Mission Impossible - The Complete Fourth Season
The Mission Impossible DVDs

Buy Now

 

Foil the invasion of a democratic country? No problem. Rescue members of a royal family from their would-be usurper? Piece of cake. Replace the irreplaceable Martin Landau and thrice-Emmy-winner Barbara Bain, who departed Mission after its third season? Now that’s impossible! But in this classic series’ fourth season, the veteran and rookie members of the Impossible Mission Force still put on a good show. The most prominent new addition to the IMF dossier is Leonard Nimoy as Paris, magician and master of disguise. Lee "Catwoman" Meriwether appears in several episodes as Tracey. Other guest stars make less of an impression; Alexandra Hay makes her only appearance on the show in the season opener as Lynn, who, in the course of an elaborate plot to shatter an alliance between two would-be dictators is caught, strip-searched, and thrown into prison (she disappears mid-episode and is never seen again; viewers never do get to see her sprung). An unintentionally hilarious moment that would have made Mad magazine proud comes in the three-parter, "The Falcon," in which IMF leader Jim Phelps’ (Peter Graves) dossier of agents at his disposal includes the eponymous trained animal! Lending Mission: Impossible its international intrigue are the villains from such exotic sounding countries as Nueva Tierra. Great character actors, including John "Dean Wormer" Vernon, Harold Gould and Pernell Roberts portray accented bad guys to the hilt. Each bafflingly complex mission unfolds precisely to plan. Everything must go like clockwork, and usually does, even a lame bit in "The Falcon" in which strongman Willy (Peter Lupus) disguised as a peasant, delays a priest from a coronation by transporting him via horse-driven cart in a roundabout route. Like the previous season’s "The Exchange," one mission hits closer to home. In "Death Squad" electronics expert Barney (Greg Morris) is arrested by a brutal and corrupt police chief who also happens to be the brother of the man who was killed while attacking Barney’s girlfriend (Cicely Tyson, by the way). Mission: Impossible has yet to self-destruct, but this season doesn’t exactly deliver on Paris’s promise to his audience to deliver "excitement you haven’t seen before." We have seen this before, but watching the IMF in episode after episode pull off the impossible is still smart and suspenseful fun. --Donald Liebenson

 

Season 4 (1969–1970)

Title	Director	Original Airdate	#
The Code	Stuart Hagmann	September 28, 1969	4x01
In order to stop an invasion and shatter an alliance between two countries, the IMF team must photograph and break a code in a matter of minutes. First appearance of Leonard Nimoy as Paris.
The Numbers Game	Reza S. Badiyi	October 5, 1969	4x02
The IMF team tries to get a deposed dictator to divulge his Swiss bank account number by making him believe World War III is about to begin.
The Controllers Part 1	Paul Krasny	October 12, 1969	4x03
Jim and a female agent pose as scientist who claim to have invented a new, more efficient drug which turns people into willing slaves. Their objective is to replace the real drug with a placebo.
The Controllers Part 2	Paul Krasny	October 19, 1969	4x04
Continuation of previous episode.
Fool's Gold	Murray Golden	October 26, 1969	4x05
Paris poses as a counterfeiter in order to get access to and destroy a safe containing millions worth of phony money as well as the plates used to make it.
Commandante	Barry Crane	November 2, 1969	4x06
Jim and Willy pose as U. S. religious workers who are willing to trade guns in exchange for the life of an imprisoned priest who is about to be executed.
Submarine	Paul Krasny	November 16, 1969	4x07
An SS officer plans to fund neo-Nazis with stolen money upon his release as a prisoner. The IMF team simulates a submarine journey to trick him into divulging his Swiss bank account number.
Mastermind	Georg Fenady	November 23, 1969	4x08
Paris convinces a mob figure that he can read the mind of his double-crossing boss, while Barney attempts to steal an incriminating file from the boss' safe.
Robot	Reza S. Badiyi	November 30, 1969	4x09
A country is unaware that its premier is long dead and has been replaced by a double who is about to name a successor.
The Double Circle	Barry Crane	December 7, 1969	4x10
An art lover is made to believe he can own a priceless Buddha statue. In the meantime the IMF team tries to retrieve a formula by breaking into his impenetrable safe.
The Brothers	Murray Golden	December 14, 1969	4x11
A Middle Eastern king needs to be restored to the throne. So the IMF team simulates a kidney transplantation during which he seemingly will donate his kidney to his murderous brother.
Time Bomb	Murray Golden	December 21, 1969	4x12
The IMF team must stop a terminally ill renegade Allied agent from detonating an atomic bomb in an enemy capital.
The Amnesiac	Reza S. Badiyi	December 28, 1969	4x13
A stolen isotope could make atomic weapons affordable to every country in the world. Paris poses as an amnesia victim to retrieve the stolen isotope.
The Falcon Part 1	Reza S. Badiyi	January 4, 1970	4x14
The IMF team must stop an arranged wedding between the king's sister and a ruthless usurper to the throne.
The Falcon Part 2	Reza S. Badiyi	January 11, 1970	4x15
Continuation of previous episode.
The Falcon Part 3	Reza S. Badiyi	January 18, 1970	4x16
Continuation of previous episode.
Chico	Herb Wallerstein	January 25, 1970	4x17
The IMF team plans to use a trained dog (Chico) to retrieve two parts of a microfilm which add up to a list of double agents who have infiltrated a drug cartel and who are in danger of being exposed by the microfilm.
Gitano	Barry Crane	February 1, 1970	4x18
Paris and Willy pose as gypsies and rescue a 12-year-old king (Barry Williams). To fool his assassins, the king has to dress up like a girl.
Phantoms	Marvin Chomsky	February 8, 1970	4x19
Using a clever projection system a dictator is made to believe that he sees the spirits of his dead victims.
Terror	Marvin Chomsky	February 15, 1970	4x20
Jim and his team must infiltrate a prison to block the release of a ruthless terrorist who is about to be pardoned.
Lover's Knot	Reza S. Badiyi	February 22, 1970	4x21
The IMF must break a spy ring in London. Matters get complicated by the fact that Paris develops feelings for the beautiful Lady Weston, who is part of that spy ring. After that, he is cast as a jealous lover in a romantic love triangle.
Orpheus	Gerald Mayer	March 1, 1970	4x22
The IMF team must stop an unknown assassin.
The Crane	Paul Krasny	March 8, 1970	4x23
Jim and his team rescue a prisoner and hide him at a conspicuous location right under his captors' noses.
Death Squad	Barry Crane	March 15, 1970	4x24
Barney kills a man in self-defense and is marked for execution by the victim's brother, a corrupt chief of police. The IMF team must rescue Barney before it is too late.
The Choice	Allan Greedy	March 22, 1970	4x25
A mystic plans to abuse his powerful influence over a duchess to ascend to the throne.
The Martyr	Virgil W. Vogel	March 29, 1970	4x26
Paris poses as the son of a martyred youth leader in order to stop a dictator who plans to crush the youth movement of his country.