Any fans of the classic
Mission: Impossible? I'm currently going through the episodes - when time permits - going back and forth on the seasons, as well as back and forth with the 1988 series.
I remember when the 1988 series premiered in 1988. I felt it was kinda cool to have a piece of history be on television during my lifetime. (Mind you, this was during the time of
War of the Worlds, and
TNG - when it still held my interest). Too, this was even before 'Batmania.'
I'm finding myself humming 'The Plot' even when I'm walking from the supermarket. (Note: 'The Plot' is the theme that plays in every single episode of the classic episodes and the remake when the crew are going through pipes or underground areas to setup 'stuff').
Thanks to Netflix (or even Youtube) I go back on some episodes to see what I missed.
(Note: There is a story about Lucille Ball - who produced the show under her company, Desilu - how she couldn't understand the program initially. It wasn't until after she actually sat down to watch an episode in it's entirety that she got the gist of the what the show's purpose was).
Like
Star Trek, I
think - if memory serves -
Mission: Impossible was in reruns on KTLA, Channel 5 in the early 80s. I personally never understood it, being young at the time...but it stayed with me over the years.
I did see the first Tom Cruise adaptation - it was ooookay - and I only saw the 4th one because Brad Bird directed it. (It was also okaay. Paula Patton was hot). However, since I want to always get inspiration for my own stories, I thought I might go ahead and watch them
While studying in Singapore about 3 years ago, I watched the first two seasons, but currently I coming back to all of the episodes - due to distracted when I watched them initially - and really appreciating some of the acting and writing that goes into the episodes. (I mean, there is some
really smart writing in many of those episodes).
Since the show was produced by Desilu, of course that was possibly a reason there were so many
Trek performers. However, I also noticed there were a lot of performers I saw on
Twilight Zone,
The Outer Limits, etc...And, the range on a lot of these performers is pretty amazing. In one episode, a performer might be made up one way as a 'hero' or benevolent individual...in another episode, that same performer may be made up as a villainous individual.
Another sidenote:
As I mentioned in another post, William Shatner - for me - is noticeably short on range. Nimoy is short on range as well, but is helped by his co-stars.
I like Steven Hill's Dan Briggs, but I am used to Peter Graves' Jim Phelps. He adds a big brother/father figure to the team, the big brains. (If you notice, he always replies to team questions by using their first name during mission briefings. He doesn't necessarily do that in the 1988 series).
While I appreciate Barbara Bain and Martin Landau, I actually prefer the later seasons with Paris (Leonard Nimoy), Doug (Sam Elliott), Lisa Casey (Lynda Day George), Dana (Lesley Ann Warren)...as well as the regulars, Jim, Barney and Willy.
Third sidenote:
I'm a big Mimi Davis fan, the character portrayed by Barbara Anderson in the 7th season. So, her episodes are some of my favorites.
Fourth sidenote: I've noticed, especially in regards to Greg Morris: He tends to always cock his head before he speaks, during mission briefings.
In addition to the Barbara Anderson episodes, I do find the 1st season episode 'The Frame' one of my faves as well. It's a very tense episode taking place during a mob meeting that features Simon Oakland, Joe Maross, and 'the actor that played Lt. D'Amato' in the Trek episode "That Which Survives." 'The actor' portrays a noob in this episode, and as the viewer, I was hoping he would mess things up for the IMF (Impossible Missions Force).
Some episodes weren't perfect, since there were some plot conveniences that weren't really explained. Or, there may be some episodes that may not be racially sensitive....(e.g. "Butterfly" which has Leonard Nimoy going yellowface, the Asian men villains, and the Asian women in love with white men...and with dialogue straight from a Charlie Chan film). To tell you the truth, "Butterfly" is actually the only episode that I found offensive.
As the seasons progressed, Barney Collier became more of a leader when Phelps wasn't present, and Barney had a lot more to do. On the other hand, Willy - who had minimal dialogue in early seasons - had his part grow a bit in later seasons, but was still primarily 'the muscle' of the group.
Now, how about that classic theme? On my Netflix, the next episode usually starts up if I don't pause it. Even if it is an episode I've seen, I still let the music play....just so I can hear that theme.
However, I have to say I didn't really like the 'change' to the theme after the 5th(?) season. (Interestingly, it's almost as if the theme - like the lingo, and the clothes, and the hairstyles, etc. - was signifying the change from the 60s to the 70s).
As for the 1988 series: I thought it was cool Phil Morris was cast as his father's onscreen son. And, I thought it was interesting to see an IMF character get killed off; one of the 'women' of the show. (We always saw 'close shaves' previously, but the team always managed to get by).
Something else, I thought was interesting: John De Lancie was actually the first villain to show up in the series. (Trek and Mission: Impossible really go together! Barbara Luna, who showed up in one of the classic M:I episodes, would also show up one of the 1988 series episodes).
Of course, I would have liked to have seen Barbara Anderson return - She actually returned in a television movie 'The Return of Ironside' around the same time - seeing a more mature Lisa Casey (portrayed by Lynda Day George) was cool too. Indeed, Barney Collier shows up in three episodes...(and would also show up as a possessed military base commander in a
War of the Worlds episode).
I've rambled enough.
Looking to get some thoughts on the classic series, the 1988 series, and even thoughts on the movies.
Rediscovered it a few years back and really enjoyed it again. My favourite episode is the one where Cinnamon is kidnapped and Phelps makes up the rescue plan on the back of a fag packet.
