Eisengeiste: Mission: Impossible - clips from "The Execution"

The Execution
Season 3, Ep. 5

Oh, man.

This one is unusual for two reasons. First, unlike most early episodes, this is not in Ruritania - the action is in the U.S. Second, this is an episode where the visual narrative power is not there just to impress you, but to confront you with a modern day horror, in explicit detail.

"The man you're looking at is Lewis Parma who by extortion, kidnapping and murder is coming close to taking control of the food distribution industry for the entire United States. Using his control of food prices as leverage, Parma is now moving towards positions of power in other important areas of business, labour and government."

The authorities can't touch Parma, because no one will turn on him - every attempt to prosecute his people has been defeated. The IM Force will have to find someone who can incriminate Parma, and persuade him to do so.

Step #1 is to make Parma so mad that he makes a mistake. Jim Phelps, a simple fruit salesman who refuses to join Parma's Co-Op, manages to do this quite easily. After a little protection racket shakedown, Phelps storms into Parma's office, slaps him around, and empties his wallet:

"You owe me $1800 for damages and destroyed stock. I'm here to collect it."

After Phelps leaves, Parma's lieutenants arrive to find their boss nonplussed. "I want him dead and I mean now!" he explains.

Step #2 is to not die when the hit man arrives. Parma waves in his best guy, who assembles a rocket grenade from spare parts (the IM Force, noting the bill of sale from the store, had correctly inferred that this was his plan)...

...then launches it into the home of Jim Phelps and his lovely wife Cinnamon, not knowing he is shooting at a projected image:

Good night, Gracie

After the enormous kaboom he is startled to see a police car pull into the alley cutting off his escape. Officers Rollin and Barney pursue him, he dives into a doorway where he meets Willy, who chokes him out. When he comes to, he's in jail. Not just any jail - the IMF is doing their local production of "Death Row Meets The Big Store".

Just to fuck with him, all the faces are familiar - the guy in the next cell looks like a cop, the guard looks like a cop, the other guard looks like the guy who choked him, the Warden looks like the guy he was supposed to kill, his lawyer - who says no one is buying his amnesia story - looks like the victim's wife. His lawyer also mentions that the two year appeals process is exhausted, and no clemency will be forthcoming from the governor unless he gives up Parma.

Then they come in to prep Rollin for his gassing.

- Wait a minute, what are you doing?

- Leave it, Joey. It's okay.

- Why?

- It's necessary, Joey.

- What What for?

That's so... That's so they'll know when my heart stops, huh? So they'll know when I'm dead.

Now Landau just takes over the episode. He starts screaming at the hit man:

Why don't they kill you first? Why don't they kill you first, huh? I killed by accident, but you did it for money. You did it for money. Kill him first, not me!

Lawyer Cinnamon drops by to apologize, and tells the hit man that his last appeal has failed. When he says he can't remember the trial she says - if that's true - she feels truly sorry for him, but adds that she never knows if she can believe him or not.

Meanwhile, over in the other cell, Warden Phelps has dropped by with an update for Joey:

Joseph Francis Truitt, I hold here an order for you to be put to death in the lethal gas chamber of this state on this date and at this time for the murder of one, Mary Truitt, a human being.

It is now my duty to carry out that order.

- Let's go.
- No! No! Help me! Help. Please, no! No! Help me! Help me! Help me! Help me!

At this point our eyes are the size of silver dollars. Landau is not "acting", he is crushing this. This is as close to Death Row as I ever want to get, and it's too fucking close.

The hit man can see, reflected on the clock on the wall, as they strap Rollin/Joey down.

When they're done they hose out the execution chamber.

Now it's our hit man's turn.

From his cell he can see the preparations underway. Preparing the cyanide capsules that will be dissolved in sulphuric acid after the chamber is sealed:

And here is EXACTLY what that looks like, still enjoying the show?

Pouring the acid...

Now Warden Jim is in his cell:

Victor Pietro Duchell, I hold here an order for you to be put to death in the lethal gas chamber of this state on this date and at this time for the murders of Lucien and Ellen Morgan, two human beings.

I also hold here an order of executive clemency signed by the governor, ordering a stay of execution on the condition that you offer proof of your willingness to provide evidence that can be used in the prosecution for numerous capital offences of one Lewis George Parma.

Are you willing to do this at this time?

- No. Parma won't let me die. You'll see.

Parma has been frantically trying to find his man, but it's tough to find hit men who have been kidnapped by extrajudicial mischief squads. Meanwhile, the execution is going well. They attach the heart thingy to his chest, take him to the chamber, strap him in, attach the heart thingy to the doctor's stethoscope...

...and seal the door

You are right there:

The sulphuric acid trickles into the container in the floor, and they start to lower the cyanide...

And lower the shades please, because - you know - respect the prisoner's dignity.

Since his execution, Rollin Hand has been on the phone to Parma, imitating the hit man's voice, telling him to meet him at a warehouse uptown. When he breaks in Parma hears the hitman giving him up over the loudspeakers: