by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
Welcome to Cross-Platform Partners! In honor of a new movie release, I have selected a TV show to watch to pair with the movie. Think of it as a way to get hyped for the new movie, a preview of things to come, a means to tide you over if the movie won’t be released where you live for a little while, or a change of pace if you’ve run out of related movies or sequels.
For July, I picked the original Mission: Impossible to pair with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
I just rewatched the entire Mission: Impossible film series, and sometimes I forget that it was directly lifted from a TV show. There were two iterations of the show: one from the 1960s and one from the 1980s. I focused on the original. Upon watching it, I see so much of the influence on the movie franchise, and some things make a lot more sense.
The opening credit sequence is as iconic as ever, and the theme song is still among the best that were ever created. With clips from the episode spliced in, it’s similar to how the movies do it. I always found that to be an odd choice, but it makes sense now, because it’s paying homage to the original television show. It must have been a pain from the editing standpoint, but it’s fantastic to see a commitment to something they wanted to do.
There are two main leaders for the IMF team: Dan Briggs (Steven Hill) and Jim Phelps (Peter Graves). Briggs fizzles out part of the way through the first season, and Phelps takes over during season two. He doesn’t relinquish leadership for the rest of this series, and is even in the two seasons of the ‘80s revival. Phelps should be a familiar name for people who like the movies. He is played by Jon Voight in the 1996 film. Looking back, it does feel like an odd choice for Jim to be in the first film, given what is done to his character. At its core, though, it’s a nod to the only person who is originally from the show to make it to the movies.
Each episode of the show starts the same way as each movie. Shortly after the opening credits, a tape is received with the mission. Two components from the tape are the same as the movies: instructions about what will happen to the agent if they’re discovered or killed, and that the tape will self-destruct in a short among of time after being listened to. The tapes are usually constructed the same way for most of the series, which is interesting considering that technology changed from 1966 (when the show started) to 1972 (when it ended).
After they receive the mission, the team gets together and figures out their plan. Four core team members usually join Briggs or Phelps on their missions, and they stay the same throughout the series with little deviation. They are not trained killers like the current franchise — they’re prominent private citizens. Cinnamon Carter (Barbara Bain) is the femme fatale who helps get information from their mark through seduction. It feels a bit exploitative at times, and she doesn’t do much of anything beyond get information and act as the arm candy. Rollin Hand (Martin Landau) is a makeup artist, magician, and the man typically behind the iconic mask. Hand reminds me a lot of Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, just without the hand-to-hand combat skills or penchant for death-defying stunts. Landau is the standout performance of the series. He frequently plays a chameleon, episodes and has to use different costumes, accents, and dialects to fulfill his role in the mission. Barney Collier (Greg Morris) is the electronics expert. It’s a bit weird (but also refreshing) to see someone use electronics in creative ways without the use of a computer or the internet. It’s not like they’re deploying James Bond-level gadgets, but they make the most of their chances with electronics. Finally, there is Willy Armitage (Peter Lupus), the Swiss army knife and muscle of the group.
The team deploys tactics that are far more subtle than the modern iteration. At times, the show feels more true to what spy work could actually be like. There is much more sneaking around, imitating other people, and far less violence. Each character has a handful of fights, but generally, each mission is more about deception and figuring things out without aggression. I like this approach, but it’s understandable if people might find it boring. Truthfully, after 171 episodes, it’s hard to come up with other ways to do things.
The ‘60s is a perfect time for the Impossible Mission Force. The mission usually revolves around some type of communist country, or a country with a dictatorship where America’s interests are threatened. Unlike the movies, which are more neutral and focus on worldwide events, the IMF in the show looks out for American interests only. Each episode covers one mission, which makes it easy for someone to pick and choose what they want to watch. There are some loose connections between episodes, but overall, each one picks a different country to conduct their mission. It’s a truly globetrotting adventure, and it’s fun to visit different locations.
Mission: Impossible is a true throwback to pre-gadgets spy drama. Although it lacks any character development and stakes, the team is still a fun group to follow. I concede that it does get a little repetitive at times, but I ultimately enjoyed watching it.
It was fun to see where the movie franchise gets some of its influence, but I do ultimately like that the show is largely its own thing. Lastly, I’m also curious to potentially watch the ‘80s continuation series.
Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One should have all the hallmarks of Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation, and Fallout. I like that we’ve settled into a core team, similar to the TV show. Unlike the show, though, these movies are building off each other for a grand, serialized story. As long as Cruise continues to do amazing stunts, and these characters are still alive and not disavowed, the Mission: Impossible movies will be priority viewing.
You can read more from Mike Hilty, and follow him on Twitter, Letterboxd, and Serializd