The Key

The 30-minute format is the culprit in preventing The Key from being a great episode. Seth Holt, a vastly underrated British film director, handles the suspense skilfully, but the subject of double agents and spying needed more time to involve a greater number of characters and incidents to develop.

Instead, the solution to the mystery is way too predictable. But fine acting by Pat and his lesser supporting cast lead to a rather chilling finale, whose mood resembles other serious spy movies (for example, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold) that question the black and white morality of the genre.

For those who might not be familiar, the half-hour episodes of DANGER MAN came before the hour-long series.

The character of John Drake was refined, here in these chestnuts. At this point, he was an 'agent' for 'NATO.'

There are many threads, similarities between the two series. In this episode, as there are in this one.

THE KEY's plot is about someone who is giving secret intelligence to the other side. WHO is giving these secrets is the plot.

Drake is sent to Vienna, to investigate Logan, who would seem to be the leak, despite his background in the military, during WW2, in which he served the Allies faithfully.

The twists, the turns in THE KEY are very similar to an episode of the hour-long series; ARE YOU GOING TO BE MORE PERMANENT, starring the delightful Susan Hampshire.

I'm reviewing this one, because it is through episodes, such as this - that you can see the quality of work, that wen in to make the classic 3 series with Patrick McGoohan - which all featured the same pool of actors, writers, cameramen, music men, etc.

If you're more familiar with the hour-long series, then you'd think that these episodes from it's half-hour 'sibling' would be just that: truncated versions. They're not.

While there are some 'misses' in the series, as a whole, the half-hour series jam-packs so much dialogue, plot, that you really sometimes think it IS an hour-long episode (and, I don't mean that in the obvious way).

In addition to Peter (The Supervisor in THE PRISONER) Swanick's first appearance in the trilogy, there is also a notable appearance by Charles Gray - whom most American viewers will surely remember as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, and The Narrator in THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW ('...I would like...if I may...' - oops! Sorry).

The wife of Logan is played by a very lovely young actress named Monique Ahrens, who, I'm sad to say - has not made more than a very few screen appearances.

All-in-all, for anyone who's a John Drake fan, or is familiar with the hour- long series, but, new to these half-hour gems, this one is a good starting- point to watch, for you can see the craftsmanship that went in to making DANGER MAN a GREAT series - half-hour, or hour-long.

When a series of leaks appears and friendly spies turn up dead, the American ambassador (Charles Carson) summons Drake to find the leak. At this point it seems only Harry Logan (Robert Flemyng) and the Ambassador himself could be responsible. Drake has taken a shine to Harry and his Hungarian bride Maria (Monique Ahrens) leaving the possibility in Drake's mind that the Ambassador could really be the bad guy, until... As usual, there's a lot of plot packed into this 24 minute episode, including a rather anticlimactic final act. Nevertheless, a quality installment.

This episode has a nice whodunit flavor. Kept me guessing up to the end. But every scene with the Ambassador, played by Charles Carson, has an eerie over-dubbing in the voice.

In the episode titled "The Contessa", about 2:00 into THAT episode, a guy called "Colonel" (Lionel Murton) explains a new case to Drake, and the voice is identical to The Ambassador in this episode, "The Key". Early in another episode "Under The Lake", the same thing, with Lionel Murton's voice. In an early episode of The Avengers, (2x04 "Bullseye") Charles Crson plays a "Brigadeer Williamson" and his voice is NOTHING like the eerie voice-over for Carson in this episode. Even if I am wrong about identifying the real voice, the technical bandages on this voice-over mar an otherwise impressive plot line. Suspend disbelief and enjoy the twists.