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Reviews
I Spy: The Tiger (1966)
A rewrite of Culp's original script that created I Spy
The script of The Tiger was originally titled Danny Doyle and was written by Robert Culp. This was before the idea of I Spy had been fully formed as duo of spies and it shows in the rewrite of The Tiger. The mission in this episode is almost solely undertaken by Kelly Robinson, Culp and Cosby are only together at the beginning and end. Alexander Scott is hardly featured at all.
The result of having the pair separated for the majority of the episode is a mostly serious story with none of the comedic banter the agents are known for. This episode is darker and more dramatic than most. The agents often find themselves in peril but we always know they'll find a way out of their predicament, that's less apparent in this episode, especially since it's explained as a 'suicide mission'. Kelly finds himself in several situations during the story where his end seems almost certain.
During the setup of the story we're told that both agents were injured during a previous mission that ended in disaster. Scott has fully recovered from his injuries, but Kelly has not yet is trying to convince others that he's back to his normal self. This earlier mission was never depicted in any earlier I Spy episodes which could make the viewer think they have missed what sounds like very exciting episode. This is likely because the script was written before all the others but wasn't aired until the middle of season one.
What is familiar about The Tiger is the love story between Kelly and a beautiful woman. This time it's a rekindled and reunited love and their dialog offers some clues to the audience about how they drifted apart.
This episode lacks the exotic on-location sites most episodes are known for, but it's not shot on a typical Desilu stage either. Most of the episode is set in the jungle, but it's a very believable jungle especially for 1960's standards. There's much more gunplay and action than usual episodes but some of it is done poorly. However, every minute of Kelly's mission serves a purpose to the story, there is no filler or unnecessary scenes.
Although not a typical I Spy episode it is thoroughly enjoyable, it offered more suspense and danger than I was expecting.
I Spy: Tatia (1965)
A sappy, unbelievable, love story
There are 82 episodes of I Spy, spend time watching the other 81 unless you like an overly-done romance. Skip this one.
We're supposed to believe that an experienced espionage agent falls in love with a girl and within a few days forgets all his training, loses his instincts, fights his partner, and repeatedly risks his own murder to prove she's not the enemy she appears to be.
There is a fight scene when Scott is fed up with Robinson and the friends fight one another out of anger. It's the only real action in the episode and it was sad to watch instead of exciting.
They do a great job of making Robinson appear as is he's under a spell. The music, the clothes, the scenery, the camera shots, the dialog, and Culp's acting is all very strange. The love story is sickening. It's too extreme and lasts for far too long. It's just unbelievable to see either of the agents act this stupid. I kept hoping that he had been drugged, but the writers didn't even give us that. I fell like I wasted time by watching this episode, surely there can't be an episode worse than this one?
This could have been an awesome 20 minute spy story, but it was turned into a 51 minute episode with nauseating lovy-dovy sap. I'm giving this a episode a rating of 5 stars, only because the ending scene with the girl is worth almost 10 stars.
I Spy: No Exchange on Damaged Merchandise (1965)
Censorship requires a Flashback
This episode is different than most in the series because it begins and ends with the agents in a hotel room reflecting on a previous mission.
These hotel room scenes (over a typewriter), with a flashback to what happened during the mission, were added after the NBC censors objected to scenes that had already filmed. Once those scenes were removed from the story, the required run time of the episode was much shorter than the time expected for broadcasting. The hotel scenes were added after the original screenplay was filmed to add extra time to the episode.
The hotel room scenes are enjoyable, and also the original mission, but there is a disconnect between the two settings and it's an unusual format that I Spy fans might notice.
Both settings won't detract from the original mission, but the viewer is missing out on a portion of what was originally intended for this episode.
The episode would have likely been better if it had been presented without the censorship the network demanded. But the hotel room scenes offer some endearing elements that allow the viewer to understand the characters we'll see develop in future episodes.