THE INNOCENT: Zohra Lampert plays Kay Lorrison, a woman who is whisked into UNCLE HQ as a security test and then held until her identity can be ascertained, even if it means she might miss her own wedding the next day (and might be happy to, given how boring the groom is). Lampert was a member of Second City (and married one of its founders), was nominated for two consecutive Tony Awards, and then fell into movies and television (winning an Emmy as a guest star on Kojak in '75). More character actor than star, her most memorable credits include Splendor in the Grass (1961) and as Jessica herself in Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971). Her last screen appearance was in 2014. For all the accolades, I do not like her performance here, full of fake screams and weird bobbing head movements. I think perhaps the improv comedy background is showing through (it's the kind of thing that forgives overacting, and I should know).
REVIEW: This episode certainly has some smashing ideas for a spy show. UNCLE is going to host a secret conference (or "closet summit") of world leaders in its offices, and THRUSH has already infiltrated the organization with a science knob called Riley who, as directed by the Q-like Dr. Egret (Lee Meriwether!), will make sure an explosive table goes undetected and plant a trigger ashtray that sets the whole thing off if someone extinguishes a cigarette in it. Egret also gives Riley a skullbreaking pen that's quite gruesome (television standards only allow us to see a demonstration, but brrrr), and then promises that he won't recognize her if they meet again before ripping a rubber mask off. It's a neat idea to bring back a character without any casting hassles, but who would give up on Lee Meriwether? She's well-known to fandom today for roles in Batman '66, Star Trek and The Time Tunnel, but they're all in her future, so maybe she's only retroactively too famous to ditch. (In any case, I'm told Dr. Egret only appears once more anyway.)
The other great idea is that Waverly has asked his wife's brother (nepotism) to test UNCLE's security before the summit, which he does as an impish prankster figure. He sends buzzbomb toys against the roof, tiny fish through the pipes, electrifies the floor, and uses a simple remote control to confound the alarms and elevators. It's a nice mystery to open up the episode, since we don't know (but may suspect) his true mission. As presented, we wonder how he can have such access, even from a nearby bookshop (should have been a hatter's - but does it make sense that his name is on the storefront?). Mr. Hemingway creates parallels with Alice in Wonderland that the Innocent picks up on as she goes "down the rabbit hole", and eventually plays a role in solving the THRUSH mystery that's also playing out. All of that is quite good, and leads to a bit of action at the end, including a foot chase, some gunplay, the boys shimmying down elevator cables, and a close-quarters fight with the dreaded skullbreaker.
Where I'm less satisfied is in the use of the Innocent. She's sent into UNCLE by Hemingway, as a further security test, and though she's basically harmless, that seems a step too far (an actual security breach). After pointless interrogation scenes (though Solo and Illya discussing who gets to be good cop and bad cop is a dialogue highlight), they'll be dragging her along to the conference room, on the off-chance she murdered a technician who got too close to the truth of the table, so she can be present at the drawing room reveal and light a cigarette. Bit of a square peg in a round hole, and besides, she seems to play the character drunk, and it's very distracting. She has her moments, but she generally feels like she's in another show (indeed, badly looped), comedy hiccups and all.
HEARD ON CHANNEL D: "Guess we'll have to try the Jekyll-Hyde routine." "She's an attractive girl. Why don't I be her friend this time. You haven't played villain for a long time." "Because you do it much better than I do." "The penalty of playing my part successfully. Now I'm typecast?" "That's right." "I'd better go and snarl at her. You will come to my rescue soon, won't you? I'm always afraid I might get carried away with the role." (Solo and Illya)
"You could engrave the whole thing on the head of a pin, and still have room left over for the Gettysburg Address." (Kay Lorrison on her life)
"The fountain pen?" Yeah, it looks like permanent writer's cramp." (Illya and Solo on the THRUSH killer pen)
BONDED: Dr. Egret appears to be THRUSH's answer to Q. Further, Q's decapitation gag in The Spy Who Loved Me (12 years in UNCLE's future) is followed by the quip "have that ready for Ahmed's tea party", as if referencing this episode. (No Time to Die may or may not reference this memorable reference when it shows Q's tea cup collection.)
REWATCHABILITY - Medium: A "bottle show" with some fun ideas, but not a lot for the heroes to do except be confused by the pranks, and I don't think the Innocent in this one works too well. That brings a potentially high score back to the middle.
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