Comments from The I Spy Forum continued
I enjoyed the banter in the locked room, especially when Russ says they will "Maybe get shot" and Scotty comes back immediately with "And then what?" This is the first real chance for Scotty to shine as a technician, his knowledge of chemistry and quick mind in making the bomb, and the cigarette fuse. It only worked however, because the Chinese agent made it very clear that he was giving them "Exactly 15 minutes", a precision for which he would be sorry.
In the old days, watching a suspense movie or tv show, it was not uncommon to see a cigarette used as a vital plot device, as was twice the case in this episode. Back in the days when smoking was a nearly universal habit, this was a common happening. But now, I don`t recall the most recent use of a cigarette in a movie or TV show as a plot device. Times have changed.
You get the first inkling that Russ may be a traitor after all, when he objects to using the prototype to pry open the box. It`s the first hint that he may be interested in it for it`s financial rewards.
And like SAM, I wondered why the cab driver just blithely accepted the fact that his passenger was carrying a gun.
The only two issues I have with the episode is #1, Scotty's leg wound sure did heal fast! But more important, you never really got to know the motivation behind Russ's treason. After years of loyal service, even teaching at the training school, why did he suddenly decide to go for the money? We are not told. In this episode, because it came first, it worked well. But in Time of the Knife, they basically rehashed the whole plotline - Kelly's old buddy is a traitor, a sellout for money.
Author: Tatia Loring
Date: 6/26/01 5:45:18 AM
In Cup of Kindness ... Culp & Cosby have started their splendid "blendship" - they are in fine form ... Culp definitely displays his strength as a actor in this episode - the way he handles the details and finely tuned nuances - his evocative reactions to events - displayed with the slightest of changes in his body language or facial expression ... (this is so much more vivid on the DVD) ... and his easy flow from comedy to the dramatic ... absolutely seamless ...
... and Cosby has now become more of an equal partner - handling himself with much more style and panache than in "Affair in T`Sein Cha" ...
... and Friedkin was really good!! ... he handled his role with quiet depth and serious coolness ... and his demeanor when discussing being broken by the enemy made him totally believable ... you "were" surprised that he truly was a traitor - by his chilling betrayal at the end -
(An interesting note .... Friedkin and Fine wrote "Cup of Kindness" but it was directed by Leo Penn - Sean`s dad ... who also made an appearance in front of the cameras himself in "A Room With A Rack" as Kelly`s "head" doctor.)
Cup of Kindness features my all time favorite locked room scene - (which was paid homage on the Cosby reunion show) - the codfish bomb locked room ... this one was the perfect mix of comedy and drama - and yes, SAM - the camera following their voices - though the actors remained unseen - what a neat device!!
... and from what I could see, that certainly looked like Culp up there on the rafters showing off his athletic prowesss (at least some of the time) - you could clearly see it was him ...
 A BRIMMING CUP OF KINDNESS
By DEBORAH YOUNG-GROVES
How well do you really KNOW another person? How far would you be willing to go, and how many friends would you risk, for old times sake? For someone YOU owed? Questions that pertain to us all.
This is the premise of "A CUP OF KINDNESS", probably my favorite episode Robert Culp DIDN'T write! It struck me intensely at every level, visually, emotionally, musically.
David Friedkin, who has cameoed in many I SPY episodes does a stunning turn here, as Russ, the central protagonist. He also co-won an Emmy for his writing of this piece.
This episode was only the second broadcast (airdate September 22, 1965), but shows clearly the rapport already established by Kelly and Scotty. It begins sharply with that jazzy 'flip' trumpet theme that Earle Hagen used so often for Scotty. The two men are returning to their room after a tennis match, chatting merrily.
But quickly they revert back to agents when they note Russ's shoes under the curtain. It is an excellent teaser - one has no idea who he is.
A Cup of Kindness glides effortlessly from lightheartedness to darkness- from comedy to pathos. It is probably the most perfect example of the light/dark style I SPY ever exhibited. We are relieved to see who Russ really is, then are warned by the music as Kelly begins to decipher Russ's coded note.
What it states hits him with appalling force. But he recovers quickly, and with a spare curt gesture, hands the note to Scotty, who has immediately sensed a problem. Russ's natural curiosity about the 'new' assignment prompts him to repeatedly question Kelly about it, until finally Kelly responds jocularly. His comment is jarring, as it does not answer Russ, but it WORKS.
Culp is in perfect form in this episode: note how his smiling face tightens imperceptibly as he watches Russ leave the room. In the first scene on Victoria Peak he gives the slightest twitch in reaction to Russ's statement about becoming corrupt. All his reactions are nuanced, but laden with portent … his downcast eyes when he cannot kill his friend.
How sinister he suddenly can become. Note how he leans slowly back on the bed in act 2 and says gravel-voiced: 'So far, you haven't saved your life.'
Cosby is also flawless, playing alternatively sceptical/clever/compassionate. All he has to do is "glance" correctly at Kelly and we grasp he has implicitly agreed to help Russ. Play that off with the scene when he reaches behind him and feels the gun barrel - then lapses into Cantonese.
There are only a few tiny flaws - it is around 2 pm during the 'break-in' scene - BUT, note in the locked-room Scotty looks at his watch and states 'It's twenty of eleven, now,' THEN, just after that, the camera lingers on someone's wristwatch and again it is 2 pm! I also did wonder how the taxi driver reacted to the gun scene; it is never addressed.
I think the fireworks scene was a trifle overdone. BUT I could not see a stunt double in the fight scenes, and I enjoyed the varied athletic display by Culp, swinging from lights and throwing hammers.
The locked room sequence remains a classic: the emotions flowing seamlessly from amusing, then sarcastic, to downright bleak. There is the innovative use of the prototype, the camera panning from voice to voice instead of face to face (something I noticed aged 13).
The dialogue is as smart as the action - rapier repartee made me wonder how much was improvised. I loved Kelly's now-famous line "Is there no limit to the wonderfulness of your mind?"
But the BEST scene is the second last, overlaid with Hagen's sour rendition of Auld Lang Syne on Victoria Peak. Kelly's face, torn from rage to betrayal to disillusionment keeps that in my top three endings of the whole series. I have never heard an "I'M SORRY" rendered in such a heartfelt manner. His expression as he apologizes to Scotty establishes forever, that they are brothers.
Mainly because of this series I went to Asia and stood on so many of the same spots where this episode was filmed. It was 12 years later: it looked the same. To have it rendered so vividly on DVD imbues it with that much more poignancy.
|