The Green Opal Affair (Act I)...
It's been a lovely day outside, and I've had a bit of time in the sun, but I didn't want to let today get away without using some of the time to share with you caps from the first act of our next Season 1 episode, The Green Opal Affair.
So join me, please, right this way...
1
As Act I opens, Napoleon enters via Del Floria's, and vouches for George Tenley of Section II. Apparently, he's a visiting enforcement agent, or one returning after a long absence, as this particular incarnation of Wanda, the receptionist, doesn't recognize him. But she does know why he is there, and directs him to Computer Data Processing.
2
She also has a message from Mr. Waverly for Napoleon: "You haven't completed your report on the January Affair, that was due yesterday." So, cousins, we see early on that Napoleon's aversion to paperwork is canon. :-)
3
4
5
Napoleon smiles at Wanda after she pins on his badge...
6
7
... Then he escorts Agent Tenley to his destination, where they are greeted by the lovely Heather McNab. "Don't mind McNab's bite; it's her bark you have to watch out for," Napoleon warns. Tenley and Heather go into the room, and Napoleon proceeds to Waverly's conference room (though we are not sure why, because Wanda informed him that Mr. Waverly had to go to Washington).
8
9
Napoleon enters and is nearly decapitated by a swinging, gyrating block of wood! "Listen, whatever that thing is, it seems to turn mostly when it's attacked. Why don't you just open the door and let it go home?"
10
11
We see that it is Illya who is responsible for the swinging object. He explains, "Centuries ago, samurai swordsmen used to train with this block, to develop quickness of hand, and sharpness of eye. As an exercise, it still has its points."
12
13
Napoleon replies, "Well, uh, since we don't get too many calls to take on samurai warriors these days, uh, I'll just let you specialize, all right?"
14
15
Illya just tunes out his partner...
16
17
18
... and continues to whack away at the spinning block of wood.
19
20
21
22
23
He continues his training as Napoleon watches, until an alarm sounds...
24
25
... and he and Napoleon, Specials drawn, rush to the controls to determine where the problem lies. "Data processing," says Napoleon, and he and Illya rush off to handle the trouble.
26
27
28
They enter cautiously, and discover George Tenley standing at the bank of computers, with Heather unconscious on the floor at his feet. (By the way, I really, really like Illya's shadow here.)
29
30
31
32
Illya checks on Heather, beside whom is a chloroform soaked handkerchief, as Tenley begins to speak, all but choking on his words. His demeanor causes Napoleon and Illya to keep their weapons trained on the visiting agent. "Fascinating machine. I just wanted to see if it had a tilt light like a pinball machine."
33
34
Then Tenley begins to seize, and grits out, "Green... opal... Brach... green. Stay back... please..." Tenley pulls his gun, and engages in a bizarre struggle, appearing to simultaneously try to aim at the boys while his arm refuses to lower, resulting in him firing three rounds into the ceiling. Then, with a final ground out utterance of "green... opal... Brach" he goes completely rigid.
35
36
37
Illya cautiously moves to Tenley and attempts to disarm him. He has to exert a lot of force to remove the weapon from his hand.
38
39
"Is he dead?" asks Napoleon.
40
41
42
After waving his hand in front of the agent's face, Illya turns and replies, "No. But he's not alive, either."
43
His partner looks just as puzzled at this strange turn of events.
44
45
They obtain medical assistance for Tenley, revive Heather, and convene in Medical, where the doctor tells them Tenley is completely catatonic.
46
Or, if you want the medical-speak which Illya undoubtedly understands (and Season 1 Napoleon doesn't seem too confused by), "a complete repressive block of the cortio-nerve paths to the medula". At any rate, Heather seems to expect Illya to understand, as she shoots him a quizzical look. :-)
47
48
Napoleon instructs the doctor to notify Interrogation, Section IV, is there is any positive change, and our boys and Heather head out to muse and strategize.
49
50
Poor Napoleon looks like he has a headache, as Heather tells him they have run tests and determined that it looks like there was one tape and one tape only that Tenley tried to run an auto-destruct on.
51
52
"All right," Napoleon runs down the information they have so far as he paces a bit. "We know that Tenley was trying to destroy the one file tape that had his name in it, Missing Persons." The question is, why? And why was Tenley's name in a Missing Persons file? Because his tracer didn't register for two days last year, while he was in Greenland.
53
54
55
56
57
58
"Mental crackup?" postulates Heather. "OR blackmail, or both?" adds Illya. "Well, it's a cinch that Tenley can't tell us why," concludes Napoleon. "Or has he already told us?"
59
60
"Play the tape again," directs Illya. "They're his final words." So Heather replays the tape, and they listen intently.
61
62
"I can't stop! Kill me!" we hear Tenley gasp. Then, again, "green... opal... Brach."
63
64
"Run a program code on 'green opal' right now, Heather."
65
66
Heather comes up with a map reference for 'green opal', but nothing terribly specific in location. When Napoleon asks about 'Brach', she is able to give him more useful information: Walter G. Brach.
67
68
69
"That's Walter G. Brach, the financier," remarks Illya.
70
71
72
Reading the printout on Brach, Napoleon adds, "He donated five million dollars last year for a study of the theory of reincarnation, but he hoards tin foil and string. Obviously, we're dealing with an eccentric.
73
"What is the tie-in between 'green opal' and Brach?" Heather directs them to a point on the map, just south of the Yucatan Peninsula, on the Gulf of Honduras. It seems Brach has sailed there every summer for the past 31 years.
74
"Every year?" asks Illya. "Yes," Heather replies, "And always on the ninth of September."
75
76
"That gives us two days before he leaves again," muses Illya. "That's almost too tight."
77
"Ninth day, ninth month," Napoleon muses in turn. "Nine, nine, nine.
78
"Does he by any chance take a numerologist along with him?" "As a matter of fact, yes," answers Heather.
79
Napoleon's look clearly says he is not surprised.
80
81
"Who else, besides the crew?" Illya wants to know. "A physician, a massuer, private male secretary," reads Heather from the data they have on Brach.
82
83
"You like taking cruises on yachts," Illya directs toward Napoleon, who smiles. "But how do we get rid of the secretary Brach has now?"
84
85
86
That's easy. "Urgent family business, three day virus," suggests Napoleon. "What about the routine we used on the Oldbury Affair?" Heather asks.
87
88
89
"Arrange for Brach's secretary to be witness to a crime, then we hold him as a material witness in protective custody," Illya elaborates, with a marvelously wicked grin.
90
"It's an ancient but artful dodge. Clear it with Mr. Waverly. If he okays it, throw it at, uh, Security Operations section."
91
Illya adds, "And alert your personality induction crew for an emergency run-through." Personality induction crew? Security Operations section? This little scene is just chock full of organizational canon, isn't it? Can't wait to see that personality induction in action! :-)
92
93
Okay... so this must be part of the personality induction crew. And this is supposed to induct a male secretary personality into Napoleon how?
94
95
But, at least in terms of looks... okay, I'll buy it. LOL
"Well, the application should fool them," Illya murmurs approvingly.
96
97
98
99
He takes a little circular stroll round his oh-so-dapper looking... um... partner (that is still Napoleon in there, isn't it?), barely suppressing a snicker...
100
101
... and, seating himself, puts Napoleon through his paces. "So. You're the new secretary the agency sent."
102
"Eh, yes sir, my name is Applegate. Edward. My references..."
103
Oh, my my my, Edward Applegate. You are totally irresistable! LOL
104
105
At any rate, Napoleon passes Illya's test of his personality induction, and is quizzed again shortly by Brach aboard his yacht. They agree upon a wage and the expectations of the position, then Brach has a few more questions, of a more personal nature.
106
107
"Are you a tippler?" Applegate huffs slightly, then replies, "Of course not, sir."
108
109
"What about women? Are you a chaser?" This produces a response of even more disbelief, as dear Edward fairly simpers and declares, "Mr. Brach!"
110
111
112
Napoleon comes close to slipping only once, and even that could be in character, when Brach's numerologist hands the financier his cabbage juice and pressed kelp. Ugh!
113
Brach accepts Applegate's services, and our Brunet in disguise stumbles clumsily out of the room, as one of the crew leads him to his quarters in preparation for leaving the harbor.
114
115
Brach's yacht arrives at its destination, an island off the coast of Honduras, and mild-mannered Edward Applegate is aghast to discover that there are sharks in the inlet.
116
117
He is told that shark components have marvelous nutritional value, and that the soldiers throw raw meat out daily so that the sharks have learned to come in close during regular feeding hours. How perfectly, um, wonderful.
118
He nearly trips as they begin the walk from the dock to the land, and is warned, "Careful. They expect their meal within the next half hour." Even more wonderful. And very comforting.
119
120
121
122
123
A colonel in the local military greets Brach, and the man tells Applegate to pay him $100 and mark it down. It's a bribe, so that the locals (neither civilians nor military) bother Brach while he's there. While Brach is willing to pay, he's hardly even civil about it. Such a nice guy. :-/
124
125
126
127
Brach then orders his man to cut open a shark and pulverize the spleen, then magnanimously says that the man can have the liver. Applegate feels queasy.
128
129
Brach orders him to back away, as he might have germs! Yes, numerology, strange foods, and a distinct fear of germs and dying. Brach is one eccentric character.
130
131
Brach tells Applegate to stay on the boat instead of accompanying the rest of the party ashore. Covering his mouth to keep his germs from Brach, as ordered, Applegate asks if one of the crew can take him back to the yacht, but Brach declines, saying it is an unnecessary trip, as they will be returning in about two hours.
132
133
So Brach and party depart, and Napoleon looks out through Applegate's glasses, then climbs back aboard the boat as ordered. But you know he's not going to be a meek, obedient boy, don't you?
134
135
136
137
138
139
Alone on the boat, Applegate's umbrella suddenly becomes an U.N.C.L.E. communicator.
140
141
Napoleon signals, "Open Channel D." And Heather answers him, asking if he enjoyed his cruise. "I didn't catch a single fish yet," Napoleon complains. "Maybe you're using the wrong bait."
142
143
"So far, Uncle Walter just seems to be a kindly, mal-adjusted kook," Napoleon reports.
144
145
"Be careful, U.N.C.L.E. thinks you're in very dangerous waters. Tenley's final words were 'Walter G. Brach'," Heather informs him. "Tenley's final words?" "He's dead. And Brach is very much alive." Napoleon digests this news as he nods his head and replies, "Yes."
146
147
Time for Applegate to disappear, Napoleon to return and do a little exploring. He strips off the character-defining accouterments of the meek secretary (and nothing else, so down, girls!), slips his Special into the back of his waistband...
148
149
... and checks out the soldiers by the dock. He has to get rid of them somehow, because he doesn't fancy a swim with the sharks to get to shore unnoticed.
150
151
Heather mentioned he'd been using the wrong bait. Well, bait is exactly what he needs, but not raw meat as for the sharks...
152
153
154
Aha! How about a little lettuce? Napoleon makes a bit free with Brach's money, as he lets the breeze propel several bills from his hands on to the shore, where, naturally, the soldiers become engrossed in a little clean up operation.
155
156
157
158
The way clear, Napoleon climbs from the boat and makes his way to land.
159
160
161
Napoleon smiles at the soldiers as they scramble further and further from the dock, chasing the bills.
162
Then he heads into the cover of the local vegetation.
163
164
Before too long, he sees an interesting sight: a pretty blonde, thrashing her way through the vegetation toward him. He smiles at her, but she warns him, "Don't touch me! If you try to drag me back there, I'll use this! I will!" And she brandishes a machete at him.
165
"Allow me to introduce myself," he says, trying to assure her he means her no harm. "I'm Napoleon Solo." Well, that means nothing to her at this point, and she continues to warn him not to touch her.
166
167
She lunges at him with the machete, and naturally, he disarms her with no problem.
168
169
But as he wraps his arms about her, they both hear vicious-sounding snarls from somewhere in the vegetation ahead of them. Not good... sharks in the water, and big cats on the land. What now, Mr. Solo?