Along with his handpicked a team of covert operatives (each equipped with their own unique skills) mastermind Jim Phelps carries out executive orders to infiltrate, destabilize or destroy plans of the Enemy. The Impossible Missions Force use every trick in the book:  high-tech gadgets, hypnosis, sleight of hand and of course those iconic rubber mask revelations!

CRITIQUE

1972 was another pivotal year for Mission Impossible. With its unpredictable series creator/producer Bruce Geller ousted by company man Bruce Lansbury during the previous season, the show was beginning to run dry. As the era of (James) Bond-mania settled down, the IMF began to resemble Federal agents rather than CIA operatives. Stories of international intrigue were curtailed. Mafia thugs replaced colorful despots as the main villains.

With the departure of Leslie Ann Warren and Leonard Nimoy the team lost both its sex appeal and its key impersonator. (It's unlikely that anyone even missed Sam Elliott, whose banal stint as the IMF doctor made little impression on viewers during the previous season.)

Ever the pragmatic, Lansbury combined the sexy femme fatale with makeup magic and came up with the character of Casey — as portrayed by sophisticate Linda Day George. More “wholesome” than Warren (who went braless) and equally disguise-centric as Paris, the Casey character proved to be an ample replacement. When [George] became pregnant she was temporarily replaced by Elizabeth Ashely, but Casey would return to finish the final (seventh) season.

Regulars Barney the fix-it genius (Greg Morris) and strongman Willy (Peter Lupus) also stepped up to the plate for meatier acting roles. Mission Impossible may have lost its novelty, but it remained an entertaining series — far more individualistic than generic cop show competition like Adam-12, Starsky & Hutch, or S.W.A.T.

Among the better episodes in Year Six are:

Blues - Barney nixes his bag o' gadgets to become and undercover soul man. Greg Morris gets to sing (twice!!) in the same episode.

Mindbend - Airing before theatrical film "The Parallax View," Mindbend concerns the brainwashing and training of small-time crooks into Pavlovian killers, bred for political assassinations.

Blind - Peter Graves is given the chance to set aside his cool, dry persona to take on the role of a corrupt Federal agent who is both alcoholic and blind.

Invasion - Kevin McCarthy (star of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”) plays an American defector who is led to believe that the Soviets have taken over America. This “sting” theme is taken to extremes in one of the most inspired episodes in the entire series...

Encore - William Shatner guest stars as an aging mobster with a self-incriminating secret he's kept for 30 years. In order to make him “spill the beans” the IM Force must make him believe that he's back in 1937; still a young man... and that all subsequent memories have been nothing more than a dream!

First, they inject him with a serum that miraculously “de-ages” his body... but only for a limited time. Then an entire city block of a Hollywood backlot is redressed to match his old neighborhood, right down to his apartment from '37. Key events of the past are replayed by IMF members in disguise.

Even more outrageously conceived than previous episodes — wherein spies were fooled to think they were in contained spaces (i.e. submarines, train) — “Encore” goes the extra mile. Radios are wired to play age-appropriate music no matter what station is dialed... a movie theater screens a vintage film... and fully-costumed background extras react to the action as the IM Force goes for broke to crack this hardboiled nut!

The episode works due to Shatner's committed post-Star Trek performance. (“Encore” is almost like “The Deadly Years” in reverse.) Gnawing suspense grips the viewer... At any moment Shatner/gangster may take a wrong turn and foil the elaborate sting. As the drugs begin to wear off, he reverts to his true age. The finale is priceless!

THE VIDEO

Mission: Impossible is presented in its original 1.33:1 full-screen format. As always, the prints are lush and sharp. The show had the highest production values of any series on the air at the time and it shows. Canny viewers will be able to spot some recycled props and sets.

THE AUDIO

Mission: Impossible is presented in English DD 5.1, English DD 2.0, and Spanish DD 2.0 Mono. Frankly, there's not much an engineer can do with the sound of old mono TV shows by way of digital magic, but the show does sound pretty darn good for its age. Optional subtitles include English, Spanish and Portuguese.

THE EXTRAS

Absolutely nothing. Sadly, this part of the mission is a total failure.

Also, it should be mentioned that Paramount decided to nix the picture discs. Would it have killed them to remain consistent throughout the whole seven seasons?

FINAL THOUGHTS

While the freshness of M.I.'s early years is lacking, there' still enough steam to power the engine of this popular series. An entertaining rental and [still] a must-have purchase for diehard fans.