Mission: Impossible (TV Series) The Heir Apparent (1968) User Reviews

Shades of Anastasia

[CCsito · 8/10 · 31 May 2013]

*SPOILER ALERT*

This was the first episode of Season 3 of the series and among the most memorable ones when I first saw it back in the 1960s. The plot involves preventing a premier from taking power in an Eastern Bloc country since the throne became vacant from the deaths of the previous leaders' family (hints of the Romanovs in Tsarist Russia). The church leader played by Torin Thatcher hopes for some kind of miracle to prevent the premier from taking power. The IMF team has Willy and Barney get arrested in a government building so that they can get access to a room with a puzzle box that was owned by a young blind daughter of the dead royal family. Jim and Cinnamon play a man who brings an old and blind woman who believes that she is the dead royal family's little girl. Rollin portrays an old doctor who says that he met the little girl and has X-rays that show that the girl had an arm fracture that should have "locked" her elbow because she did not have the recommended surgery to remove the bone fragments. The premier hopes to use the woman pretending to be the dead royal daughter and to ridicule the church leader by exposing her as a fraud. Barney has to get access to the puzzle box, solve how to open it, and to place indicators on the box surface for Cinnamon to be able to open it. Cinnamon is brought before other royal relatives and tells of memories of when she was a little girl to help bolster her claim of being the royal daughter. Having the box "marked" for her, she is able to open it and provide a diary written by the former ruler and expose the premier for his role in the demise of the royal family. The premier tries to attack Cinnamon, but is restrained and taken away. With the "disappearance" of the old doctor (Rollin) in the church, he loses the witness to expose her as a fraud. Cinnamon then "abdicates" her claim to being the leader and assigns the church leader to select a more younger and able replacement. She departs with the other IMF team members as throngs of local people reach out to her thinking she is the dead royal daughter.

This episode was one where the commercial spot breaks did not involve any true suspenseful moments. The mission ran pretty much as planned and the only urgent moment in the entire mission was for Barney to solve the puzzle box in time to mark it for Cinnamon. There were a few "plot holes" such as when Willy and Barney were in solitary confinement after being arrested and no one checking on them as they tunneled their way to the other rooms and when Rollin had to remove his old doctor disguise right in front of everyone inside the church as Cinnamon was doing her part of playing the royal daughter (everyone is fixated at her as he takes off his makeup).

Conning Country Out Of Military Coup-de-Tat.

[redryan64 · 7/10 · 9 February 2012]

WITH THE FIRST run showing of this episode, "MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: The Heir Apparrent", the series served up what could only be described as being a third category of enemy. The other two basic groups that the IMF group most usually were assigned to were either fictitious Eastern Pact Communist countries and their 5th Column Operatives in the USA; or they were battling various factions of our own, domestic and home grown menace in Organized Crime.

THE OBJECTIVE DESCRIBED in the obligatory, super secretive opening prologue scene with the tape-recorded instructions was to prevent a highly ambitious and unscrupulous Army General from seizing power through a military coup. Theteam was to make use of a female pretender to the throne of this fictional country.

THE "PRINCESS" WAS portrayed by Cinamon Carter (Miss Barbara Bain); who had trained long and hard to master the necessary skills to portray an aging and seriously handicapped from serious injury to left arm woman, who also was blind. She was supported by Jim Phelps (Peter Graves) as an admitted con man, Rollin Hand (Martin Landau) posing as an elderly country doctor, with Barney (Greg Morris) & Willie Armitage (Peter Lupus) rendering technical support and doing all of the behind the scenes "grunt" work necessary.

THE DESCRIPTION OF the unnamed European Democractic Republic, as well as all other elements revealed a country with a decidedly Hellenic character. The fact that the country's Archbishop had so much say in the verification process of the title claimant, certainly suggested that we were actually dealing with an incident in Greece.*

WE COULDN'T HELP but think of the similarities to the plot of ANASTASIA (blank-blank, 1955); which starred Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brenner. The only difference is that the incidents in that film happened as a result of the Russian Revolution and the craven and widespread murders of the Royal Family members by Lenin's Bolshevik take over of the Russian Empire.

IN THE FINAL analysis, we found this episode to be a cut above most and just as interesting and exciting now as it was at first showing in 1968.

NOTE* The head of the Eastern Orthodox Church is known as the Prelate. He is their equivalent to the Roman Catholics' Pope in Rome and has been so viewed ever since the break with Rome in the schism. The Prelate is almost always a Greek Archbishop; who has an almost monarchical status in Greek affairs of state.

BARBARA BAIN - Most Glittering Hour ♥♥♥♥

[Enrique-Sanchez-56 · 10/10 · 9 November 2021]

Having now watched this engrossing hour several times, I can only conclude that it was Ms. Bain's FINEST HOUR on Mission Impossible.

The IMF and this series lost much of its stature when she was obligated to leave the show due a short-sighted political salary dispute - which Ms. Bain and her husband Martin Landau SHOULD HAVE WON.

The quality of this then-married couple's performances in this series added immeasurably to the prestige of the program although subsequent performers are not being denigrated by this comment, BAIN and LANDAU have irrevocably enshrined this program to the legends of the finest hours in television history.

"The Heir Apparent" is a great showcase for the husband-and-wife team of Barbara Bain and Martin Landau's characterizations in "Mission: Impossible"

[tonyvmonte-54973 · 10/10 · 7 May 2024]

While this third season premiere ep of "Mission: Impossible" resembled the Ingrid Bergman film Anastasia from the previous decade, it's still a hoot seeing the IMF team doing their rounds especially when Cinnamon Carter basically portrays the Bergman role very convincingly to her captive audience with one notable exception. That exception is someone who wants to take over the country as a dictator and you can bet he wants it bad! I'll stop there and just say this is one of the best eps of "M: I" I've seen so far not only because of Barbara Bain's performance but also her hubby Martin Landau's as he does one of his convincing disguises. So that's a high recommendation for "The Heir Apparent".

ENTER CINNAMON, THE PRINCESS.

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 6 May 2024]

Excellent writing on the part of Robert Thompson, who also did episodes for the MAN FROM UNCLE. There's a bit of crossover here, too. Yes, I agree with the last reviewer, this adventure allows Barbara Bain to shine. And she does with a touch of class.

Charles Aidman is at his fiendish best, playing General Quesette, who guarantees a bloody revolt in the small European country of Povia -- unless he is named successor, which would turn it into a military dictatorship. Integral in the plan to cancel out Quesette is Cinnamon, in the role of a princess of princesses, matched by Martin Landau's portrayal of a doctor. Peter Graves also livens up the procedings by playing a conman, a role you can tell he had fun with.

In fact, the entire cast here is at their very best, and in some very entertaining roles. It's all about the makeup and costumes, as usual.

Never to forget Barney and Willie in the background, playing the tech game of hide and seek.

Credit much to veteran director Alexander Singer, who directed numerous classic tv shows, including POLICE STORY and LOU GRANT. He would head five episodes for the series. Also look for Torin Thatcher as the archbishop, who mastered many dramatic roles, known for his expressionism.

True, as notes indicate, there is a connecton to the Ingrid Bergman classic ANASTASIA (1956), which won her an Oscar, playing the last surviving member of a royal dynasty. For a tv production, this is about as good as it gets in comparison, and it should have been nominated for an Emmy.

SEASON 3 EPISODE 1 remastered Paramount dvd box set. 7 dvds. Released 2007.

Always a dictatorship

[jilljohnson-80359 · 1/10 · 8 July 2022]

Great show as always. Much like Anastasia in question as to whether or not she's a fraud. (As it turned out she was). Phelps is a his best when he plays boisterous, annoying person. Willie actually plays his role to perfection. He's quiet, low keyed and intelligent not just there for heavy lifting. Barney never fails to amaze me. A brilliant engineer he is the one who makes the mission possible!!! Cinnamon played that role perfectly. She looked liked the frail old lady she acted out. Rollin playing the doctor certainly convinced that hopeful dictator he was an instrument in all of it. Major Quesette got his at the end. The archbishop prayed the entire time cinnamon would convince all. She did That show had a touch of class and elegance with Barbara and Martin. The series lost big time! Show wasn't the same. That couple, what a chemistry!!!!!

Leonard Nimoy was fantastic as Paris. Don't get m2e wrong!