User Reviews

This episode of Secret Agent introduces three new -in this case life saving- spy gadgets. And the now ubiquitous 'cigarette lighter as camera' makes another appearance.

Drakes cuts loose with an exploding cigar (or smoke bomb, really) early on, which gets him out of a torture session. The only other time he's used that trick was recently in "The English Lady Takes Lodgers', when the device took the form of an exploding pipe.

Later on a concealed two-way radio takes the form of a cigarette case. That's new. We will be seeing a lot more of that spy gadget.

We again see a C02 powered aluminum rocket tube designed for shooting projectiles (first seen in 'A Very Dangerous Game'). The device takes on a slightly different form factor in this outing, and instead of propelling a listening device to its target, it has a compartment that Drake fills with the expended roll of film from his lighter camera. This trick allows the master spy to get the film out of a building he's trapped in, which literally saves his life.

What I found eye catching was that John actually pulled the miniature film cartridge from his lighter camera, right on screen. I always wondered how that gadget stored the pictures it takes. One rung up the credibility ladder for that one.

This is yet another decent episode in the series, punctuated by another of many ad hoc sting operations Drake puts together on the fly in order to subvert an innocent party into helping his cause.

Back in the day, when the U.K.-based cable channel Bravo was transmitting respectable material – namely classic British movies and TV series – this popular effort was on virtually every weekday; I used to catch snippets from it while awaiting for some film to start but, not being into TV at the time, I missed the show and others of its ilk. Having subsequently been much impressed with THE PRISONER (1967-8), the other signature series featuring the same star – recently-deceased Patrick McGoohan – I regretted the fact all the more; for the record, the whole run of DANGER MAN has been released on R2 DVD by Network and, in fact, this particular episode was included on their 2-Disc Set of HELL DRIVERS (1957), in which McGoohan plays the flamboyant villain. Judging by this one episode, the series is very much standard secret agent fare for its era i.e. old-fashioned yet effortlessly stylish (even on this meager budget), having exotic locales (Africa, in this case) for backdrop and where the hero emerges – thanks to ingenuity (including gadgets that would make James Bond's provider Q green with envy!) – out of every fix with his coolness intact. McGoohan's trademark mix of smugness and intensity, however, gives the protagonist here the edge over most of his contemporaries – which would eventually reach its zenith in the aforementioned THE PRISONER (originally intended to be the same character, John Drake, in retirement…but the intrinsic surreal/cerebral nature of the later series probably would not have jelled with DANGER MAN's more conventional ambiance). Anyway, the narrative of "Loyalty Always Pays" concerns McGoohan's attempts to obtain proof of an African Minister's secret arms dealings with the Chinese; since the country was still under British jurisdiction at the time, he seeks the aid of military officer Nigel Stock to this end (ensuring his co-operation by blackmailing him via an intricate fraudulent scheme and shaking the Major's apparent firmness of character into the bargain). The episode (helmed by future action expert Yates) is thoroughly engaging and very entertaining that is made even more palatable by the urgent notes of the series' moody theme.

The show begins with a British agent being killed. However, before this happened, the man was able to broadcast a message--that the Minister of Defense in this African nation had just signed a secret treaty with the Chinese. When the Prime Minister of this African country is presented with this information, he doesn't believe it--but allows Drake to stay there and investigate...with utmost discretion. However, this isn't all that helpful because the incriminating document is probably locked up in a ministry safe and the Ministry of Defense seems impregnable. So, Drake decides to use his powers of persuasion to force someone in the department to assist him. In other words, he extorts this help! What's next? See this excellent episode and find out for yourself.

Drake is a bit more devious than usual here and, uncharacteristically, uses a James Bond-like gadget to extricate himself from the custody of a Chinese spy. All in all, well written and interesting.