Mission: Impossible - clips from "The Cardinal"

The Cardinal
Season 3, Ep. 6

Good morning, Mr. Phelps. The man you're looking at is General Casimir Zepke, who is plotting to make himself a dictator. Only one man stands between Zepke and absolute power - Stanislaus Cardinal Souchek, whose influence with the people has kept his country free. We have learned that Zepke imprisoned the Cardinal six weeks ago when he entered Zolnar Monastery for his annual retreat. Zepke intends to replace him with an exact double who will politically endorse Zepke, guaranteeing his final seizure of power. Your mission, Jim, should you decide to accept it, is to save Cardinal Souchek and stop Zepke. As always, should you or any of your IM Force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim.

I want to dispel this rumor that you are all pawns in my little game

It's a good plan.  They use mosquitoes loaded with an unnamed pathogen to infect Fake Cardinal Souchek on the day of the big speech he's supposed to give in support of Zepke.

Say hello to my little friends

It's then a simple matter to intercept the call to the hospital and report to Zepke that an epidemic of bubonic plague has broken out and that no doctors are available to send out to the monastery where the sick Fake Cardinal Souchek lies (and the Real Cardinal Souchek is imprisoned in an adjacent room).

Soon Doctor Phelps and Nurse Cinnamon roll up to the facility with a flat tire and request use of the phone so they can get to the hospital to help all the non-existent plague-infected children in the city.  They are drafted into service, and ordered to get Fake Cardinal Souchek back on his feet in time for the big speech.  This will be difficult, because Fake Cardinal Souchek is tripping hard, as the distorted lens shots will attest:

"Looks like a bad case of Don't-Fuck-With-the-IMF-itis."

Zepke has replaced all the religious staff at the monastery with his people, which is illustrated with numerous shots of fake friars and nuns sneaking a smoke:

That's no nun, that's Major Felder 

Nice show piece you got there, Major

Meanwhile, after a successful infiltration of Real Cardinal Souchek's cell, the IMF succeeds in creating a second Fake Cardinal Souchek.

Let me introduce myself myself

Rollin Hand as Fake Cardinal Souchek #2 sits in the chair that can be observed through the one-way mirror so it looks like nothing is amiss.  Meanwhile Dr. Phelps and Nurse Cinnamon have set up the oxygen tent over Fake Cardinal Souchek #1's sick bed, which mists up, and Barnie and Willy silently pull a couple of blocks out of the wall so that Fake Cardinal Souchek #1 can be replaced with Real Cardinal Souchek.  All clear?  This is all happening right in front of the mark.

Don't try any funny stuff...

The crisis appears to have passed.  The oxygen tent is removed, Dr. Phelps pronounces the patient ready to perform.  Real Cardinal Souchek, now pretending to be Fake Cardinal Souchek #1 attests that he is feeling much better now.  Now for a quick review of our content before the big press conference:

"I know exactly what to say."

So, out to the balcony, where the press are waiting.  Barney and Willy pose as reporters, but the Real Cardinal Souchek doesn't need a lot of prompting to express his opinion of Casimir Zepke:

"Monstrous liar...traitor...murderer..."

He then steps into a limo and is whisked away.  Meanwhile Major Nun has found Fake Cardinal Souchek#1 tied to a chair and rushes out to advise Zepke that the man he thinks is Fake Cardinal Souchek is really Real Cardinal Souchek:

Man, LA's beautiful, isn't it? 

Too late, Real Cardinal Souchek is rolling, the reporters are filing their reports, and as Major Felder watches the limo disappear, Casimir Zepke (played by the estimable Theodore Bikel) stares into a future that can only hold shame, dishonor, ignominy, disgrace.

And the Emmy for Best Mission: Impossible reaction shot goes to...

Thanks to the Impossible Missions Force, the freedom-loving people of this nameless country have narrowly averted the yoke of dictatorship, and the independence and integrity of their religious leadership has been restored.