"No man is free who works for a living . . . but I am available." (-- Illya Kuryakin, "The Bow-Wow Affair")

These reviews/commentaries on the show's 105 episodes originally appeared in slightly different form on the Yahoo! Groups website Channel_D, from 2008 to 2010. If you're new to MfU fandom, these may give you some idea of the flavor of the series, which is still famous and beloved more than 50 (!) years after its premiere in 1964. Enjoy!

News: Decades Channel is running a "Weekend Binge" of MfU episodes on July 2, 2017. Check the schedule here.

(Except where otherwise noted, images are used with permission of the exhaustive site Lisa's Video Frame Capture Library. Thanks to Lisa for all her work!)

Monday, February 8, 2010

Summing Up: Season Two

In his "The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Book," Jon Heitland points out that ". . . the stories of the second season stand on their own.  Though they lacked Sam Rolfe's touch, they nevertheless adhered to the U.N.C.L.E. formula of adventure with humor.  The plots were not to be taken too seriously, but the villains still exuded menace."  True enough; when it came time to list honors for this season, I found that, while not always up to the quality of Season One, Two has almost too many charms to count.  I wound up with a lot of ties!

Now, my coveted Silver Communicator Awards for Season Two.  Feel free to join in with your own winners and losers:

Best in Show: "Ultimate Computer," "Alexander the Greater," "Re-Collectors"

Best Performance by Robert Vaughn: "Nowhere"

Best Performance by David McCallum: "Ultimate Computer," "Arabian"

Most Important to the U.N.C.L.E. Universe: "Waverly Ring," "Nowhere"

Best Innocent: Buzz Conway, "Project Deephole"

Best Villains: Victor Marton ("Foxes and Hounds"), Vincent Carver ("Discotheque"), Mother Fear and Captain Jenks ("Children's Day"), Arthur Rollo ("Minus-X")

Most Delightful Stories: "Foxes and Hounds," "Ultimate Computer," "Adriatic Express," "Minus-X"

A for Atmosphere: "Very Important Zombie"
And the Tarnished Medals go to:
Dullest: "Round Table"
Silliest: "Yukon," "Foreign Legion," "Indian Affairs"

Onward to Season Three!

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