Customer Reviews

I Spy - The Lotus Eater

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Produced by Sheldon Leonard, I Spy featured Robert Culp as tennis player Kelly Robinson, and Bill Cosby as trainer Alexander Scott, undercover US agents, engaged in intrigue at exotic locations. Part of the 60's spy craze, I Spy broke the color barrier on prime time television by teaming a Caucasian and an African-American, as costars. The program ran for three seasons from 1965 to 1968, and is currently available in full season DVD sets, however prior to the release of these sets, the program was available on individual discs with four episodes each. These episodes are from the third season, and are set in Greece, the United States and Morocco. (Spoilers follow)

Episode 65: The Seventh Captain (1967) (Rating 2/10)
Harold J. Stone makes his third appearance as Zarkas, a Greek government security agent. After helping the American agents in the episodes `The Beautiful Children' and `Philotimo', Zarkas becomes an enemy in this surrealistic mess, where Scotty and Kelly are investigating the disappearance of several enemy agents. In accordance with ancient traditions, a group of island dwellers have taken their revenge. Dressing up in ancient Greek attire, and complete with attendant dancing girls, the Zarkas led group ceremonially disposes of their enemies, by placing them inside a hollow captain of the sea statue, filling the statue with wet cement (poured from tiny pots, this must take some time!). The statue with its entombed victim, is then taken for final disposition in the ocean, at a decorative undersea location arranged to receive up to seven captain's statues. There are some pretty nice underwater sequences, but turning Zarkas into the fanatical leader of a group of devotees of Greek mythology, makes this wacky tale extremely hard to take seriously.

Episode 66: Apollo (1967) (Rating 7/10)
Even by Season Two, the tennis player cover story was already pretty thin. This episode opens with the only reference to an actual tennis match in the final season, as Kelly and Scott, get into a tussle after a losing effort. This is the setup for Scotty's new job as a guide at a NASA facility. His cover story also includes money troubles, and a lovely ex-wife named Margo (Charlene Jones). Scotty is approached by agents seeking access to a top secret NASA plant, but when they abduct Margo and discover that they are under suspicion, it leads to Scotty's capture. Attempting to escape, he and Margo get locked in a refrigerated train car, and engage in some rather gratuitous dirty dancing, trying to keep from freezing, in a car that does not even look the least bit cold. Fortunately, Scott is able to alert Kelly, who rescues them. Meanwhile the terrorists have taken over the Santa Susana Test facility, and only Kelly's acrobatic, high altitude heroics prevent them from escaping with classified materials. A pretty good story and the action sequences, make up for the silly moments.

Episode 67: Oedipus at Colonus (1967) (Rating 5/10)
Mysterious Marakesh is the setting for this rather ambiguous tale. Kelly and Robinson have been scouring the area looking for a `mahdi', a potential leader of a `jihad' (holy war). Cinematographer and producer Fouad Said, makes his only appearance as an actor, guesting as Mousa, a guide. Wandering the streets with Mousa, the agents have a chance encounter with Jahbad (Maurice Evans), a prestigious leader that is supposed to be in a British prison. Leaving Mousa on watch, the agents return to headquarters. Given instructions to kill Jahbad, they return to find their young guide murdered. The pair take refuge in a cellar to avoid an angry mob, where Jahbad's beautiful granddaughter (Delia Borrcado) fortuitously appears, and the guys soon wind up as Jahbad's prisoners. Calling for a conference of Arab leaders, Jahbad speaks (in a thick British accent) about the future, and is among those suddenly slain in a massacre. Was there a point to the bloodshed?

Episode 68: The Lotus Eater (1967) (Rating 6/10)
A plausible scenario makes for an interesting story, as Scotty arrives at a Greek isle looking for Kelly, who has been uncharacteristically M.I.A. He finds an indifferent Robinson, in the company of Irena (Vivienne Ventura), a beautiful singer. Contemplating leaving the spy biz for carefree island life, Kelly is clearly not himself, and Scotty realizes that he must be under the influence of something other than a luscious Greek siren. In Greek mythology, those who ate the lotus plant lost touch with reality, in this case it is doctored ouzo that does the trick. Producer Sheldon Leonard, reprises his roles as `'Sorgi', a powerful underworld figure, who has nothing but ill will for Mr. Robinson. The story moves along, with Culp given a chance to act step out of character a bit. The resolution is pretty weak, with Irena displaying amazing speed in traveling the several hundred feet from a cliff top villa down to a beach in less than a minute, then she single handedly dispatches a crew of baddies on a speedboat. Despite her good deeds, after all he had been through, Kelly apparently wasn't feeling particularly gallant.

I Spy, while an exciting and fun series, often suffered from poor writing. That is the case here, with some pretty good stories suffering from weak moments. Those interested in these particular episodes might want to consider the complete Season Three DVD set (26 episodes), which costs only slightly more.

With its combination of exterior location shots from all over the world and intelligent storytelling, this series stands at the apex of American TV. The stories on this DVD center around Hong Kong and probe deeply into Culp's and Cosby's characters and the nature of loyalty. If you haven't discovered the secret of I Spy, buy this DVD.

After James Bond and "The Avengers," "I Spy" just beats out "Mission: Impossible" as my all-time favorite espionage series. The stories are believable, with good action and light, non-campy humor, but the driving force of the show is its strong main characters. Robert Culp is an utterly charming leading man; Bill Cosby, playing it straight and only subtly humorous, comes off extremely cool and charismatic. Prior to watching "I Spy," I thought William H. Cosby, PhD., was nothing more than a boring, cutesy, "family-entertainment" comedian. Now I think the Cos kicks major booty and I'm one of his biggest fans. The wonderful friendship and chemistry he shared with Culp, on and off-screen, during an era when racism was en vogue, is something that truly touches me. Just one problem, though. After purchasing Volume 15, "The Lotus Eater," I looked at my video collection, and to my horror - I only have Volumes 1-13!!! Can someone throw me freakin' bone here and tell me if there's a Volume 14 out there, and if so, what's the title so I can look it up and buy it on Amazon.com?!

Bill Cosby is the Mark Twain of our times. As an entertainer and a writer he has infiltrated and influenced our national outlook for the better. His observances of the human condition will continue to inspire for generations to come. This series continues to elude most, but has a fervent following. At this point, there is nothing that can stop Mr. Cosby. Catch him here at an early peak in his career. I hope that he gets an Embassaborship. God Bless You Bill Cosby, you made my childhood a better time.