M9 agent John Drake returns to the Middle East to exfiltrate a mysterious intelligence source in "Fish on the Hook," a richly woven tale that keeps viewers on the hook to the end. John Roddick and Michael Pertwee's robust script weaves several complex elements---perhaps too many---into a narrative that layers intrigue and suspense amidst an exotic atmosphere that simmers to a perilous boil, fired by strong performances from the guest stars and Patrick McGoohan's intricate interaction with them.
A frantic communiqué from an M9 agent (Terence Longdon) in an unnamed Arab country sends Drake to catch the "Fish," the unknown source of strong intelligence in the country. Posing as Max Ryder, the playboy son of the owner of a public relations company, Drake meets Gerdi (Dawn Addams), head of the company's local office, before also meeting Gamal (Peter Bowles), the security agent immediately suspicious of Drake---and who is also closing in on the Fish. Along the way, Drake encounters jittery camera-shop proprietor Tewfik (Vladek Sheybal), cagey Doctor Zoren (Martin Miller), and charming, urbane Nadia (Zena Marshall), the wife of a highly placed minister, all, Drake discovers, key way stations on the path to the Fish---or is one of them the target? More complications ensue when the real Max Ryder (Harvey Hall) arrives in-country.
That last might be an unnecessary distraction, and not much comes of it, yet director Robert Day marshals it within the narrative to keep the story focused. Juggling a set of varying personas, McGoohan displays sufficient range while Bowles, making his presence immediately felt, smartly underplays the heavy, Sheybal delivers the local color, Miller exhibits requisite ambiguity, and Marshall furnishes a surprise at the finale although once Addams's narrative function early on is accomplished, she recedes into the background.
Despite moments of contrivance, such as Marshall's closing reveal (which, to be fair, does suggest intrigue worthy of a separate episode), "Fish on the Hook" is an intelligently crafted story ripe with wit and intrigue, demonstrating that the one-hour format granted "Danger Man" room for effective plot development and character interplay.
(Fans of Patrick McGoohan's subsequent series "The Prisoner" might get a jolt of recognition from McGoohan's parting line to Terence Longdon and thus fuel debate that "The Prisoner" was merely a continuation of "Danger Man." (This reviewer does not believe that.) And although both Peter Bowles and Martin Miller later guest-starred in "The Prisoner," so did many other "Danger Man" guest stars as the talent pool in Britain at that time was relatively small.)
REVIEWER'S NOTE: What makes a review "helpful"? Every reader of course decides that for themselves. For me, a review is helpful if it explains why the reviewer liked or disliked the work or why they thought it was good or not good. Whether I agree with the reviewer's conclusion is irrelevant. "Helpful" reviews tell me how and why the reviewer came to their conclusion, not what that conclusion may be. Differences of opinion are inevitable. I don't need "confirmation bias" for my own conclusions. Do you?
A frantic communiqué from an M9 agent (Terence Longdon) in an unnamed Arab country sends Drake to catch the "Fish," the unknown source of strong intelligence in the country. Posing as Max Ryder, the playboy son of the owner of a public relations company, Drake meets Gerdi (Dawn Addams), head of the company's local office, before also meeting Gamal (Peter Bowles), the security agent immediately suspicious of Drake---and who is also closing in on the Fish. Along the way, Drake encounters jittery camera-shop proprietor Tewfik (Vladek Sheybal), cagey Doctor Zoren (Martin Miller), and charming, urbane Nadia (Zena Marshall), the wife of a highly placed minister, all, Drake discovers, key way stations on the path to the Fish---or is one of them the target? More complications ensue when the real Max Ryder (Harvey Hall) arrives in-country.
That last might be an unnecessary distraction, and not much comes of it, yet director Robert Day marshals it within the narrative to keep the story focused. Juggling a set of varying personas, McGoohan displays sufficient range while Bowles, making his presence immediately felt, smartly underplays the heavy, Sheybal delivers the local color, Miller exhibits requisite ambiguity, and Marshall furnishes a surprise at the finale although once Addams's narrative function early on is accomplished, she recedes into the background.
Despite moments of contrivance, such as Marshall's closing reveal (which, to be fair, does suggest intrigue worthy of a separate episode), "Fish on the Hook" is an intelligently crafted story ripe with wit and intrigue, demonstrating that the one-hour format granted "Danger Man" room for effective plot development and character interplay.
(Fans of Patrick McGoohan's subsequent series "The Prisoner" might get a jolt of recognition from McGoohan's parting line to Terence Longdon and thus fuel debate that "The Prisoner" was merely a continuation of "Danger Man." (This reviewer does not believe that.) And although both Peter Bowles and Martin Miller later guest-starred in "The Prisoner," so did many other "Danger Man" guest stars as the talent pool in Britain at that time was relatively small.)
REVIEWER'S NOTE: What makes a review "helpful"? Every reader of course decides that for themselves. For me, a review is helpful if it explains why the reviewer liked or disliked the work or why they thought it was good or not good. Whether I agree with the reviewer's conclusion is irrelevant. "Helpful" reviews tell me how and why the reviewer came to their conclusion, not what that conclusion may be. Differences of opinion are inevitable. I don't need "confirmation bias" for my own conclusions. Do you?