After-action report

Well, we have finished a dozen or so Mission: Impossible episodes now.  What a show.  I just wasn't prepared for how good these would be.  At its best Mission: Impossible looked like a million and ran like a Swiss watch.

Here are the ten we liked best, with a few notes:

We decided to pause after Season 3 because after that  the focus shifted away from the Cold War to fighting organized crime in the U.S.  Landau and Bain left the show, and there's general agreement that (with some exceptions, e.g., "The Submarine") the writing went downhill as well.

A few concluding observations:

• I doubted that Season 1 with Steven Hill playing team leader Dan Briggs could match the "classic" Graves episodes.  But Hill does a great job, his episodes are absolutely up to snuff.  
• One of our viewers notes that the team members seem more human in Season 1. Later on they became cooler and more professional, apparently on Geller's orders.
• If you want one more from Season 1, try "Odds on Evil", in which Rollin cheats at cards to prevent an arms deal.

• It's very hard to distinguish quality among these ten episodes. However, I'm going to try.
• If I had to pick one episode to represent the first three seasons, I'd choose "The Mind of Stefan Miklos".  It has everything. 
• I am not alone in this.
• I would give "The Execution" a special rating of OMG.
• Also extra-superb are: "Memory", "The Seal", and "The Cardinal".

• Special awards:
• Most attractive person in a towel -  Barbara Bain in "Pilot"
• Most satisfying Team Lead moment - Briggs punching Rogosh in "Operation Rogosh"
• Most menacing enemy - The suffocating nun in "The Cardinal"
• Most memorable guest star performance - Steve Ihnat - a.k.a. Garth of Izar - in "The Mind of Stefan Miklos".  It is just as Mr. Phelps says:  no weaknesses, no flaws.  
• Honorable Mention:  Albert Paulsen in "Memory", one of the few guests who really carried an episode.  Paulsen even smuggles in a little character development.
• Honorable Mention:  Darren McGavin's fluent but overconfident tycoon in "The Seal"
• Honorable Mention:  Ed Asner delivers big time in "The Mind of Stefan Miklos"
• Best getaway - "The Heir Apparent"
• Honorable Mention:  "The Seal"
• Best Rollin Hand disguise - "The Cardinal"
• Now THAT's acting award -
• Gold:  Landau in "The Execution"
• Silver:  Bain in "The Exchange"
• Bronze:  Landau playing two enemy agents in "The Mind of Stefan Miklos"

And finally, kudos to the estimable Bruce Geller, who created the show. The man knew exactly what he wanted, and he got it.  You can watch it 50 years later, and it's still damn near perfect.  Respect.