The Say U.N.C.L.E. Affair - Episode 88

[amyk]

So, mainly I'm just glad to be through with this episode for another run of the series. However, I still am giving it a 3 on the Sidney scale. If nothing else, hearing Murdock sing Sinatra is a very pleasant part of the episode. Probably about the only other part I really enjoy is when Murdock talks about being back in LA and later when BA tells Frankie he's getting nostalgic about being fugitives on the run. If only Stockwell really hadn't been recovered and they did have to go back to being fugitives on the run. Sadly, though, the team was successful (of course) at rescuing Stockwell and thus end up still under his control by the end of the episode. At least they got to do things "their way" in the episode rather than Stockwell's way.

[HoudiniDerek]

I've always wondered how much better this episode would be if I had been an avid watcher of the THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.

[amyk]

Well, here's a blog from someone who is apparently a MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. fan, and she didn't seem to think much of the episode, although you can tell she's clearly a Robert Vaughn fan: morganrichter.net/blog/a-team-say-uncle-affair/

Oh, and I know I'm supposed to be nice to Frankie, but I do want to share this quote from the afore-mentioned blogger: "After the lecture, Trigorin beats the ever-loving crap out of Frankie, which is oddly cathartic and satisfying." I have to admit that sentence makes me laugh!

[Eclipse139]

Just rewatched this one. It was as odd as I remember. Basically trying to be an ep of The Man From Uncle, but with The A-Team. It didn't work as a concept, it felt like the team had just dropped into the wrong TV show!

I remember enjoying The Man From Uncle back in the day and the novelty of seeing Robert Vaughn and David McCallum on screen together again was still fun - it would have been more fun if they'd been able to leave us with the possibility that they were playing the same characters, but of course it was obvious that they weren't so that opportunity was lost.

I quite liked that the team realise they have to rescue Stockwell even though they hate him, or they'd lose their cover and his protection. It was interesting to see them consider their options.

Apart from that it's a really terrible episode!

Weirdly, though, I'm not hating Frankie as much this time around. He's completely pointless as a character, other than to have a younger man in the team, but he's quite fun in a way.

[HoudiniDerek]

Jun 18, 2020 15:27:38 GMT -5 Eclipse139 said:

Just rewatched this one. It was as odd as I remember. Basically trying to be an ep of The Man From Uncle, but with The A-Team. It didn't work as a concept, it felt like the team had just dropped into the wrong TV show!

I remember enjoying The Man From Uncle back in the day and the novelty of seeing Robert Vaughn and David McCallum on screen together again was still fun - it would have been more fun if they'd been able to leave us with the possibility that they were playing the same characters, but of course it was obvious that they weren't so that opportunity was lost.

I quite liked that the team realise they have to rescue Stockwell even though they hate him, or they'd lose their cover and his protection. It was interesting to see them consider their options.

Apart from that it's a really terrible episode!

Weirdly, though, I'm not hating Frankie as much this time around. He's completely pointless as a character, other than to have a younger man in the team, but he's quite fun in a way.

I'm thinking of adding MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. to my DVD collection. I have heard good things, but never seen it, so the whole storyline was lost on me.

[Eclipse139]

If you love those 60's spy shows (Mission Impossible, The Avengers etc.) you should definitely watch The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (and yes, of course it was styled like that, not just 'Uncle' - it was an acronym for something I can't recall without Googling it!) I remember it being a lot of fun to watch.

I much prefer to remember Robert Vaughn in the role of Napoleon Solo in that show and not as General Stockwell!

[amyk]

That's likely one of my problems with this episode - that I've never seen The Man From U.N.C.L.E. so any nostalgia factor is lost on me. Most of this episode just kind of bores me. I'm not interested in the two main characters or actors being featured.

[Bert]

It was interesting to see Stockwell taken hostage and actually do something at the end--killing Trigorin--but of course he whines about "muh plane" afterwards and is completely ungrateful to his rescuers.

Oh, and the scene titles and chapter numbers were a nice touch.

Eclipse139 U.N.C.L.E. stands for United Network Command for Law and Enforcement

[HoudiniDerek]

Jun 18, 2020 16:22:17 GMT -5 Eclipse139 said:

If you love those 60's spy shows (Mission Impossible, The Avengers etc.) you should definitely watch The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (and yes, of course it was styled like that, not just 'Uncle' - it was an acronym for something I can't recall without Googling it!) I remember it being a lot of fun to watch.

I much prefer to remember Robert Vaughn in the role of Napoleon Solo in that show and not as General Stockwell!

I'm more of a GET SMART guy, but I do like I SPY so I would probably like this.

[Eclipse139]

Picking up my complete rewatch where I left off before Xmas means I rewatched this one again today. I think it improves with a second viewing - my biggest issue is too much Stockwell and not enough of the A Team. And he's not even a little bit grateful when they save him! Hannibal was very laid back throughout the whole ep which was nice to see, but you'd have thought he should not have been in such a good mood under the circumstances? Maybe he was just pleased to be back in control for a little while.

A few different things struck me this time. Firstly, the name of the company the team were pretending to be employees of was 'Beller Air' - a reference to Bel Air, as in THE BATTLE OF BEL AIR, perhaps? Also, Frankie's cousin must've been shocked when Frankie just casually called and asked to borrow his mobile home/trailer, considering Frankie presumably disappeared off the face of the earth when he joined the team - I can't believe he's been able to have any contact with his family since it happened, or any opportunity to explain where he's been, or what's been going on.

I thought it was a bit odd, when the baddies first burst into the hotel room, that it was Face and Murdock who had to fight them while BA didn't even try to help, he just sat and laughed at them! Before that, of course, it was even more odd that Face was apparently in bed with a random woman while BA sat in the next room just watching TV. Face definitely seemed to take things further (i.e. to bed!) with the random girls he dated in Season 5, compared to previous seasons. He was always a ladies man, but by S5 he has a habit of drifting into sleaze territory.

Speaking of Face, I thought the fact it was a novelty for him to be running a scam was quite sad. We said earlier in this thread that Murdock talked about how it was good to be back in LA and BA commented that he was nostalgic for being on the run, so all these things were quite poignant really. I wonder if the writers were having serious second thoughts about the altered premise of the show by this point?

[amyk]

A few different things struck me this time. Firstly, the name of the company the team were pretending to be employees of was 'Beller Air' - a reference to Bel Air, as in THE BATTLE OF BEL AIR, perhaps?

No, this is a reference to Beller Air, the airplane company, from BEAST IN THE BELLY OF A BOEING. Hannibal portrays Mr. Beller, and he and Face are both pretending to be executives of Beller Air. The real Mr. Beller can't be reached - I think he went off fishing somewhere or something. Oh, wouldn't modern-day executives love to be "unreachable"?!

Speaking of Face, I thought the fact it was a novelty for him to be running a scam was quite sad. We said earlier in this thread that Murdock talked about how it was good to be back in LA and BA commented that he was nostalgic for being on the run, so all these things were quite poignant really. I wonder if the writers were having serious second thoughts about the altered premise of the show by this point?

I kind of wish they had Stockwell get killed off in this one and the team once again was just back on the run and part of the LA Underground! (Is that really terrible for me to wish a fictional character gets killed off?!?)

[Eclipse139]

Jan 12, 2021 19:56:10 GMT -5 amyk said:

A few different things struck me this time. Firstly, the name of the company the team were pretending to be employees of was 'Beller Air' - a reference to Bel Air, as in THE BATTLE OF BEL AIR, perhaps?

No, this is a reference to Beller Air, the airplane company, from BEAST IN THE BELLY OF A BOEING. Hannibal portrays Mr. Beller, and he and Face are both pretending to be executives of Beller Air. The real Mr. Beller can't be reached - I think he went off fishing somewhere or something. Oh, wouldn't modern-day executives love to be "unreachable"?!

Of course it is! I knew it rang a bell with me somewhere. Thanks, Amy. Anyway, it was nice they used a reference from an earlier episode here.

Jan 12, 2021 19:56:10 GMT -5 amyk said:

I kind of wish they had Stockwell get killed off in this one and the team once again was just back on the run and part of the LA Underground! (Is that really terrible for me to wish a fictional character gets killed off?!?)

No, I don't think it's terrible at all, Amy and I completely agree! I really feel the writers could have thought up new ideas to keep the show fresh without changing it so much the way they did in S5.

The other thing I forgot to mention about this ep was Murdock's 'I am sane' card. We've discussed before how we think Stockwell probably orchestrated Murdock's release from the VA Hospital, so this kind of confirms it. Although I think at the end of the trilogy he produces a letter which he claims shows that he's been declared sane - we don't actually see it, so perhaps that was also written in crayon? It still makes no sense that Stockwell would go to the trouble of making sure Murdock was free to assist with missions and then not bring him into the house with the rest of the team, though.