Callan: This Man Alone.

Callan dots the covers of issues of TV Times.

Release Date: Feb. 1, 2016. Written by: Thomas Cock and Steve Rogers. Directed by: Thomas Cock. Executive Producer: Tim Beddows.


THE PLOT:

The (as of 2016) surviving writers, producers, actors, and directors recall the production of the television series Callan, from its inception as an Armchair Theatre play to its development as a series - and to its ascent as a surprise television hit!


THOUGHTS:

Callan: This Man Alone is, when you think about it, a very unlikely documentary. Though Callan was a hit in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and though it was (and remains) an excellent program, it just hasn't stuck in the popular culture hive mind. Many people would at least recognize and have some (probably false) preconceptions about, say, The Avengers or The Prisoner, but many of those same people would just return a blank look if fed the name Callan.

So here's what was produced: a 130 minute documentary, exhaustively covering the creation of a television show that's not remembered by much of the general public, and that is made up of a succession of talking heads, interspersed with a few stills and video clips. Stylistically, it's like watching a particularly long DVD featurette -  an extremely good one, but that is still about what both content and production evokes. For an independent feature, I would think that would be the definition of a "tough sell" to almost any production company.

Thankfully, Network did release it, making it the centerpiece of a DVD set that I'd label a must-buy for fans of Callan.

The late Edward Woodward's reflections are included,
thanks to audio interviews from the late 1980s.

Though it's interesting in itself, Callan: This Man Alone also stands as a well-timed piece of oral history. Co-writer/director Thomas Cock and executive producer Tim Beddows managed to put this together while there were still enough members of the series' production alive to make this feel like a fairly comprehensive chronicle. Given that several of the interview subjects (Jim Goddard, Robert Banks Stewart, Piers Haggard, and others) have since passed on, I can't help but feel that this was made at probably the latest possible point to capture points-of-view from all sides of the production.

The interview subjects include producers, writers, directors, and actors, along with audio recordings of those who had already passed. While every person provides material of interest, I found some of the strongest observations consistently came from three sources: Ray Jenkins, who scripted several of the series' best episodes (including the series-altering Let's Kill Everybody and If He Can, So Could I?); Reginald Collin, who produced three of the show's four series; and Peter Mitchell, son of Callan's late creator, James Mitchell.

One of the pleasures of this feature is how articulate and prepared every single person is. They all seem to have come fully ready to speak about their old work, with no one shrugging off that it was a long time ago and they just can't recall.  They all seem (justifiably) proud of what they achieved. Some of the more interesting comments come when those who remained active in television (including actor Patrick Mower) compare television production from the late 1960s and early 1970s to modern productions.

A succession of talking heads - all of whom seem fully
prepared and speak with intelligence about their work.

SUPPLEMENTAL FEATURES:

Network released This Man Alone with a wealth of extra features that make this set a must-buy for Callan fans.

Disc One contains the documentary and about 25 minutes of additional interview footage that, while interesting, was rightly deleted from the main feature. Disc Two contains cleaned-up prints of A Magnum for Schneider, the Armchair Theatre play that acted as the series' pilot, and The Good Ones Are All Dead, the first regular episode; the latter definitely benefits from the cleanup. Also included is the unedited studio recording of The Worst Soldier I Ever Saw, the "missing" episode that was reconstructed for DVD release from the raw footage.

A production still from the missing
episode, Goodness Burns Too Bright.

Disc Three contains the real prize: The .pdf archive. This is a veritable goldmine. It includes scripts of every episode. The missing episode scripts from this archive formed the basis of my reviews of those installments (well, save for a couple that were cleaned up and published in the Callan Uncovered volumes). These are must-reads. Not only can readers finally experience the missing episodes in printed form, but these scripts greatly improve the character of the third Hunter, who was particularly hard-hit by episode junkings.

There are multiple cases in which both a rehearsal and a camera script exist. This gives a nice glimpse at how scripts were adjusted after rehearsal. The Running Dog's camera script sees Callan using his "Mr. Tucker" alias, while the rehearsal script has him always referenced as "Callan," for instance, and also tightens some scenes. Even more notable is Once A Big Man, Always a Big Man, whose camera script boasts a significantly different (much improved) ending vs. the rehearsal script.

Also included in this .pdf archive are: the original (in my opinion, better) Callan/Hunter script pages from the Series One version of Nice People Die at Home; James Mitchell's original series format document; an internal ABC summary of the results of an audience survey gauging reactions to Series One; summaries of several episodes for overseas sales purposes; layouts for the structure of each season; and more.

In short, Callan fans will get their money's worth from this set even if they never watch the main feature!

A few of James Mitchell's Callan novels.

OVERALL:

Callan: This Man Alone is a very traditional "talking heads" documentary, but it has been carefully structured, with each snippet chosen for the final film advancing the overall story. This is clearly not a big budget production, but it's polished and well-presented, with narration by Peter Woodward (Edward Woodward's son) moving the film along from one segment to the next.

It does a good job of telling the story of Callan as both series and brief British cultural phenomenon. I personally found that story interesting - but then, I've just finished watching the series, which I found generally excellent, and that makes me the perfect audience for this. I suspect overall appeal will be to fans of Callan or enthusiasts of television history (British television history specifically).


Overall Rating - Documentary: 8/10.

Overall Rating - DVD set: 10/10.

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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
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4-04. Rules of the Game.

Callan pushes Cross to escalate his harassment
of a Russian embassy worker's family.

Air Date: Mar. 22, 1972. Written by: Ray Jenkins. Directed by: Voytek. Produced by: Reginald Collin.


THE PLOT:

Callan receives a new assignment. The Section is to harass Medov (Mike Pratt), a minor figure at the Russian embassy, to force him to voluntarily withdraw from his current assignment. Bishop insists this is low-key retaliation for the Russians expelling a British cultural attaché, a standard case of tit-for-tat.

Callan assigns Cross, and both men anticipate an easy little job. Cross breaks the windows in Medov's car, makes anonymous calls to his wife and daughter accusing him of spying, and arranges for police to issue him traffic tickets. But none of this behavior results in the man complaining. With Callan pressuring him, Cross escalates his campaign, shooting a milk bottle while the man's wife is picking it up, which finally does draw Medov to action.

Meanwhile, Callan tries to uncover exactly why The Section has been given this assignment - a task complicated by the way in which every file he requests is mysteriously unavailable...

Neville Dennis (James Cossins) - the man with the answers.

CHARACTERS:

Callan: Keeps thinking like a field agent instead of an administrator. He tries to convince Bishop to give him more information by utilizing that background: "I was trained never to take anyone or anything on trust... You're told something, you test the opposite." Bishop is unimpressed, and rightly so.  Both the third and fourth Hunters attempted at various times to explain to Callan that their job was to make sure orders were carried out, not to understand those orders. Callan eventually gets to the truth by acting as a field agent, the job he's good at. But he cannot grasp that this simply isn't his role anymore. 

Cross: When Callan gives him this nasty little assignment, he refers to it as "a Callan job," a dig at his new supervisor's previously vocal distaste for this exact type of work. He throws himself into it with a little too much glee, grinning like a boy playing an evil game when he shoots the milk bottle out of Medov's wife's hand. However, Cross isn't a Meres-like sadist. It's not much of a spoiler to say that an innocent is eventually hurt. This isn't entirely Cross's fault (not this time, at least). Still, we can see how stricken he is when the game he had been enjoying ends up having actual consequences.

Lonely: For the benefit of anyone who missed First Refusal, his first scene in this episode restates that he now drives a taxi for The Section. When Cross orders him to watch Medov's family, Lonely goes to Callan to clarify whether he's meant to be following Callan's orders or Cross's. He is not pleased when Callan tells him to obey Cross. Despite this, he actually does a pretty good job, particularly in an amusing scene in which he blocks the path of a car carrying Russian security men without in any way compromising his cover.

Medov: Multiple scenes raise the question about whether Medov really is just an innocent embassy worker or whether he's a spy. He doesn't behave as expected for a civilian. He completely ignores Cross's initial provocation. Even when the milk bottle is shot, he attempts to lie to his wife that it was destroyed by a child's BB pellet rather than by an adult's bullet. At one point, his wife directly asks if he's spying. Meanwhile, Callan scrutinizes files and assigns another agent to dig up information about the British cultural attaché supposedly expelled from Russia, all to try to understand why this man has been targeted. The ending answers all questions, while actor Mike Pratt does a good job of maintaining the question while remaining consistent with the final revelation.

Neville Dennis: Veteran character actor James Cossins plays the small but crucial role of the man who holds the answers behind The Section's current task. I won't discuss in depth the scene in which Callan questions him; to do so would amount to spoiling the episode. Cossins is outstanding, presenting a man who is weak both physically and morally, but who is also sharp enough to have put the pieces together. Edward Woodward is already on form, but he ups his game opposite Cossins, and the resulting scene is not only the best of the episode but also of the season thus far.

Medov (Mike Pratt): An innocent man or a spy?

THOUGHTS:

Writer Ray Jenkins' Series Two episodes (Let's Kill Everybody and Death of a Friend) were quite strong, well-plotted with outstanding characters scenes. However, his sole Series Three outing was Amos Green Must Live, almost certainly the worst installment of the entire series.

Happily, Rules of the Game represents a return to form. The core plot is a familiar one, as a likable enough family is targeted by The Section. Jenkins' script, however, sharpens this into something meaningful.  While he gives sufficient time to the family to give a sense of them as people, he never forgets to keep the focus on Callan and Cross and their reactions to the current job: Callan, pushing against his orders to try to learn "why" - the one question he's not supposed to ask; Cross, enjoying it almost like a game until events finally make it all real to him.

The episode is a slow starter, but it gets better as it goes. I particularly liked the way Medov was presented: wary, watchful, and reluctant to act, his reactions making the viewer question whether he's an innocent man or a spy.  The answers, when they come, are consistent both with the standalone plot and with the series' own cynical worldview. Finally, the ending is highly effective, with Callan's final line to Cross particularly well-delivered by Woodward.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: First Refusal
Next Episode: If He Can, So Could I

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4-02. Call Me Sir!

Callan gets an unexpected promotion..

Air Date: Mar. 8, 1972. Written by: Bill Craig. Directed by: Mike Vardy. Produced by: Reginald Collin.


THE PLOT:

Callan is fit to return to work... except that he doesn't want to. His time in Russia has left him badly shaken, and he demands to be transferred to a non-operational position. Anything, he says, as long as it doesn't involve "getting killed."

As it happens, Hunter and his superior, Bishop (Geoffrey Chater), have plans of their own for Callan. Given the importance of the Soviet agent they traded, the enemy now regards Callan as somebody important. Fortunately, there's a perfect way to grant Callan's request to be non-operational while also managing the perceptions of the Opposition - promotion.

Specifically, they will give Callan the one job that's worse than his current one. He's to be made the newest Hunter!

Lonely sits for amateur artist Flo Mayhew (Sarah Lawson)

CHARACTERS:

Callan: Is apoplectic when Hunter and Bishop reveal their plans. "(Hunter's) desk has dominted my life!" he protests. "Do you know what that bit of furniture means to me? That's orders that turn my stomach. Lying, cheating, double-dealing, dying!" When Hunter points out the job also means safety, Callan retorts that he remembers a couple of Hunters who didn't end up being so safe. He quickly finds himself trapped by the job; as Hunter points out, he's free to make his own decisions, but he needs to be prepared to defend his choices with logic and reason, and without emotion.

Hunter: By the end of Series Three, it was becoming clear that Hunter respected and possibly even secretly liked Callan. He offered praise for Callan's judgement in handling a crisis with Liz, and spoke to him almost as an equal at the end of Breakout. He adopts the role of mentor, helping Callan to understand the limits of his new position. When he leaves the office for the last time, he announces that this departure comes "without a particle of regret."

Lonely: We first see Lonely in an unusual situation: Sitting as a model for amateur artist Flo Mayhew (Sarah Lawson). She later explains that she was taken by Lonely's face, which she describes as "grotty" but "interesting... full of peculiar angles and unexpected bumps." For all of Lonely's semi-comic mannerisms, he isn't actually stupid. With Callan away for eight months, he's had time to think and has put several pieces together. Being Lonely, he reaches the exact wrong conclusion, but all of his reasoning is sound. For the second episode in a row, he shows courage in a stressful situation, this time directly confronting Callan about the mysterious disappearances, the odd jobs he's given him, and most particularly the breakout of the Soviet spy. Callan is left nonplussed, likely realizing how badly he's underestimated him.

Cross: Initially treats Callan's promotion as a joke, even quipping to him about how false funerals are an unreliable disposal method since Callan managed to come back from his. The smile vanishes when Callan firmly and evenly tells him: "Sir. Call me sir." From that moment, Cross tries to undermine Callan, using his friendship with Lonely as a weapon against him. The episode ends with him and Callan swapping barbs. Callan tells him that taking care of an enemy assassin is his problem; after Cross, um, solves it, he then swipes back that the loose-lipped Lonely is Callan's problem, and seems smug that his new boss has no answer to that.

Liz: Gets a substantial role, acting as Callan's one true ally. When Cross goes on the hunt for Lonely, she conspires with Callan to keep him safe. A dangerous moment happens when Cross walks right to the room where she is hiding with Lonely... and she thinks fast to come up with a solution that explains every discrepancy and leaves Cross slack-jawed in shock. With a little training, she would make a rather good agent herself... though as was showcased in last season's A Village Called "G", she's far more valuable in her current role, as likely The Section's only indispensable member.

Cross resents Callan's new position.

THOUGHTS:

It's difficult to properly review Call Me Sir! It's an almost entirely a transitional episode, moving the characters from the events of the premiere to the setup that will dominate much of this season. As such, it is more interesting as a building block than as a story in its own right.

There are two threads: Callan being manipulated into his new position, and the issues involving Lonely. They barely connect at all for the first half of the show, and for the first thirty minutes the Lonely subplot starts and stops around the more prominent Callan promotion thread. This results in pacing problems for the first half.  Not just  slow pace, but an awkward one, with the Callan and Lonely scenes interfering with each other rather than enhancing each other.

Once Callan has reluctantly accepted his new post, the episode improves significantly. The two threads finally converge, so that everything feels like part of the same story, and there are some fun scenes in which Callan and Liz work to keep Lonely safe while misdirecting the other agents. The reactions of Cross and Hunter to one particular moment are genuinely funny, with Hunter actually left speechless.

It ends with a final twist that most viewers will see coming almost from the episode's start. Still, the closing scenes are well-done, cutting between a calm conversation in a car and the house it's parked outside of, in which gunfire is being exchanged. As is often the case in this show, the conversation is more interesting than the shooting.

So overall... It's an episode of two halves. Even the first half isn't actually bad, with excellent character material and typically strong performances by the regular cast. When the subplots finally come together, it even becomes enjoyable... but the awkward pacing and ill fit of the two threads makes the first half unusually unengaging, lowering my final score a bit.


Overall Rating: 6/10.

Previous Episode: That'll Be the Day
Next Episode: First Refusal

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4-01. That'll Be the Day.

A funeral for Callan.

Air Date: Mar. 1, 1972. Written by: James Mitchell. Directed by: Mike Vardy. Produced by: Reginald Collin.


THE PLOT:

David Callan is dead.

No, really. There's a funeral and everything. Lonely, however, is shocked when the parson talks about the departed as a quiet, gentle soul, and he becomes convinced that they "buried the wrong geezer."

He turns out to be entirely correct. Callan was picked up by the KGB during an operation in East Germany and is now undergoing drug-induced questioning by a thoroughly professional Soviet interrogator (Julian Glover). The funeral is a precaution by Hunter, to fend off any enemy attempts to use Callan for propaganda purposes.

Hunter orders Cross to frighten Lonely into silence. But first there's a more pressing task. His superior, Bishop (Geoffrey Chater) has ordered the immediate arrest of Richmond (T. P. McKenna), a top-level Soviet agent. Hunter hopes to break Richmond, to force him to divulge critical information. Bishop, however, has another plan, one Hunter strongly opposes: To exchange Richmond for Callan!

Just making sure?  "Colonel Hunter" (Ronald Radd),
Callan's original handler, attends his funeral.

CHARACTERS:

Callan: In a hopeless situation, Callan firmly refuses to tell his captors anything. The KGB interrogator asks why he resists, given that they both know the end result is inevitable. Callan replies that he has to. It's not blind patriotism; he just, by nature, needs to fight. When he returns to England, he can't stop himself from visiting his own grave. The title - "That'll be the day" - is his retort to two words on the headstone: "At rest."

Hunter: Though we have seen how much he values Callan, he does not want to exchange Richmond for him. He's done the cold calculations, and he regards Richmond as more valuable. When Bishop overrules him, he issues a formal protest. After that, however, he follows his orders, and is firm in making sure Cross does the same.

Col. Hunter: Ronald Radd's "Colonel Hunter" makes his final appearance, as one of the mourners at Callan's funeral. Since we are explicitly told that only Bishop and the current Hunter are aware that Callan is alive, this indicates that it was his decision to go, I suspect to show genuine respect. The Callan/Colonel relationship was a lot more complicated than is sometimes remembered: Callan despised the colonel, but at the same time respected him (note how appalled he was when the colonel was replaced in Series Two); and the colonel never showed any real dislike for Callan and unquestionably respected him... Though given that Callan threatened his life before the opening credits of the first regular episode, it's possible that he went just to make sure.  In any event, Radd's brief appearance is a welcome nod to the series' origins.

Lonely: Loyal to Callan despite his protector's absence. He is so certain that Callan is alive that he even considers going to the police. His aunt quashes the idea, but word gets back to Hunter, who is alarmed enough to unleash Cross. Lonely may be a coward, but when Cross tries to boast that he killed Callan, he overcomes his terror to call out the lie: "You ain't up to it," he declares, fully meeting Cross's gaze despite having a gun pressed against his chin.

Cross: The latter part of Series Three saw Cross develop into more than just a Meres replacement. Cross was a True Believer, absolute in his conviction that The Section was serving a greater good. He had no problem using violence, but never showed any of Meres's sadistic tendencies, and even reacted with distress when an innocent woman was hurt as a result of an operation. I mention all this previous character development, because... Well, this episode throws it all away. The scene in which he frightens Lonely, forcing him to play a game of Russian Roulette, is probably the episode's most dramatic moment.  It's an excellent scene for Lonely... but it reduces Cross to nothing more than a cut-rate Meres, drawing pleasure from his victim's terror.

Karsky: Julian Glover is typically excellent as Callan's soft-spoken KGB interrogator. He is entirely amiable, even friendly, as he urges Callan to give up his information voluntarily before the drugs destroy him. He is the only one of his captors Callan shows any respect - though when he returns to The Section, he describes him as a man "who could be (Section interrogator) Snell's brother."

Richmond: The KGB's top man in England, basically Callan's equal-but-opposite. Actor T. P. McKenna does well with what he's given, though his role here is likely just planting the character for the series-ending Richmond File 3-parter. The episode parallels the two spies: Both are captured, both are questioned by similar interrogators, and finally they are exchanged for each other. During the exchange, both Callan and Richmond are seen drinking in their rooms, offering their surly watchers a drink. When they come face-to-face, they chat briefly but amicably, observing that they now know exactly how much their respective employers value them.

"You ain't up to it."  A terrified Lonely
refuses to believe that Cross killed Callan.

THOUGHTS:

Like many Callan episodes, That'll Be the Day's story is both simple and well-worn. Also like many Callan episodes, it succeeds by spotlighting interesting characters and creating effective atmosphere.

This is a surprisingly modern season premiere, setting up elements to be used later in the season. Bishop and Hunter discuss how Callan's role could be more important than it currently is. Karsky asks Callan specific questions about Toby Meres. Richmond is introduced. All the major threads of Series Four are established here.

Given that Callan spends most of the story imprisoned, it is critical that the episode actually demonstrates for new viewers that he is as good an agent as Hunter and Bishop say.  The final ten minutes see him at full alert. Practically the instant he is free, he demands a gun, paranoid that the KGB might try something now that they've recovered Richmond. When Cross scoffs that the Opposition always plays fair with exchanges, Callan retorts: "There is always a first time, lad, I do not want it to be me, so shut up and give a gun!" He also spots a KGB tail before Cross, and finds the tracking device that has been planted on him - a device Cross would never have found, given that he mocked Callan for even believing one was planted.

I mentioned throughout my Series Three reviews how cheap the season looked, far more so than the 1960s black-and-white episodes did. That'll Be the Day shows improved production values across the board. Hunter's office looks more like a real office and less like a studio set whose walls might fall down at any moment; exterior scenes are better shot; and even the recycled prison set used for Callan's interrogation doesn't look half-bad. Much of Series Three overcame its cheap look through good scripts and performances. Even so, the cheapness created a barrier, particularly when a given script failed to hit the mark. It's a tremendous relief to have that barrier removed, and to see the show looking decent again.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Amos Green Must Live
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3-08. Breakout.

KGB operative Lubin (Garfield Morgan) is wary of his rescuers.

Air Date: June 10, 1970. Written by: James Mitchell. Directed by: Reginald Collin. Produced by: Reginald Collin.


THE PLOT:

Nikolai Lubin (Garfield Morgan) is a KGB operative who has managed to secure a list: The names of Intelligence controllers in the east - names that, if they reach Moscow, will be immediately marked for death. Hunter sends two Section agents to pick him up, but Lubin is a step ahead of him, turning himself into the police and getting himself sent to prison - outside the grasp of Hunter's interrogators.

Hunter has a plan. Lubin will expect the KGB to try to break him out - so The Section will break him out first. Callan is put in charge of the operation.  He quickly assembles a team, including Cross and the athletic agent Mellor (Billy Cornelius). It's an operation that will require precise timing, with any mistake having the potential to leave all three agents jailed as spies.

It's a mission in which Callan has a very personal stake. Hunter reveals to him that before he turned himself in, Lubin added one more name to his list: Callan himself!

Even in prison, Lonely finds himself doing "a job" for Callan.

CHARACTERS:

Callan: Throughout the season, much has been made of Callan's age. While training for the mission, he remarks on how he's the "oldest" of the three agents, and he has substantially more difficulty getting his climbing time down to the target length than Cross does. However, his experience makes him valuable. Something the Opposition clearly recognizes, with hs inclusion on Lubin's list signaling that he's now regarded as The Section's "top man."

Hunter: Is vocal in his frustration with his agents' failure to apprehend Lubin. He has come to rely on Callan's judgment, and openly tells Callan that he cannot trust this operation to the hot-headed Cross. By this point, he seems to regard Callan as his natural second. At the end of the episode, he actually solicits Callan's evaluation of Cross's performance - something he would never have done at the start of the season.

Cross: Though he continues to take digs at Callan's age, there's a considerably friendlier tone to those remarks. Unlike in earlier episodes, there's a hint of genuine respect when he observes that Callan never gives up and always has to "prove that (he's) the greatest." He's still not above being a smug prick, mind you, as when he laughs at Callan's distaste at visiting Interrogation - laughter that Hunter swiftly cuts short by threatening to make him visit that department to "curb (his) sense of humor."

Lonely: He finally comes to trial, where Callan's efforts lead to him receiving a light sentence. Something he has to have explained to him, as his official sentence is 25 six-month terms running concurrently. He's never quite clear about how 12 1/2 years equals six months, even when a friendly guard tries patiently to explain it to him. He is clear on his feelings for spies, however, and is less than pleased when (after some maneuvering by Hunter) Lubin ends up as his cellmate, effectively giving Callan an inside man to help with the jailbreak.  "I can't do jobs... Mr. Callan, this is a nick!"

Hunter, Callan, and Cross: Three generations of spies.

THOUGHTS:

Breakout was originally intended to be the Series Three finale, and it shows. The episode concludes various arcs that have run across the season. The most obvious is Lonely's "I'm on parole" arc, which conveniently leaves him sentenced just in time to assist with the Plot of the Week. In terms of the overall series, however, the more important arc is regarding Callan's evolving place in The Section.

All season long, we've seen Cross commenting on Callan's age, with the young man clearly seeing it as a liability. Initially, Hunter was wary of Callan, but he came to respect his judgment - particularly after Callan so carefully and tactfully handled a situation involving both Cross and Liz March.  In a way, Series Three acts as a transition of sorts: The first two Hunters valued Callan only for his proficiency at killing; but in this season, as a man who has survived into middle age in a job that regularly kills younger men, he has become a capable leader.

The standalone plot is overall a good one, taut and well-paced even as it follows the standard "prison break" formula. The third Act prison break is harmed by the visible low budget that has plagued the entire season, with the prison seemingly no more than one cell, one short hallway, and a stairwell; after all the build-up of the precision required for this operation, the realization ends up bordering on the laughable.  That aside, the story works well, moving along nicely while being sturdy enough to support the more interesting character work.

Just before the episode ends, it provides one striking image.  All the top people of The Section are together, overlooking a beach: Callan, Hunter, and Cross sitting on a porch, while Liz looks out at them through a window.  It's like a family photo.  A gathering of three generations of spies.  I can't think of a better closeout to the season.  A pity that reality intervened to result in one more episode airing after it.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: God Help Your Friends
Next Episode: Amos Green Must Live



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3-07. God Help Your Friends.

Mark Tedder (Michael Jayston) and Beth Lampton (Stephanie
Beacham).A happy couple - but not for much longer...

Air Date: June 3, 1970. Written by: William Emms. Directed by: Peter Duguid. Produced by: Reginald Collin.


THE PLOT:

Beth Lampton (Stephanie Beacham) works as an interpreter and is soon to attend a NATO conference, where she will have access to classified information. She is newly engaged to Mark Tedder (Michael Jayston), a sometime journalist suspected by The Section of having ties to Moscow. Which makes their marriage Section business; if Tedder is connected to the Russians, then the marriage will give him access to the exact kind of information they don't want the Opposition to possess.

"This marriage is not on!" Hunter declares, assigning Callan and Cross to break up the happy couple. Callan finds a promising line of attack in Jeanette Valden (Rachel Herbert), Tedder's beautiful former editor who clearly retains strong feelings for him. He sends Lonely to retrieve old love letters exchanged between Tedder and Jeanette, and then delivers them to Beth, hoping to drive a wedge between the two.

"Two people want to get married, but now they don't trust each other anymore... (Now) all we do is sit back and watch the bloody poison work."

Lonely shows Callan letters "of an intimate nature."

CHARACTERS:

Callan: Is disgusted by the assignment, even snapping to Hunter that "it's not our job anyway!" He is clearly unconvinced that Tedder has sold any secrets, pointing out that they are basing their suspicions on a handful of assumptions. He and Cross continue to clash over Callan's age and Cross's inexperience: Cross thinks Callan has gone soft and is past his prime; Callan thinks Cross behaves rashly and doesn't fully analyze situations.

Hunter: Though he is emphatic about needing fast results, he cautions Cross and Callan that he doesn't want anything "untoward" done to either of their targets. He endorses their plan to try to break up the couple by playing on Tedder's past affairs; when this doesn't work, however, he lays the blame squarely on them and pushes even harder for more effective efforts.

Cross: Another way in which Cross differs from Meres in the first two seasons is that Cross is a True Believer. In A Village Called G, Cross insisted that what The Section does is important, and that he wouldn't be doing it otherwise. In this episode, when Callan presses him about the way they are planning to hurt Beth, Cross almost reflexively responds that he's "doing it for her" as much as anybody. I believe his patriotism is genuine. He isn't wrapping himself in the flag to justify violence; he's willing to do violence because he has fully bought into the idea that he's serving a greater good.

Lonely: "Mr. Callan, I'm still on parole!" Perhaps it's just because this episode is weaker than most, but I am now officially tired of this declaration. Thankfully, Russell Hunter so inhabits the character that he can't help but deliver some good bits. Mostly nonverbal ones: He grins as he reads Tedder's intimate letters.  Later, when he is nearly busted leaving the apartment, he loses his temper with Callan, throwing the flowers he's holding onto the table with Callan's model soldiers - only to immediately freeze as he realizes that he's crossed a line.

Poisoned trust: Beth and Tedder, after being on
the receiving end of The Section's worst efforts.

THOUGHTS:

God Help Your Friends has one genuinely interesting element: We never know whether Tedder is guilty of any misconduct. We're left with the same information as Callan and Cross: That a caller pressed him for information that might have to do with Beth's job or that might just have to do with his journalism work; and that he'd had been adjacent to breaches that Hunter observes "could have been him - just could have." Even at the end, we can't be certain if he was using Beth or if he was genuine in his feelings for her.

Unfortunately, the rest of the episode doesn't hit the mark. There are a couple decent scenes between Callan and Cross, and the script gets a lift from good performances by guest stars Stephanie Beacham and Michael Jayston. But it's all depressingly predictable. Ten minutes in, I knew exactly how the episode would end. Forty minutes later, I was proved right.

Also, regardless of politics or espionage... Beth and Tedder really shouldn't get married. She clearly is not as sanguine about his past affairs as she claims. He is too quick to tell "white lies" to her, and even quicker to make accusations and behave resentfully. As the episode proves, neither one of them trusts the other. Had The Section stayed out of it, I wouldn't have given their marriage more than two years. Given that our sympathies are clearly meant to lie with them - or at least with her - it undercuts emotional engagement when the viewer has so little investment in them as a couple.

In the end, God Help Your Friends is entirely watchable, but also pretty mediocre. Which makes it well below average for a series where even the weaker episodes usually have some substance to them.


Overall Rating: 4/10.

Previous Episode: Act of Kindness
Next Episode: Breakout



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3-05. Suddenly - At Home.

Callan becomes attracted to a widow (Zena Walker)
who is under surveillance by the Section.

Air Date: May 20, 1970. Written by: James Mitchell. Directed by: Piers Haggard. Produced by: Reginald Collin.


THE PLOT:

Lady Lewis (Zena Walker), the widow of the former foreign secretary, agrees to a television interview with Rene Joinville (Tony Beckley), a successful documentary director noted for his coverage of Communist leaders. This sparks worries that Joinville may successfully get her to talk about classified and sensitive aspects of her late husband's work - including plans put in place for a potential first strike against the Soviet Union.

As it turns out, there's no reason for panic. Callan easily persuades her that the interview would be a mistake, both for the country and for her children's social status. These two attractive, fortyish singles find themselves infatuated with each other, and agree to a date. Unfortunately for them, neither Hunter nor the Opposition are content to just let the matter go. Hunter assigns Cross to watch the widow. Meanwhile, the enemy wonders if there isn't another way she can be used to embarrass the West...

Cross asks Callan for help.

CHARACTERS:

Callan: He accomplishes the job with efficiency and professionalism. When it becomes clear that Lady Lewis is interested in him, however, we see a different side. It's not the first time we've seen him in a relationship - but in the past, we've seen him with younger women and clearly in full control. Here, with an intelligent woman roughly his own age, he is visibly nervous and not quite sure what to say at a given moment. I love his smile when he sees her studying one of his model soldiers with enthusiasm - happiness at not feeling embarrassed by a hobby many find silly, and pleasure at sharing it with someone whose company he enjoys.

Hunter: Congratulates Callan, and approves of the use of Lady Lewis's children as a means to dissuade her. He picks up on something in Callan's manner, however, and decides to cover his bets by assigning Cross to watch her for a while. He berates both Cross and Callan when they violate protocol in various ways... but he seems more inclined to allow Callan slack, in deference to his skills and experience, than he does Cross.

Cross: I almost feel sorry for him in this episode. First, he gets chewed out by Hunter when he follows procedure and goes to ground following an incident. After that, he violates procedure to ask Callan for help... and ends up getting chewed out a second time. Adding insult to injury, this is one episode where the worst Cross is guilty of is some sloppy work, when he's lazy in fully checking a room and ends up on the wrong end of a gun for his sloppiness.

Lonely: Protests when Callan offers him a job, stating once again that he's out on parole. When Callan reminds him that there are jobs that don't get you arrested, he becomes even more outraged: "You mean WORK?" He is surprisingly sensitive to Callan's emotional state, tentatively observing that Lady Lewis is "real class." We again see that Callan may often himself be abusive toward Lonely, but that he's fierce in defending him to others. In front of Cross, he insists that Lonely does good work, and even refers to him as "a genius."

Lady Lewis: When Callan comes to her to dissuade her from doing the interview, she does not react with the anger or outrage we've seen from people in previous seasons. She comprehends that he's doing a job he's been assigned; her husband's work left her with an understanding of such matters. It's clear that she finds him attractive, and she is delighted to pick up on his model soldier hobby. As soon as he leaves, she calls her brother, a fellow collector, to ask for a book on the subject so that she'll be able to talk with Callan about it - a nice little beat that helps to sell the attraction and budding relationship.

Lonely admires one of Callan's miniatures.

THOUGHTS:

The first half of Suddenly - At Home feels a bit "Callan-by-numbers," with The Section overreacting to the prospect of a widow conducting a television interview. When Callan and Lady Lewis became involved, and then Cross was assigned to continue watching her, I braced myself for a retread of the formula that was well-used in The Most Promising Girl of Her Year (and not so well used in The Little Bits and Pieces of Love).

Then, around the halfway mark, the episode took a turn that I hadn't expected.  Not one that's too unpredictable in retrospect, but I didn't see it coming. From that point on, the episode kicks into gear, the plot gathering some real energy.

There are some unusually sloppy moments in this episode. Cross is implausibly inept at searching a room (rookie policemen are better trained), and an attempt to lampshade this with a line about him being "new at this" doesn't make it more credible. Also, Act One ends with Callan confronting Cross... a scene that is never referenced for the entire rest of the episode.  The bit plays very much like it was inserted to keep viewers from switching over during the commercial break, and the rest of the episode actually makes more sense without it.

The real saving grace here is the character work. Series creator James Mitchell knows his characters, and portrays them well. In the midst of an unremarkable plot, the real interest lies in seeing new sides to Callan and Cross, observing sharp interactions between Callan and Lonely, and receiving some well-judged reminders that the fourth Hunter might be both the smartest and most cold-blooded of any of the men to sit in that chair.

Overall, Suddenly - At Home is a decent installment, given a lift by the character scenes.  It's just a shame about those moments of sloppiness, which I find myself not fully able to forgive in assigning my final score.


Overall Rating: 6/10.

Previous Episode: A Village Called 'G'
Next Episode: Act of Kindness



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3-04. A Village Called 'G.'

Liz March (Lisa Langdon), Hunter's
secretary, pursues a personal vendetta.

Air Date: May 13, 1970. Written by: James Mitchell. Directed by: Mike Vardy. Produced by: Reginald Collin.


THE PLOT:

The Section is put on alert after Liz, Hunter's secretary who has never missed a day of work, fails to appear. When Callan and Cross don't find her at her apartment, Hunter worries that she may have been kidnapped by the opposition. "That girl's a walking memory bank," he observes.

As Callan continues to investigate, he learns that Liz was originally from Poland, and as a child survived when her village was wiped out by the Nazis. In the weeks leading up to her disappearance, Liz had processed an identification of a psychiatrist, Sabovski (Joseph Furst), as Kleist, the officer responsible for the atrocity. After The Section declined to take action, Liz began receiving shooting lessons from Judd (Harry Towb), the group's armorer.

The signs are clear. With The Section refusing to act, Liz has taken matters into her own hands!

Callan threatens Judd (Harry Towb) when he learns
he's been giving Liz private shooting lessons.

CHARACTERS:

Callan: Becomes instantly wary when he receives a "Charlie wants to see you" call that isn't from Liz, a reaction which speaks more strongly to Liz's perfect attendance than anything Hunter might say. He is highly protective of her, and he is not at all subtle in threatening Judd when he learns about the private shooting lessons. He shares a good scene with Hunter at the end, the two men agreeing that The Section needs both Liz and Cross to function properly.

Hunter: It's clear he values Liz, but he is prepared for the worst.  He carefully words his instructions to Callan and Cross - "It would be best if you brought her back unhurt" - in a way that makes clear that, if she has been taken and cannot be recovered, they are authorized to kill her. At the shooting range, he demonstrates that he is not just a capable paper pusher, as he takes a turn and matches Callan's result: Three perfect bullseyes.

Cross: Has been sleeping with Liz, for which Callan rakes him over the coals.  Not only is it poor judgment and a violation of Section protocol - Cross was stupid enough to lie to Hunter about it! At one point in the episode, Callan talks about how Liz has nursed this grudge for 25 years... only to be caught up short by the realization that the same span is the majority of Cross's life. For a heartbeat, Callan seems genuinely surprised at remembering how young Cross is, and he behaves more tolerantly toward him after that - though that tolerance proves temporary.

Liz March: This episode shines a rare spotlight on Liz, who emerged from a voice on the phone in Series One to become a reliable background character throughout Series Two. We learn not only her backstory, but also much about her current life. She lives alone, with no family or attachments beyond short-term boyfriends. She reads, and her flat is full of books in multiple languages, all of which she is fluent in. She's focused and determined in her personal mission, and Judd observes that she showed rapid progress in her shooting lessons - though shooting a man is ultimately very different than shooting a paper target.

Callan and Cross find evidence about Liz's private mission.

THOUGHTS:

A Village Called 'G' is by Callan creator James Mitchell, whose sharp eye for his characters shows throughout. He immediately puts Liz at the center of the episode by her absence. Actress Lisa Langdon barely even appears in the first half, but everything comes back to her, and in turn to the ways in which she is surprisingly very like Callan.

The first image is of her empty desk, followed by Hunter's reaction to her absence. A few lines of dialogue tell us about her lonely life - which isn't particularly different than Callan's own. We are told that Liz owns many books, indicating that she spends most of her free time reading alone. Callan is introduced here on his day off... which he spends alone, reading a book. Hunter and Callan discuss how Liz has no one in her life aside from The Section. Callan's only consistent acquaintance outside The Section is Lonely, and their main association is to work on Section business. Judd even talks about how quick a study Liz is with a gun.

The plot kicks into gear in its opening scene, and every scene thereafter furthers the story, making this easily the best-paced episode thus far this season. The plot involving the former Nazi is stock stuff, but it isn't the real focus here: The villain exists to give Liz a reason to go rogue, allowing the episode to happen and allowing us a closer look at Liz as a character. At the same time, we get strong character scenes for all of the regulars, all wrapped up with an effective ending.


Overall Rating: 9/10. My favorite episode of Series Three thus far.

Previous Episode: The Same Trick Twice
Next Episode: Suddenly - At Home



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