Time to Kill

"Time to Kill" is a decent episode of "Danger Man", but it also helps to prove once again that the series was much better off when it switched from a half hour to hour long time slot. In so many of these early 30 minute shows, the plots seem very, very rushed.

The show begins with a noted professor being murdered by an assassin (Hans Vogeler) with a high-powered rifle. While Drake (Patrick McGoohan) is loathe to accept such an assignment since he detests the idea of liquidating someone, he agrees since Vogeler's actions violated the unwritten rules of spies during the Cold War--you don't murder harmless defectors. Still, he vows to bring the man back instead of killing him if at all possible.

Drake uses a fake identity to enter Vogeler's country (incidentally, it appears to be Hungary) and is able to do so with little difficulty. However, along the way he meets a Swedish woman--one who naturally arouses his suspicions. Later, they meet up again and he has even more reasons to suspect she isn't who she says she is. However, things get pretty strange when, though odd circumstances, they become handcuffed to each other--much like Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier in "The Defiant Ones". What's next? See the show.

Generally, this is quite good. The only part that annoyed me was the voice-over at the end--it seemed like a way to wrap up several minutes of loose ends in about 10 seconds! As I said, it was a bit rushed.

As someone mentioned, this has a touch of defiant ones as Drake, on a mission to hunt for Hans Vogler, who killed a professor, gets cuffed to an interfering school teacher - or so she claims. She's a hindrance - and with the fact she spoils his aim - clever scene where he assembles a rifle from parts kept in a loaf and in the car - his plan to simply kill Vogler turns him and the lady as the hunted. A rather exciting episode that gets the red corpuscle churning. Fight scene is great.

When ordered to kill the evil assassin Vogeler, Drake refuses and says that he will bring him in alive for trial instead. I thought that it was great that Drake refused to be an assassin and kill a man. It makes him seem much more noble and moral than the typical spy. However, the script seems to ignore this humanistic gesture and Drake does attempt to assassinate Vogeler. At no time does he attempt to arrest him and bring him to trial. The shortness of the format - 26 minute episodes, really doesn't allow for many complications. Everything happens rather quickly. If you are use to one hour/54 minute television spy shows, this is a little disconcerting. Having seen "Secret Agent," series first, John Drake's narration is also quite disconcerting at first.

Danger Man is one of my favorite series, and one of the good things about it is the opportunity to see all the cars from the '50s & '60s. Does anyone know what kind of auto Drake is driving in this episode? I don't recognize it. Thanks.

McGoohan settles nicely into his Danger Man role in this Episode No. 2, finding him assigned to kill (or bring in, per his personal preference) deadly assassin Darren Nesbitt, after a well-done opening scene of Darren successfully assassinating an Eastern European scientist at long range.

With solid location photography, Pat has an exciting, tightly-directed adventure right out of The 39 Steps, as he's handcuffed to a fishy femme teacher (Sarah Lawson, quite convincing as a mysterious "innocent" character). The danger facing Danger Man and his resoursefulness are on display and lead to a satisfying conclusion.