I absolutely agree .... Mr. Beardface made an excellent point. We never saw the cool spy "cry" or "breakdown" or even "break" something. I SPY made our heroes real!! Kelly and Scotty were not like the campy Men from U.N.C.L.E. or the super polished, ice-like Bond - they were flesh and blood men who reacted with emotions and relied on their intelligence and cunning - not on high-tech toys and gadgets.
And we connected with them ... Did you really care what the Mission Impossible bunch did when they were not on screen - or John Drake or John Steed? But we knew a good deal about Kelly and Scotty - their strengths and more importantly, their weaknesses. We knew their views on many things and also their insights into different situations. Kelly was always the more volatile and emotional, while Scotty provided the balance and stability.
I remember watching "So Long Patrick Henry" for the first time .... the scene where Kelly jumps off the moving airport luggage truck and actually
breaks his arm!! James Bond never broke his arm, or Napoleon Solo, or Derek Flint!! I was truly surprised and taken aback - and began to realize that there was a great deal of depth to these stories and characters. In the fantasy "spy" world, Kelly and Scotty were coming across far more "real" than anything out there. (And perhaps for some, who were looking for escapism and fantasy and camp, this was the reason I SPY was not their "cup of tea.")
photo courtesy of Bulwer-Lytton
As has been mentioned in the past, Kelly (and Culp) always did "pain" so well - both in his portrayal of physical AND emotional pain - and the nuances of both.
"Room With A Rack" was the premiere offering! Our hero actually has an emotional/mental breakdown, but also the strength to overcome it!! Very, very powerful stuff .... self-doubt, weakness, strength, tears, torture, courage, betrayal, nobility, and friendship. Very, very well done! Besides the Culp-written scripts, this is one of my favorite episodes.
... and this is carried through with "It's All Done With Mirrors." Our hero is actually brain-washed!! He tries to fight it, but breaks down fairly quickly under the advanced techniques of psychopathic Dr. Karolyi. This never happens to the "main characters" - they are never the ones who break down and get brain-washed!! And Culp's torture scenes are beyond chilling - especially when he reacts by curling into a fetal position - horrific and extremely powerful. And again, the strength of friendship and trust overcome the machinations of evil - and this is accomplished with finesse and intelligence.
On the emotional side - one of my favorites is "Blackout." Beginning with that stand-out silent opening, we enter Kelly's drugged and dazed mind and state - and very slowly become aware of the situation as he does .... slowly realizing the state of events through his eyes. Excellent story and excellent job by both Culp and Cosby in this one.
And finally, when talking about the emotional side of our characters and their vulnerability, we can't leave out "Magic Mirror." This is one episode that has grown in my admiration more and more every time I see it. The subtleties and complexities and interplay of characters in this story are extremely well done and extremely well-written.
The ending scene in the steam bath is one of the best in the entire series - when Kelly has a moment of adult introspection brought on by the comments of his best friend, who understands him better than he does himself.
Let's hear more comments on this out there ??
As always,
Tatia
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