I Spy

Episode 02: A Cup of Kindness

DVD: I Spy: Disk 1 - A Cup of Kindness

Starring

Robert Culp - Kelly Robinson
Bill Cosby - Alexander Scott

Guest Stars

David Friedkin - Russ Conley
Irene Tsu - Girl at Export Company
Lee Kolima - Kwan Tak
Robin Lee - Child
Tommy Lee - Bellhop

Locale: Hong Kong

Summary

As Kelly bumps into his old mentor, Russ Conley, he finds that his latest orders are to kill his old friend. It seems as if Conley has become a double agent, and turned over a prototype weapons signaling device to the enemy. Conley knows Kelly's orders, and pleads Robinson and Scott to retrieve the prototype and clear his name. Kelly's loyalty to his old friend compels him to ignore his orders and help save Conley's life.

Conley leads Robinson and Scott to the exporting company where he was captured and tortured. The exporting company is a front for the enemy, and the prototype is still inside. Kelly goes on a hilarious recon mission, and the three return to recover the prototype. However, as luck would have it, things don't go as planned.

Cool Stuff

In this episode, we learn a bit about how Alexander joined the service. During his undergrad years, he was studying languages. As it turns out, his professor was a recruiter, and recognized Scott's potential.

This episode features an extensive fight scene involving Kelly against a gang of agents posing as employees of an export company. It's cool to see Robert Culp going through some rather acrobatic moves, unlike some of the usual fight scenes in Star Trek where it's painfully obvious that stunt doubles are used.

There's a funny camera goof during the fight scene, where a big goon lifts Kelly onto a counter and shoves him across. While Kelly is probably played by a stunt double for this scene, a pull cable is clearly visible, carefully guiding the stunt Kelly along the counter.

Alexander Scott also shows off his MacGuyveristic side by creating a low-level bomb using materials found in your run-of-the-mill export warehouse. He uses a combination of ammonia, fertilizer, and dry ice to create a mildly volatile mixture. He then sets it off using a makeshift timing fuse made out of a lit cigarette.

What's disconcerting about this episode's enemy agents is their ineptness when dealing with captured spies. First, they throw Scott, Robinson, and Conley into a storage room where they can find raw materials to concoct a bomb. Second, they don't search their prisoners to find a potentially useful match, and -yikes!- the prototype! Unbelievable...

Cool Babes

Now what self-respecting spy show would not include a hot babe? Well, "A Cup of Kindness" is no exception. Irene Tsu, a former beauty queen, is this episode's exotic babe. Her character doesn't even have a name, but her appearance at the end of the episode pratically steals the show.

Closing

Overall, the episode is enjoyable but does have a slightly predictable plot twist. However, like many of the early episodes in the series, "A Cup of Kindness" benefits from location shooting. There's something about Hong Kong in the Sixties that adds an air of intrigue. The exotic setting is almost like a supporting character, and is missing in the series' later episodes which were filmed in Desilu Studios.