I'm rewatching every episode of the Man from UNCLE series from start to finish. These reviews contain spoilers.
Remember Gervaise and Bufferton from Quadripartite, and how Waverly assured Solo that they'd be back? Well, they're back.
This one's a good episode that turns the tables in an unexpected way. UNCLE doesn't become the villain by any means, but it's UNCLE that's setting up the plot, and the villains are on the backfoot, fighting against an inevitable end that would mean the end to their world. I've come to expect moderate amounts of romance or sentiment from this show, but this time the emotional beats belong to the criminals.
In fact, this episode is a little disorienting altogether. I was never against UNCLE, but I was constantly surprised by the actions of everyone else. The criminals were by turn sympathetic and ruthless and the local law enforcement changes sides more times than I could count. Much of the story takes place during a citywide masquerade festival in an unspecified South American country, so most of the extras are in masks. Not even once does the episode reference the thematic parallel between secret agents and masked festival goers, which is restraint I very much admire.
There's intrigue, chaos, deception, and humanity. Not much more you can ask for. This is a good one, and in fact better than the episode that introduced these two villains.
I imagine these wraps up the Gervaise and Bufferton story, but I'll be interested to find out for sure.
Lead image by Anthony DELANOIX under the terms of the Unsplash License. Modified by Seth in Inkscape.