What is it? Mission: Impossible, Complete Series, 171 episodes on 46 discs from Paramount Home Video
When? Now
How much? $117.99
Isn't that a movie series with Tom Cruise? Yes. But first it was a very popular TV show, 1966-73.
What makes the mission so impossible? Well, there are a lot of missions, actually, and they're not necessarily impossible but definitely sensitive, tricky and dangerous.
During the Cold War, thorny international problems and threats to national security come up all the time. Who best to handle them with a minimum of muss, fuss and publicity? The Impossible Missions Force, of course.
In almost every episode, the group leader (Dan Briggs, played by Steven Hill, in Season 1 and Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, after that) gets an assignment, usually via self-destructing audio tape. If he decides to accept it -- and he always does -- then he assembles his team of specialists, formulates a plan and off they go.
There is a regular team: master of disguise Rollin Hand (Martin Landau), gadget genius Barney Collier (Greg Morris), muscle man Willy Armitage (Peter Lupus) and femme fatale Cinnamon Carter (Barbara Bain). There are occasional additions and substitutions of other specialists, and midseries cast changes bring in a revolving door of other agents played by Sam Elliott, Leonard Nimoy, Lesley Ann Warren and Lynda Day George.
The mission might involve rescuing prisoners, stealing nuclear weapons, foiling Nazis or thwarting drug dealers. Other than a "no assassinations" rule, they're given free rein in the methods they use, but they don't get violent unless it's absolutely necessary, and there's not a lot of gun play. Instead, they rely on their wits and set up elaborate cons to trap their quarry. Usually that means setting the bad guy up to get killed by his own confederates.
It's dangerous work and they'd better not get caught because if they do, the government will deny any knowledge of them or their actions.
How is it? It's formulaic, no doubt about that, but that doesn't mean it's not entertaining. The best episodes can be found in the first three years, before Bain and Landau left and the show's quality (and ratings) began to drop. But there are still some decent episodes later on.
As for the missions themselves, they tend to be complicated and elaborate. The plan is usually kept a secret from the audience to keep suspense high, and viewers have to pay close attention because there's not a lot of spoon-feeding. Just when you think it's about the fall apart, you find out, no, that was the plan all along! It's best not to think about it too much though because, yes, it can be ridiculous.
Also, this is a series that doesn't delve into the characters' private lives, so if you love to follow the characters home, meet their families, learn what makes them tick, this would be disappointing.
But if you're willing to watch with an open mind, it's a smart, suspenseful, funny, stylish and very entertaining piece of TV history.
What about extras? None.
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Style on 11/08/2015