Mission: Impossible (TV series): Difference between revisions

{{quote|''[[Once an Episode|Good morning, Mr./Ms. Troper.]]''}}

The show you're looking at is '''''Mission: Impossible''''', a unique [[Spy Drama]] based around a semi-ad hoc covert operations team employed by the US Government for dicey missions needing [[Plausible Deniability|maximum deniability]]. The television series lasted from September, 1966 to March, 1973; a total of 171 episodes were filmed over the seven season run. It was the longest-surviving of the "spy-fi" genre of US and UK-made TV series of the 1960s (''The Avengers'' aired over a 9-year period but fewer seasons and episodes were produced).

Martin Landau played Rollin Hand, a [[Master of Disguise]], sleight-of-hand, card sharping and many other skills, as a guest star in the pilot, but was so popular with audiences that he became the [[Ensemble Darkhorse]] and was called back for virtually every subsequent episode, always billed as a "[[And Starring|special guest star]].". He was made a series regular in seasonSeason twoTwo.

When Hill became increasingly difficult to work with<ref>As one of the few Orthodox Jewish actors in Hollywood, Hill was unwilling to abide by the show's production schedule, as it stipulated that he work on the Sabbath and after sundown of Friday when he was committed to being in prayer. (Sourcesource: ''The Complete Mission: Impossible Dossier'' by Patrick White.).</ref>, he was gradually written out of the series; when he was replaced by Peter Graves as Jim Phelps in seasonSeason twoTwo, the classic cast was set. Other cast changes followed; with Landau and Bain leaving at the end of seasonSeason threeThree, Landau replaced by [[Leonard Nimoy]], fresh from the recently cancelled ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' (which Landau turned down to do ''MI'' instead), and Bain by an assortment of leading ladies, culminating in Lesley Warren as the waif-like Dana. An ill-advised attempt at writing out Peter Lupus in favor of a medical doctor team member played by a pre-cowboy-stardom [[Sam Elliott]], until the producers realized how popular Willy was. An attempt was eventually made to invigorate the leading lady role by casting Lynda Day George as Casey, who was both the leading lady and the [[Master of Disguise]], but by then the series was on its last legs. One final cast tweak in the final season saw George temporarily replaced by ''[[Ironside]]'' veteran Barbara Anderson while George was on maternity leave.

''[[Mission Impossible (TV series)|Mission Impossible]]'' was a thinking man's espionage program. Gunplay was kept to a minimum (with a few notable [[Early Installment Weirdness|early-series exceptions]] when the series was still finding its rhythm), and the focus was always on outwitting and outmaneuvering the foe, who usually didn't know he was being targeted at all. The IMF were never dispatched for ''ordinary'' tasks that a simple [[James Bond]] type could handle with a couple of explosions and a chase scene - they were called upon to accomplish their goals by outplanningout-planning and outthinkingout-thinking their opposition, often by playing mind games with them on such a scale that more than one may have been driven into madness. After the first season, IMF operatives rarely killed anybody directly, but their targets didn't always survive as a favored outcome was usually the target being killed by his own organization.

All but invented [[Latex Perfection]] and the [[Master of Disguise]], and originated many of its own unique tropes, not the least of which is its most famous and most parodied elements, "[[This Page Will Self-Destruct|this tape will self-destruct in five seconds]]" and "if you or any member of your IMMI forceForce are caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow all knowledge of your actions." Interestingly, early seasons only used the self-destructing tape on occasion, with other methods such as melting vinyl records and hidden recordings being used more frequently. A growing number of episodes as the series went on omitted the tape scenes altogether, sometimes featuring missions joined in progress, or "[[A Very Special Episode|personal missions]]" where an IMF member goes off-book.

The show's distinctive use of what creator Bruce Geller called "a team of specialists" to carry out a complex plan inspired numerous imitators, most notably ''[[The A-Team]]'', but also shows such as ''[[Charlie's Angels]]''. None did it as well, though.

There was a two-season Next Generation-style continuation of the original series filmed in Australia in the [[The Eighties|1980s]]; Peter Graves returned as Jim Phelps, mentoring an all-new team (including Barney Collier's son); originally conceived as a straight-out remake in order to fill a hole in ABC's schedule created by a Hollywood writer's strike, the series ended up being a continuation of the original. An NES game was also developed. But a more successful revival occurred with a ''[[Mission: Impossible (film)||Mission Impossible]]'' film series starring [[Tom Cruise]], although it bears little resemblance to the tone and spirit of the original series. A TV series based on the movies is possibly being developed.

** Indeed, in the 1980s version, one of the few occasions in which a female IMF agent is shown in "Action Girl" mode results {{spoiler|in her being killed and disavowed}}.

* [[Amnesiac Liar]]: atAt least once added to...

* [[As Long as It Sounds Foreign]]: Or looks like it on a sign. Since the IMF was frequently hacking into electric, gas, telephone, and other infrastructure, the [[Ruritania]] settings always featured appropriate signage.

** In some European countries, [[Reality Is Unrealistic|there really are]] utility covers that say "Gaz", a frequent example of "Gellerese".

* [[Caper Crew]]: oneOne in every installment.

* [[Chuck Cunningham Syndrome]]: Throughout the series, when cast members departed, their characters' departures were never explained. Averted, however, by the revival series with regards to the character of Casey Randall who {{spoiler|becomes the only regular IMF agent to be "disavowed"}}.

* [[Comic Book Adaptation]]: Dell Comics published a half-dozen issues of a ''Mission: Impossible''-based comic book in the late 1960s. It was one of the only series of its type not to be adapted by Gold Key Comics.

* [[Commercial Break Cliffhanger]]: Just about every commercial break.... something unexpected would happen or a [[Big Bad]] will say "You there! What are you doing here?" the MI Force member will look worried or go for the [[Oh Crap]] moment--commercial--Everything's better, the mission goes on.

* [[Compilation Movie]]: ''Mission Impossible Versus The Mob''.

* [[The Con]]

* [[Couch Gag]]: Bruce Geller originally wanted each mission to be given to Briggs and Phelps in a different manner every episode (via nickelodeon, phonograph record, a card handed to him from another agent, a [[Drive-In Theater]] speaker, etc.). One of these early methods was a self-destructing reel-to-reel tape. The varying methods were continued until the third season when the tape became the standard and a ''Mission'' trademark, though the fifth season attempted to do away with the sequence until popular demand reinstated it. In the 1988 version, the spool tape is replaced with a self-destructing mini-CD player (the CD actually works like a DVD, playing audio and video, even though DVDs hadn't been introduced in real life yet).

* [[Dead Guy on Display]]: "The Catafalque".

* [[Enhance Button]]: Done '''without''' a computer, amazingly enough. In "The Bank", Barney is playing back a video recording of a bank vault on a black-and-white cathode ray screen. With the tape paused at a critical juncture, Jim Phelps uses a ''pocket telescope'' to zoom in on the CRT (!) and read the number of a safe-deposit box.

** Arguably What It Doesn't Say On The Tin, since episode titles weren't shown on screen. While not unheard of for a 1960s-70s-era series, it was somewhat unusual for a program of this nature not to display episode titles on screen.

* [[Fakeout Escape]]: "The Crane".

* [[Fauxtastic Voyage]]: "The Train", "Submarine"... practically an ''M.I.'' staple.

* [[Get Into Jail Free]]: "Old Man Out".

* [[Heroic BSOD]]: Occurs in the 1988 revival episode "The Fortune" to several IMF members {{spoiler|when they learn of the death of their colleague, Casey Randall}}, with one agent, Max, even questioning his ability to continue with the mission.

** Also happens to Grant Collier in the 1988 two-parter "The Golden Serpent" when he thinks {{spoiler|his father has been killed}}.

* [[Hologram]]: The IMF has had hologram projectors since the 60s ("Phantoms", "A Ghost Story"). The 80s revival even had a episode named after the trope ("Holograms") and improved the tech to the point where it works underwater ("The Golden Serpent,: Part 2", which also featured a holographic computer screen).

* [[Hot Gypsy Woman]]: The IMF employed hot gypsy acrobat Crystal Walker in the two-parter "Old Man Out".

* [[Trope Workshop:Impossible Mission]]: trope-namerThe [[Trope Namer]].

* [[It's Personal]]: A handful of episodes have Briggs or Phelps plotting a plan to right a wrong affecting someone close to them instead of a mission given to them by the Secretary. In one episode, Phelps is kidnapped and the team members are blackmailed into helping his kidnapper commit a crime. Arguably the most "personal" of these comes in the '80s version, when {{spoiler|Casey, the new version's initial [[Femme Fatale]], becomes the ''only'' regular in either version to be killed off. Note: not to be confused with Lynda Day George's Casey character from the original series.}}. The "it's personal" aspect of the storylines is usually emphasized by there being no tape scene shown.

* [[Leave Behind a Pistol]]: usedUsed by leaders of the [[People's Republic of Tyranny]] to eliminate people who have failed while avoiding the publicity of a [[Kangaroo Court]].

* [[Literal Cliff Hanger]]: The end of ''"The Falcon,: Part 1''".

* [[Mad Magazine]]: ''Mission: Ridiculous''.

* [[Manchurian Agent]]: "Mindbend".

* [[The Merch]]: Record albums of the series<ref>althoughAlthough ''actual music'' from the show, as opposed to re-recorded versions, would not be released until 1992.</ref>, as well as a few 'Young Reader' type books. Near the end of the run, Paramount was considering the idea of ''MI'' branded tape recorders, but nothing came of the idea. There was a game for the NES released in time for the revival.

* [[Nitro Express]]: "Nitro".

* [[No Name Given]]: theThe man whose voice is heard giving Briggs and Phelps their taped instructions.

** One example is in “The"The Crane”Crane". Junta leader General Yuri Kozani agrees to execute his second in command, Colonel Alex Strabo. He is then deceived into further explaining Strabo’s treachery and unreliable character traits to a disguised Strabo (Strabo is wearing the mask of the rebel leader). {{spoiler|Strabo removes his mask and Kozani is barely able to speak before Strabo kills him. This is also an example of [[Hoist by His Own Petard]] since Strabo quotes Kozani’s earlier words on the need to execute enemies of the state.}}. [http://www.youtube.com/user/MIuploader\]

* [[Once an Episode]]: "This tape will self-destruct in five seconds." (At least, that is the stereotype. In fact, there are many episodes in which this is not actually heard, especially in early seasons when another method of messaging is used, or in episodes in which Briggs or Phelps are instructed to destroy the tape themselves.)

* [[One Name Only]]: Paris and Casey in the original series; however, due to the presence (and {{spoiler|recent death}}) of another character named Casey in the revival series, when Lynda Day George guest starred as Casey, her character was belatedly given a first name, Lisa.

* [[Royal Brat]]: One episode centered around an attempt to assassinate one that Phelps &and Coco. must thwart.

* [[Spy Speak]]: At the start of every episode, Dan Briggs and later Jim Phelps would hold a seemingly innocuous conversation that provided the signs/countersigns to be given the mission briefing.

* ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'': Since both shows shared the Desilu/[[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] soundstages, and some production personelpersonal too, it should come as no surprise that [[William Shatner]] guest starred twice as a [[Big Bad]] and [[George Takei]] as an IMF member. [[Leonard Nimoy]] became an [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute]] of Martin Landau's character -- four years after Landau had turned down the role of Mr Spock for ''[[Star Trek]]'''s first pilot "The Cage" in 1965. Herb Solow was production manager for both shows.

** In at least one case, some alien artwork featured in an episode of ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' was actually the discarded protective styofoamStyrofoam piece that housed an [[Mission Impossible (TV series)|''MI]]'' prop tape recorder spraypaintedspray-painted orange and green.

* [[Swiss Bank Account]]: In "The Council" episode, the mobsters are using a Swiss bank account.

* [[Temporary Blindness]]: Cinnamon in "The Heir Apparent" and Jim in, appropriately enough, "Blind.".

* [[Theme Tune]]: arguablyArguably one of the most recognizable TV spy themes ever.

* [[Thou Shalt Not Kill]]: inIn theory, from about Season 2 onwards. In Season 1, the IMF were occasionally seen using direct deadly force. "In theory" because while the IMF rarely kills anyone directly, their actions often result in the [[Big Bad]] being killed by a third party. One episode from the early seasons unambiguously states that the team is undertaking a form of assassination.

** The revival series tended to follow this "in theory" pattern too, though the seasonSeason 2 two-parter "The Golden Serpent" averts the trope by having an IMF member kill a thug, and the fact the team orchestrates the assassination of a villain is made non-ambiguous; lastly, the team actually {{spoiler|consciously leaves the [[Big Bad]] to die rather than attempt to rescue him from an exploding cave}}.

* [[Town with a Dark Secret]]: ''"The Town''".

* [[Vehicular Sabotage]]: In the episode "The Missile", a psychotic mechanic tampers with the brakes in Dana's car.

* [[Voice with an Internet Connection]]: Regularly, particularly in cons that need to take place at the mark's residence. The crew will plant hidden surveillance cameras all over the mark's residence and/or wear a camera brooch and two way radio, and a one of the members (usually Barney in the original or Grant in the revival) will monitor the cameras and conversations the other members have with the marks, and provide assistance remotely through two-way radio.

* [[Where the Hell Is Springfield?]]: inIn the series, the team was often sent to the vaguely named [[People's Republic of Tyranny]]. Other locations included the nation of "San X" in South America or the Caribbean Sea. Whenever the mission was in the [[United States]], the city or state was rarely named beyond "Western" or "Central". Any named nation, used for a mission in Africa, was never a real nation. Finally, Western Europe was referred to as a friendly or neutral nation.

** Averted several times in the revival when Australia unambiguously appears as Australia.

* [[Worthy Opponent]]: In "The Mind of Stefan Miklos", Miklos remarks that he views his unknown opponent (Jim Phelps) to be this. Tellingly, {{spoiler|he says it when he thinks Jim's plan has failed to fool him, when it's actually succeeded in tricking him completely.}}.

* [[Xanatos Speed Chess]]: One of the ways used by the writers to resolve a [[Commercial Break Cliffhanger]].

** [[Lampshaded]] inIn the pilot of the remake., Phelps takes a moment to marvel at the mini optical disc player that replaced the trademark tape recorder of the original series, remarking to himself "Time does march on". A few moments later he is similarly impressed when he uses a computer instead of the traditional printed dossier to choose his agents.

** Both Main Logo [[Useful Notes/Fonts|typefaces]].... A typewriter style font for the 60s series, and a blocky computer style font for the 80s.

{{quote|[[Once an Episode|As always]], should you or any of your IM Force be caught or killed, The Secretary will disavow all knowledge of your actions.}}