"The Shark Affair" (ep. 1/4)

I first saw this one during the spring/summer '65 reruns, and recalled the basic plot of it (though not who played Shark) for many many years.  Robert Culp's Capt. Shark is that rarity on MfU or many other shows of the period, a fully-realized antagonist rather than a villain, with a motivation other than power, money, or revenge.  I'm reminded of what the Romulan commander says to Kirk in that early "Star Trek" episode:  "In a different reality, I could have called you friend."  Solo and Shark could have been friends as well.

Have you noticed how many first-year shows have the villain/antagonist's name as the title -- "Shark," "Vulcan, "Love"?  Shades of Fleming's "Dr. No" and "Goldfinger."  Of the remaining years, I can only think of "Alexander the Greater," "Thor," and "Gurnius."

CBN, I believe, cut the first part of the raft scene in the '80s.  It explains pretty neatly how Solo and Illya got there.  Also a nice touch: Illya refers to a radio as a "wireless" -- a British term, and one I could imagine Illya having picked up.  Or did the Soviets call it that too?

This story also has the first indication of what a stout trencherman Illya is.  He seems quite boyish and excitable ("We are both at the same dead end together!"), and we see he is prone to seasickness.

Also, I think, CBN ditched the bulk of the scene where Shark shows Solo around his ship and explains some useful details, such as having supplies stored on various islands.  This makes it more plausible.  One of the reasons piracy became so difficult to make pay after the Age of Steam began is that ships needed to refuel with coal or oil, which meant the pirate vessels were much more dependent on ports for repair and supplies than sailing vessels had been; and the law could grab them at those ports.  If Shark was stockpiling supplies, he could probably operate out of the law's reach for quite a while.

Today, Solo and Illya would have been able to cross-reference the names of the people kidnapped from Shark's target ships with their relatives or loved ones, and come up with the answer faster.  In '64, however, before relational databases, it might well have taken some serious computer programming to come up with that answer, and that only after they'd realized their two cases were the same.

Ah, Sue Ane Langdon . . . another comedienne/actress who unfortunately never became a household name.  And it's neat to see James Doohan play a Scots ship's officer, two years before Star Trek.

The final scene aboard ship, with Shark's exec displaying his loyalty, and Solo exhorting Shark to abandon his "nightmare," is a fine one.  I've never liked Solo's flip ". . . buckle my shoe" while Shark applies the cat to his back, but it does serve to set up the "Three, four . . . shut the door" line here at the climax. 

Verdict:  Unquestionably one of the best episodes of the series.

Great Line:

Illya (to The Thug in the White Suit):  "You will have realized by now that this taxi is not in general service.  It belongs to U.N.C.L.E., and is used to transport people to our headquarters with whom we wish to have deep and soul-searching conversations.  Such as, for example, you."