interesting guest cast.

I'd rank this as an excellent addition to the series for Callan fans, as well as being a rather good thriller in its own right.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Novel: Russian Roulette
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Russian Roulette.

Publication Date: 1973. Written by: James Mitchell. Published by: Hamilton & Co. 202 pages.


THE PLOT:

Callan is seeing double. At the optometrist, he sees two doctors, two desks, and two eye charts - though he does find some compensation in also seeing two of the office's pretty nurse. The doctor gives him eyedrops to restore his vision, but it's a temporary solution: To permanently correct it, he will need surgery. If he doesn't get it, he will go blind.

The timing couldn't be worse. When he arrives at The Section, Hunter tells him point blank that he has sold him out to the Russians. In exchange for a top agent who was discovered by the KGB, Hunter has granted permission for the Russians to kill him. Three assassins are on their way, and Hunter is leaving him helpless: No guns, no money to buy guns. Section agents have even confiscated his model soldiers.

With just a little over twenty pounds to his name, Callan finds himself on the streets of London, left to wait for his three executioners. But he doesn't intend to go down easily...


CHARACTERS:

Callan: Offered up as a sacrificial lamb, he's left to rely on his abilities and, perhaps even more importantly, his determination to live. He's fortunate in that the assassins only come after him one at a time. Between the problem he's having with his vision and his inability to lay claim to a gun, he would have no chance against all three. But he has long experience as a killer - a hunter, if you will - and by taking on his would-be murderers one at a time, he is able to find opportunities to seize the advantage.

Hunter: Makes the deal with the Soviets out of cold calculation. He explains that he weighed Callan vs. the other spy and determined that Callan simply had slightly less value. For all that, he arranged very specific terms. The Section won't kill Callan for the enemy, but the Section will allow the KGB agents into the country and will deny Callan a weapon to defend himself. When Callan manages to kill the first assassin, Hunter openly admires his resourcefulness, and he seems regretful that the odds remain stacked against him.

Lonely: Though most of the book is told from Callan's perspective, we do get bits that follow Lonely. The first chapter from his point of view sees him once again trying to procure a gun for his friend, only to find that all of his usual sources have been "warned off." When he's thrown out of one place in a way both "painful and undignified," Lonely reflects that "the lack of dignity he could live with," but not so much the pain. He waits on another source, ruminating that he is "used to waiting for the attention of more important people. It was a part of life." For all his supposed cowardice, he refuses to let Callan warn him off him. "What kind of a mate would I be if I ran away now?"

Meres: One element that separates book Callan from TV show Callan is the relationship with Meres. In the show, the two were wary and often adversarial, but even in the first season there was respect, which bordered on being a bizarre sort of "not-friendship" by the end of the second season. Not here. Meres is portrayed as a snake, his feelings for Callan limited to malicious envy. He still suggests Hunter break the deal with the Soviets once their agent is returned, but that seems mostly borne from self-interest, in case he's ever in a similar situation.


OFTEN LESS INTERESTING THAN THE TELEVISION SERIES:

James Mitchell's first Callan novel was A Red File for Callan. This was adapted into the series' pilot, A Magnum for Schneider and was adapted again into the 1974 film, Callan - which is why I'm skipping it for the time being. I've already watched two versions of Callan's reluctant cat-and-mouse game with Schneider in as many years. It's a good story, but at the moment I'm not much interested in experiencing a third version of it.

I'm instead starting my look at the Callan novels with Russian Roulette, which was released one year after the end of the television series. And... honestly, in a lot of ways, I find it to be less interesting than the series. The deeper themes and layered characters are mostly discarded in favor of a straightforward action thriller. Callan and (particularly) Lonely still come across strongly, but Meres has been flattened into two dimensions. Never mind being less interesting than Anthony Valentine's television portrayal - This Meres isn't even as layered as Cross!

The story also starts from a premise I have difficulty accepting. I have no trouble believing Hunter selling out Callan for the right prize - but he wouldn't do so carelessly. Hunter dedicates the full might of The Section to making sure Callan can't even the odds, meaning that other agents know what's happening. As Meres points out, sacrificing one of their own is neither a morale builder nor a way to inspire loyalty.

The last part of the book offers up a couple of reveals. I'll avoid spoilers, except to say that both plot turns are telegraphed far too heavily to actually surprise.


LEAN AND EFFICIENT:

For all the flaws, which I think were fixable, I still enjoyed Russian Roulette. Taken as a lean, efficient little thriller, it's a good read. The story may be simple, but it wastes no time. It starts right out the gate, first introducing Callan's double vision and then Hunter's deal with the Russians, and it builds straight on from there.

James Mitchell's writing style is much like Callan himself: plain and blunt. There are no flowery descriptions. Physical settings are established quickly, with only the detail needed to allow for easy visualization. Scenes between characters are dominated by dialogue and action, with the prose kept as succinct as possible.

The Callan/Lonely material is unsurprisingly the most interesting part of the book, and Mitchell's writing is at its best when focusing on this. Scenes from Callan's perspective don't linger on emotion at all: He observes his surroundings and plans what he will do. Lonely's scenes fold in a sense of the man's weakness compared to most of the people he deals with, and the character's mix of fear and acceptance of his lot in life seeps into the descriptions during his scenes.

It's this aspect of the book that leaves me hopeful that some of James Mitchell's other Callan novels will rise above being just expendable "good reads."


OVERALL:

I would not rank Russian Roulette alongside the best episodes of the television series. Aside from the Callan/Lonely material, very little of the show's complexity makes it into this story. This is no moody rumination on Cold War politics, abuses of power, or the psychological impact of violence on those who perpetrate it. It's just a straight-up thriller.

The thing is... It's a rather good straight-up thriller. It zips along, and there's some cleverness in the ways Callan deals with his would-be assassins. All told, I think this would have made for a pretty good movie.

If nothing else, it's certainly a better continuation for the characters than 1982's Wet Job.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Novel: A Red File for Callan (not yet reviewed)
Next Novel: Death and Bright Water

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Callan (1974).

Callan admires the battlefield of model soldiers owned by
Schneider (Carl Möhner) - the man he's been ordered to kill!

Release Date: May 23, 1974. Written by: James Mitchell. Based on the novel, A Red File for Callan, by James Mitchell. Directed by: Don Sharp. Produced by: Harry Benn, Derek Horne.


THE PLOT:

Callan (Edward Woodard) was once a government assassin. He was good at it - the best, save for one problem: a conscience. This weakness led his superior, Hunter (Eric Porter), to exile him to a dead-end accounting job, where he has spent the last 18 months under an abusive supervisor.

Now Hunter is offering him a way back. He has a target for Callan: Schneider (Carl Möhner), an affable German businessman who just so happens to share Callan's enthusiasm for waging mock battles with model soldiers... and who just happens to be in the office right next to Callan's. Both of which make it obvious that Callan's exile has actually been Hunter putting him into position to make the kill.

But as desperate as he is to return to his prior status, Callan can't quite quash that conscience of his. It's not enough that Hunter wants Schneider killed. Before he pulls the trigger, Callan needs to know why...

Callan asks his criminal contact, Lonely (Russell Hunter),
to buy him a gun - after a round of intimidation.

CHARACTERS:

Callan: The Callan movie effectively acts as a remake of A Magnum for Schneider - but, being made close to a decade after that pilot, Edward Woodward's age has to be incorporated into the script. Hunter and Meres debate whether Callan might be "past it." Callan puts himself through a training regimen, hardening his fists by repeatedly punching into a bowl of wet sand. He also practices drawing the gun Lonely gets for him, berating himself for his own slowness: "Too late - You're dead, mate, you are dead!"

Hunter: Character actor Eric Porter's Hunter is unfailingly calm and polite, but he's also calculating in his dealings with Callan. He tests his old assassin to see how "rusty" he is by ordering his best men to tail him, and he is pleased when Callan spots and loses them. He seems close to emotionless through most of the movie... until he shares screen time with Snell (Clifford Rose, briefly but memorably reprising his television role), who is so cold-blooded while discussing the effects of psychotropic drugs on a "patient" that even Hunter is taken aback.

Lonely: By the series' final season, Callan and Lonely were portrayed as friends, albeit with a stark power imbalance. This film returns to the original character dynamic, with Lonely clearly terrified of Callan and Callan seeming to enjoy intimidating him. This is starkly different to their relationship by the end of the series, and it caught me off-guard at first. Russell Hunter remains a wonderful nonverbal actor. I love the way he rarely directly meets anyone's eyes, slouching by instinct and keeping his gaze downward, pre-emptively subservient.

Meres: Anthony Valentine was attached to Colditz, and so was unavailable to appear as Meres. Surprisingly, Peter Egan's Meres works splendidly. He doesn't in any way copy Valentine's performance, instead offering his own distinct take. Valentine's Meres hid his sadism beneath several layer of urbane with; Egan's is more of a direct psychopath. He's like a predator, hungry to strike both to feed his need for violence and because he finds it fun.

Schneider: In A Magnum for Schneider, Joseph Furst emphasized the character as charming and friendly, really selling the idea of him and Callan forming a fast friendship. Carl Möhner gives a good performance in this remake, but his Schneider is more of a direct villain. As he prepares a "business deal," he actively boasts about how his work has resulted in people's deaths, and he generally seems to celebrate the devastation he has caused. This, combined with subplots that take focus away from the Callan/Schneider scenes, leaves far less of a sense of a bond between the two men than in the earlier version.

Jenny: Schneider's girlfriend represents a noticeable departure from the original version. In the television pilot, she was Asian, her Eastern connections one of the foundations of Schneider's business. In the movie, she is played by beautiful, white, English Catherine Schell. While Jenny is aware of Schneider's business, she does not appear to be a direct participant, even begging him early in the film to stop so that they can enjoy their life together.

Jenny (Catherine Schell) begs Schneider to stop his
"business" before it catches up with both of them.

THOUGHTS:

Like A Magnum for Schneider, the series' pilot, the Callan movie is based on James Mitchell's A Red File for Callan. It is not a continuation of the television show, acting instead as an alternative take on Callan's origin story.

This is a decent movie on its own merits. The story remains as solid as it was in 1967, and performances are good. Director Don Sharp uses London locations to good effect, particularly in a scene in which Callan evades pursuit by Hunter's agents. After four seasons of playing this role, Edward Woodward has an instinctive understanding of Callan; as good as he was in the original pilot, he's even better here, his performance more layered than it was in the 1967 version.

Unfortunately, with the exception of Woodward's performance, this just isn't as good as the earlier version. What was crisp and sharp at 50 minutes is slightly sluggish when stretched out to twice that running time. The first Act borders on being dull; and while the pace improves as it goes, there are many bits that seem to be there just to keep the story running.

These expansions steal focus from the Callan/Schneider interactions, which are less prominent here than in the television version. With less screen time between the two characters, and with Schneider more of a true baddie, the story never feels as personal to Callan than it did in A Magnum for Schneider.

Finally, there are some odd bits of editing. Particularly in the middle of the movie, several very short scenes abruptly cut away to other very short scenes. This can leave the film feeling jagged. Given that a few of these bits don't even seem to do much with regard to the plot, it would have been better to have allowed some scenes to play out more, and to have simply removed a few others entirely.

Hunter (Eric Porter) presses Callan to finish his
mission - and to stop asking questions!

OVERALL:

I have no doubt that I would rate the 1974 Callan movie more highly if I had never seen A Magnum for Schneider. It is an enjoyable film on its own merits. Even when the story struggles, the actors make up for it. Edward Woodward and Russell Hunter remain excellent as Callan and Lonely, and Peter Egan is surprisingly good taking over the role of Meres.

Unfortunately, A Magnum for Schneider is simply, plainly better - and even if it didn't exist, some of the extensions made here just scream of padding, from a car chase that is only tangentially related to the main plot to a full subplot involving the small-time criminal who provides Callan's gun!

It's not a bad movie in any way. But since a better version exists and is now widely available, the 1974 film is basically a curio. It's worth watching for fans, if only as an alternate take, and I enjoyed it well enough - but it's definitely the lesser variant.


Overall Rating: 5/10.

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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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4-12. The Richmond File: Do You Recognise the Woman?

Callan gets a little too close to an old adversary (Sarah Lawson).

Air Date: May 17, 1972. Written by: Bill Craig. Directed by: Peter Duguid. Produced by: Reginald Collin.


THE PLOT:

After Richmond (T. P. McKenna)'s escape, The Section takes a two-pronged approach toward tracking him. Toby Meres supervises a surveillance van, intercepting the very short, staggered transmissions coming from Richmond's safe house and attempting to pinpoint its location. It's slow work, but each transmission narrows the potential target area.

Meanwhile, Callan goes to Flo Mayhew (Sarah Lawson), the KGB operative arrested and imprisoned after her failed attempt on his life. The Section knows that she is a former associate of Richmond's, and both Callan and Hunter believe that she could lead them to him. They know she won't talk; she is confident that the Soviets "always get (their) people back." Instead, they play on that belief, springing her from prison on the pretext that she's about to be exchanged.

Flo's status does not go unnoticed. Richmond's safe house is in a church run by two deep cover KGB operatives. When they learn that she is in the hands of The Section, it is enough for them to start pushing for drastic action - something Richmond is reluctant to do...

Richmond clashes with his allies over Flo's fate.

CHARACTERS:

Callan: This episode reminds me of an observation Col. Hunter made all the way back in the pilot, when he acidly stated that Callan's empathy was a weakness. Here, that statement is proved true. Initially, seeing Flo merely as the enemy who tried to have him killed, Callan is fully on board with the deception. Then he starts getting to know her as a human being, and an operation he endorsed - even pushed for! - becomes every bit as distasteful as the ones the various Hunters have forced on him.

Hunter: It's almost certainly deliberate that the two most callous Hunters (Col. Hunter and the present Hunter) have been the series' two successful ones. William Squire's Hunter is utterly calm as he awaits the results from both Meres and Callan. When both results come in at once, revealing the danger Flo is in, he applauds Meres' discretion in not informing Callan. Even Meres is moved to comment at his coldness: "Don't applaud, sir. That way your left hand would know what your right hand was doing."

Meres: Spends the first half confined to the surveillance van, becoming increasingly (and amusingly) waspish about the failure of the technicians to trace Richmond's transmissions. Later, he finds Callan in an awkward position... a moment he savors with great satisfaction. Anthony Valentine makes the most of his brief screen time, though it seems like a lost opportunity that at no point is any mention made of Richmond's accusations of the previous episode; even if neither Hunter nor Callan believe the charges, they should at least be shown to be watchful.

Flo Mayhew: She has been serving her sentence, calmly waiting for exactly the sort of exchange Callan promises her. Her very confidence that the KGB always recovers its agents makes her vulnerable to The Section's ploy. She and Callan bond surprisingly quickly, given that their last encounter involved her attempt to murder him. As she says, despite being on different sides, they have more in common with each other than with the people around them - an observation that is very familiar to Callan after his recent conversations with Richmond. Sarah Lawson has good chemistry with Edward Woodward, and she's altogether better-used here than in her previous appearance.

Richmond: Call Me Enemy spent much of its running time contrasting the cool, aristocratic Richmond against emotional, working-class Callan, ultimately concluding that for all their differences, they were startlingly alike at their core. This episode puts Richmond in a familiar Callan dilemma. He wants to protect Flo, but his contacts are downright eager to brand her a traitor. He's left leaning on his rank to keep his own allies from forcing action he doesn't want to take; and the longer the situation drags on, the less cowed his contacts become.

Hunter and Bishop: Two men equally without compassion.

THOUGHTS:

The second installment of the series-ending three-parter is nowhere near as good as Call Me Enemy. It's a little too slow-paced, even for a character-centric episode, and there are no surprises. By the twenty-minute mark, most viewers will know exactly where this story is going, and there are no particular twists or turns along the way.

That said, there are some fine character moments along the way. Though they share no screen time in this episode, the parallels between Callan and Richmond continue to be drawn. T. P. McKenna is again excellent, and Sarah Lawson is given far better material in this episode than she was in Call Me Sir!. The scenes between her and Callan are the best of the episode, and I appreciated Callan's comparison of his conversations with her to his recent talks with Richmond.

On the whole, it's an "in-between" episode.  It's definitely better than the series' weakest entries, thanks to the fine character scenes.  However, the slow pace and predictable story keep it equally as far from the series' better episodes.  It's no trial to watch, and Meres' scenes provide some welcome comedy relief... but it still comes across as a bit of a placeholder. I'm left to wonder if The Richmond File wouldn't have been better served at two episodes instead of three.


Overall Rating: 6/10.

Previous Episode: The Richmond File - Call Me Enemy
Next Episode: The Richmond File - A Man Like Me

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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.

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