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I Spy Season 1
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S. J. Dicontinued
I have a number of favorite scenes in this episode, and many of these can be attributed not only to the script and the acting, but also the solid directing of Leo Penn. For example, this episode has one of the greatest chase scenes of the entire series. The guys are running on rooftops, up hills, and through people's backyards just to escape Tsung's men. It is a natural, free-flowing chase. Culp falls or stumbles, Cosby picks him up. And just look at Cos--when he first gets up on that roof, man, he looks like he's going to charge like a bull after a red blanket. No surprise, really, considering that he went to college on a football scholarship. Anyway, the scene wasn't labored, it just happened, which is refreshing to see. And the ensuing gunfight is equally spectacular--a bunch of villagers stare and point when S&K stop to catch their breath (Culp looks like he wishes he had never started smoking), so Scotty tells them, in Chinese, that he and Kelly are doing a gangster movie and if they look around, they'll see the bad guys coming. Ingenious! But where are the cameras? So, as Scott and Kelly kill the bad guys, the villagers applaud! Hey, they even help the bad guys find Scott and Kelly! And speaking of this scene, I love the way Scotty shoots off his gun, and then plays dead, all a matter of fooling Tsung's men into thinking that one of them shot him. That leaves Kelly to finish them off. Brilliant. The other scenes that get me are just about all of the ones with Elroy, two in particular. First of all, when Elroy arrives at his hotel and has just caught up with Scotty and met Kelly, he invites them to spend some time with him that night. At that point, one of Tsung's men (a bodyguard, I believe) steps up and says, "Mr. Brown, I--" and Elroy cuts him off and barks at him, "Hey, back off, Charlie! What you want, a rap in the mouth? Now step to the rear." I can remember thinking, "Wow." I mean, this script really packs a punch. Also, at the very end, when Elroy is standing at the podium in the conference room, almost falling on his face, sick, sweaty, barely able to speak, having admitted to selling out his country for money and exposing Tsung as a fraud, he mumbles, "So you have your games. They're gonna be great, I know. But you do it yourself. Right now, I just wanna go home." The camera gets a close-up shot of an Asian woman crying. That scene is just amazing to watch, because of the acting, the music, the scenery and lighting, everything.
There are a few great lines as well in this episode. For example, after Scotty tells his superior, Mr. Laswell, about his first meeting with Elroy in Japan, Laswell says, "You disliked him intensely?" to which Scotty replies, "No, I enjoy being made to feel stupid while I'm pleading for my country. Gives me a glow all over. Now, what's the assignment? You want his head on a platter? I think I can arrange that." Also, when Kelly and Scotty are lecturing Elroy to death about selling out his country--thus establishing themselves as the preachiest spies ever--Scotty says to Elroy, "The whole world is trying to keep bloody fools like you from sellin' themselves back into slavery. But you did it, Elroy. You have to laugh at that." Powerful, indeed!

And lastly, the acting in this episode. Let me tell you, the cast is just great here. Okay, Richard Loo (as Mr. Tsung) stumbles over a couple of his words, but he has that sinister look down cold. Cicely Tyson as Princess Amara imparts a sweet, gentle, loving quality, a welcome balance to the bitter chaos of this episode. I love the accent she puts on as well. Ivan Dixon as Elroy Brown absolutely steals the show. He plays all sides of Elroy to perfection, from nasty egotist to vulnerable runaway slave. And what about our own guys? Hey, NBC could have laid its fears about Cosby's acting abilities to rest. As with most episodes of I SPY, Cosby gives his character this wise, street-smart, down-to-earth feel that is a fresh approach to the TV spy genre. In the aforementioned "lecture" scene, I get the impression that Cosby is not just acting--I think he really believes in what he is saying. The great thing about some of Culps' early scripts is that they gave Cosby a chance to explore his abilities as an actor. Since Culp was Cosby's mentor, I see these scripts as a test, an exercise to put what Cosby has learned into practice. Funny thing is that Culp himself, though great as usual, has a certain sterility to him. I don't get that feeling often from Culp; just in a couple of the early episodes. It's probably due to the fact that both Culp and Cos needed to grow into their roles in order for the series to attain the casualness that it eventually achieved.
Special mention in the acting category goes to Rickey Der, who plays Mickey, a cute little boy that Scotty hired to help out on the mission. Mickey has the spy's spirit in his blood, and Der pulls it off incredibly.
What was wrong with this episode? Not much. Basically the only thing that's missing is Kelly's womanizing. Well, one other thing, actually....I've watched this episode a million times and never once did I hear Kelly's first name! So until the second episode of the series, it was Alexander Scott and Mr. Robinson! Still, this was a great series premiere. Were there any episodes that would have done the job better? Maybe, but probably not. Let's look at the other Hong Kong/China episodes. "Affair In T'Sien-Cha" is indeed the first episode that was filmed, but it isn't first-rate material--adequately entertaining, though--and Culp and Cos don't have that chemistry just yet. Cos might as well not be there, actually, as his part in the episode is so insignificant. "A Cup Of Kindness" was great, but it helps to have been at least introduced to the characters before seeing it. "The Loser" is way too personal and intense for a series premiere--conversely, "Chrysanthemum" is way too silly (although I, unlike many other I SPY fans, actually enjoyed it). "Danny Was A Million Laughs"? Please. "Dragon's Teeth" is excellent, but it deals with Kelly's past and the endangerment of our boys' lives. Since most people have to get to know and care about characters before appreciating a story such as that one (I personally do not fall into this category), it would not have been an appropriate series premiere. "Carry Me Back To Old Tsing Tao" would have been the only other episode I would have chosen as a series premiere. It was the first episode I saw, and it hooked me immediately. It did the same for at least two other I SPY experts as well! It has a creative storyline, great dialogue, and a fight scene that looks so choreographed it's actually masterful! Though it was a great episode, it was a little silly, and that might just have made the big guys choose a more serious episode instead. So, to "So Long Patrick Henry" and the I SPY series in general, I say, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!!!
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