Covert Operations in a Chinese Research Facility goes well until the very last minute , Craig Stirling, Sharon McReady and Richard Barrett make an escape just barely through the darkness on the plane they arrived on, however they didn’t escape fast enough to stop chinese bullets from damaging the plane.Tremayne and interested parties anxiously await any news from the spy trio.The Himalayas become the only view from the cockpit as the plane succumbs to the bullets. Was that a mirage of a strange old man? Is this a near death experience? The trio come out unscathed and with only hints of injuries that no longer exist and a sense that something extraordinary has taken place. The operation they started and nearly ended still has to be completed, too much riding upon their return. This is only if they can elude a familiar enemy. Another meeting with the strange old man provides understanding for the “extraordinary “ awareness the trio has been feeling every since the crash.
Personal Synopsis
The beginning in title and the beginning for the series, this episode does a fair explanation of the trios “superpowers”. It is strange that all of the interested parties in this episode come together in what seems like an equivalent to a hippies trip displayed on the television screen. I did enjoy the seriousness the actors portrayed amongst the absurd sets and laughable scenes. However the story, in general, interests me probably due to the fact that I will always be a spy-fi nut. This episode could possibly be confusing to some but the idea of spies obtaining special powers by a leader of a long lost himalayan city (a Shangri-La) is innocently original.
Original Air-Date: September 25, 1968
Directed by Cyril Frankel
Written by Dennis Spooner
Craig Stirling-Stuart Damon
Sharron Macready-Alexandra Bastedo
Richard Barrett-William Guant
Tremayne- Anthony Nicholls
The Old Man-Felix Aylmer
Whittaker-Kenneth J. Warren
Chislenkan-Joseph Furst
Ho Ling-Eric Young
Chinese Major-Burt Kwouk
ITC Entertainment 