Intertect is hired to find a former employee of a firm who developed a secret formula that the firm wants to buy from him for a million dollars. Three clients represent the firm with Vladek (David Hurst) as the main spokesman. Joe doesn't buy it but Intertect takes the job. Joe has to ingratiate himself with the missing employee's daughter by "saving" her from a man in a bar. It is a nice setup as the boorish man is Joe's co-worker. Neil Diamond sings there and gets a nice line of dialogue.
Joe takes the daughter Irina Stassos (Linda Marsh) to her apartment, and they share an excellent scene together. Irina gets a "wrong number" call. The next day they go to the zoo and the nice interaction continues. For once, Joe is not being hip and cool and it is much more enjoyable for the viewer. While there, Irina spots a tail. It is one of the guys from the hiring firm. Joe goes to them and tells them to back off. It is clear Joe doesn't like them and he wants Intertect to look into their background. Joe is not happy with double dealing on Irina for people he doesn't trust. Lew gets the background info and it all looks on the up an up. Lew visits Joe at his cover job as a car mechanic and finds out his car needs a fuel pump and then asks for trading stamps. Oh, those were the days!
Meanwhile Irina is having a bad day. She is laid off, gets a summons to court as a defendant, and is locked out of her apartment. All is Joe's doing. Irina and Joe make a date at the bar and Neil Diamond sings Solitary Man. Joe tells her where to go for the night. He then briefs the clients that the dad Ernst Stassos (John Marley) is the "wrong number" caller and will come to his daughter's apartment when he can't get hold of his daughter. Joe will wait in the apartment for him. Now the true colors of the clients is revealed as they knock out Joe and try to kill Stassos when he shows up. They fail. Joe gets mad when he wakes up. He goes to his clients and the truth comes out. They are hunting Nazis who committed a war crime in WWII when they massacred a village. Stassos is actually a war criminal and the three clients want to kill him. Joe won't help them.
The three clients kidnap Irina and take her to an old cement factory. (She doesn't do what Joe tells her to do. Not the last time that will happen.) The only thing Irina knows is her father calls every night to show he is alright. The clients leave her locked in a room as they go about their business. The father/war criminal visits Mannix to find his daughter. He tells Joe the three clients are the Nazi war criminals, and he is a survivor of the massacre. He has the better story and Joe believes him. Irina gets a phone to work and calls Joe at his place and Joe says her father is with him. The three bad guys are listening in. Joe knows it might be a trap and goes alone while leaving Dad at his apartment. Joe calls Lew on his car phone to get the police to wait at his place. Joe goes in after Irina as the three bad guys wait for him. Of course, Dad follows Joe and shoots one of the bad guys. Vladek threatens to shoot the daughter. Joe knocks out the bad guy holding the girl. Vladek runs away.
Back at Joe's place, the truth comes out. Dad is actually the Nazi and the three bad guys were the actual good guys. The police come in and take Dad away and tell Joe they have also picked up the two survivors of the fight. Irina is left with Joe at his place as she come to grips with the truth
The cast is good. Linda Marsh making the first of four appearances. She is always outstanding and pretty in "the girl next door" way. You just want to protect her. I like her in all her appearances. David Hurst, as Vladek, is the main spokesman for the three clients. I always remember him as the German colonel who gets Clint Eastwood to go after gold in "Kelly's Heroes". He reminds me of Theodore Bikel. The other two villains are decent henchmen/good guys who have fewer lines of dialogue. John Marley as the father makes you believe his lies.
Joe shows great martial arts moves in practice at work, but I can only think of one time he uses the skill in a real fight. Strange he doesn't use it more as he is very good. Neil Diamond is unnecessary but a nice touch. One Mannix trope in this show is the sniper with a rifle who has an unsuspecting victim in his sites but still misses the shot. We will see that several more times in the series. This might be the first episode where the police show up at the end to arrest everyone and tie up the loose ends of the plot with a few lines of dialogue. We will see that about a hundred more times. They just have to add a lieutenant to the mix.
The writing for this episode is excellent with a couple of nice plot twists. There is good chemistry between Connors and Marsh. A great outing for this young series, probably in the top five. Do watch it.
Joe takes the daughter Irina Stassos (Linda Marsh) to her apartment, and they share an excellent scene together. Irina gets a "wrong number" call. The next day they go to the zoo and the nice interaction continues. For once, Joe is not being hip and cool and it is much more enjoyable for the viewer. While there, Irina spots a tail. It is one of the guys from the hiring firm. Joe goes to them and tells them to back off. It is clear Joe doesn't like them and he wants Intertect to look into their background. Joe is not happy with double dealing on Irina for people he doesn't trust. Lew gets the background info and it all looks on the up an up. Lew visits Joe at his cover job as a car mechanic and finds out his car needs a fuel pump and then asks for trading stamps. Oh, those were the days!
Meanwhile Irina is having a bad day. She is laid off, gets a summons to court as a defendant, and is locked out of her apartment. All is Joe's doing. Irina and Joe make a date at the bar and Neil Diamond sings Solitary Man. Joe tells her where to go for the night. He then briefs the clients that the dad Ernst Stassos (John Marley) is the "wrong number" caller and will come to his daughter's apartment when he can't get hold of his daughter. Joe will wait in the apartment for him. Now the true colors of the clients is revealed as they knock out Joe and try to kill Stassos when he shows up. They fail. Joe gets mad when he wakes up. He goes to his clients and the truth comes out. They are hunting Nazis who committed a war crime in WWII when they massacred a village. Stassos is actually a war criminal and the three clients want to kill him. Joe won't help them.
The three clients kidnap Irina and take her to an old cement factory. (She doesn't do what Joe tells her to do. Not the last time that will happen.) The only thing Irina knows is her father calls every night to show he is alright. The clients leave her locked in a room as they go about their business. The father/war criminal visits Mannix to find his daughter. He tells Joe the three clients are the Nazi war criminals, and he is a survivor of the massacre. He has the better story and Joe believes him. Irina gets a phone to work and calls Joe at his place and Joe says her father is with him. The three bad guys are listening in. Joe knows it might be a trap and goes alone while leaving Dad at his apartment. Joe calls Lew on his car phone to get the police to wait at his place. Joe goes in after Irina as the three bad guys wait for him. Of course, Dad follows Joe and shoots one of the bad guys. Vladek threatens to shoot the daughter. Joe knocks out the bad guy holding the girl. Vladek runs away.
Back at Joe's place, the truth comes out. Dad is actually the Nazi and the three bad guys were the actual good guys. The police come in and take Dad away and tell Joe they have also picked up the two survivors of the fight. Irina is left with Joe at his place as she come to grips with the truth
The cast is good. Linda Marsh making the first of four appearances. She is always outstanding and pretty in "the girl next door" way. You just want to protect her. I like her in all her appearances. David Hurst, as Vladek, is the main spokesman for the three clients. I always remember him as the German colonel who gets Clint Eastwood to go after gold in "Kelly's Heroes". He reminds me of Theodore Bikel. The other two villains are decent henchmen/good guys who have fewer lines of dialogue. John Marley as the father makes you believe his lies.
Joe shows great martial arts moves in practice at work, but I can only think of one time he uses the skill in a real fight. Strange he doesn't use it more as he is very good. Neil Diamond is unnecessary but a nice touch. One Mannix trope in this show is the sniper with a rifle who has an unsuspecting victim in his sites but still misses the shot. We will see that several more times in the series. This might be the first episode where the police show up at the end to arrest everyone and tie up the loose ends of the plot with a few lines of dialogue. We will see that about a hundred more times. They just have to add a lieutenant to the mix.
The writing for this episode is excellent with a couple of nice plot twists. There is good chemistry between Connors and Marsh. A great outing for this young series, probably in the top five. Do watch it.