On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show. This year, I will be splitting full seasons into two posts so today I am looking at the first half of Season 2 of Get Smart!
1966-1967
30 episodes
30 episodes
Season Two of Get Smart is a significant improvement on Season One as the show is much more sure of itself and comfortable in being the parody spy show it strives to be. It also introduces one of the more popular characters, Siegfried, played by Bernie Kopell. I have some mixed opinions on Siegfried as you will read in this season and future seasons, but he is a fan favorite. For a second straight season, the series was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series at the Emmys but this season also produced the first win for Don Adams.
Starring
Don Adams as Maxwell Smart (30 episodes)
Barbara Feldon as Agent 99 (26 episodes)
Edward Platt as The Chief (29 episodes)
Robert Karvelas as Larabee (20 episodes)
David Ketchum as Agent 13 (12 episodes)
Stacy Keach as Professor Carlson (10 episodes)
Bernie Kopell as Siegfried (5 episodes)
33. A Spy for A Spy (10/1/66)
After Siegfried kidnaps the Chief, CONTROL and KAOS keep capturing agents until they run out and have to swap them back.
This is the first appearance of Siegfried, played by Bernie Kopell. I know he is a popular character for many fans of the show, but I'm not a big fan. I think Kopell overacts most of the time. However, Kopell is pretty restrained here compared to later appearances and the plot is very clever, even if it's another episode built on negotiations. The part of the episode where spies are getting offed on both sides quickly is a little repetitive but the negotiation between Siegfried and Max and then transfer of the spies has some really strong moments.
RATING: 7/10
34. The Only Way to Die (10/8/66)
Everyone is convinced that Max has been killed and is mourning him but Max is actually undercover.
After a solid start to season two, this episode doesn't really work. It's a good premise with Max faking his death but it doesn't really work in execution and a lot of it is due to performances. Although Don Adams is a master at lots of different characters, he doesn't seem to give much of an effort towards being Max's "aunt" so it makes it not that funny. And Barbara Feldon very much overdoes it in her grief about Max while on a mission. The jokes are lame and the performance is overblown.
RATING: 2/10
35. Maxwell Smart, Alias Jimmy Ballantine (10/15/66)
Max pretends to be a safecracker in order to stop KAOS from robbing the Federal Reserve Bank.
This episode was born out of necessity in part because Don Adams had dental surgery and it required him being covered with a mask for some of the episode (or perhaps it was a body double?). The extended time that we don't get to see Don Adams' face does not do this episode any favors because Adams drives the action so much in pretty much every episode and we need him there for episodes to work. The rest of the episode is just ok although I always enjoy seeing how they use Agent 13, now in his second episode but filling the role Agent 44 did in the first season.
RATING: 3/10
36. Casablanca (10/22/66)
99 poses as a blonde lounge singer while Max appears to be on vacation in Casablanca but is actually undercover.
This is a send-up of the classic movie and one of many parodies Get Smart did, especially as the series went along. It's been a long time since I've seen the movie Casablanca, but this seems like a pretty strong parody with a pretty high production quality. There are some obvious and subtle references to the movie and the exotic locale plus a suspenseful story keeps it very interesting. My only regret is I wish they hadn't spent so much time in the lead-up to getting to Casablanca. I would have liked to see more scenes actually in Casablanca.
RATING: 9/10
37. The Decoy (10/29/66)
Max pretends to carry CONTROL's new secret code when he is kidnapped by KAOS and injected with a truth serum.
Get Smart fares better when it has denser and more complicated plots and that is certainly the case here. The first half of this episode is better than the second, but it's pretty enjoyable all the way through. I found myself wishing there was more of the process of Max traveling as the decoy before he was captured. However, there are some very funny moments especially when Max tries to act "normal" while talking to the Chief as the decoy.
RATING: 7/10
38. Hoo Done It (11/5/66)
Detective Harry Hoo joins Max at a tropical hotel where the guests keep disappearing or dying one by one.
Despite the second appearance of Harry Hoo, a character I do not enjoy, this episode is still fun with its Agatha Christie-like plot. This episode is also helped by the setting which looks a little bit like it was filmed on the set of Gilligan's Island. Though I still find Hoo annoying, he is not as integral to the plot and it seems like it actually could have just been done with Max and 99 but I digress. The episode stays suspenseful and is a fun one to watch.
RATING: 7.5/10
39. Rub-a-Dub-Dub... Three Spies in a Sub (11/12/66)
Max and 99 are prisoners on Siegfried's submarine and the Chief has to decide whether to save Max and 99 or let Siegfried get away.
Although not a continuation at all of the previous episode, this episode starts at what is clearly the same set. This is the second episode with Siegfried and already Bernie Kopell's performance is getting broader though still not as broad as it became. The submarine setting is interesting and there are a couple funny moments especially related to the Chief having to make a decision (and then covering for himself when Max and 99 make it out alive). But, it's just a so-so Siegfried entry.
RATING: 4.5/10
40. The Greatest Spy on Earth (11/19/66)
Max and 99 go after a KAOS diamond smuggling plot at a circus and several circus acts are suspects.
Although some elements of the "Who Done It" aspect are predictable, the cast of characters in this episode makes it quite enjoyable. A circus is a unique setting for a sitcom episode and each of the "circus freaks" are well defined characters that get their chance to shine. It makes the end of the episode when they all come together more enjoyable because we've gotten to know them each a little bit individually. Get Smart doesn't always give their guest characters enough to do or enough character development so this is a strong entry.
RATING: 8/10
41. Island of the Darned (11/26/66)
Max and 99 are the prey of a KAOS hunter on a remote Caribbean island.
Boy, Get Smart was getting use of their island set as this is the third time in four episodes to have a scene set at a mostly nondescript island. This episode features a nice turn by a pre-Rhoda Harold Gould as the villain. He's also one of the darker of the Get Smart villains. Not only is he a former Nazi, he also mails a dead, stuffed agent to CONTROL, that we see! Not something you see in every 60s sitcom. Although still comedic, this type of character is more often seen on shows like Criminal Minds. It's a suspenseful and exciting episode with a well-shot chase scene.
RATING: 8.5/10
42. Bronzefinger (12/3/66)
Max and 99 pose as members of the art world to try to catch a KAOS agent who forges famous paintings.
I'm usually a fan of art themed episodes. It's odd since I don't really have any interest in art in general but I think it's because art episodes are often heist ones and I like heist episodes. Perhaps this episode proved that it's not just regular old art episodes. There are some good moments, but it's also a pretty predictable end and the climactic scene is not as exciting as I wanted it to be. It also, like too many Get Smart episodes, takes too long to get to the meat of the episode (the scenes at the art gallery).
RATING: 3.5/10
43. Perils in a Pet Shop (12/10/66)
Max tracks a talking parrot who leads him to a pet shop operated by KAOS.
It's interesting to see Dick Wilson guest star in this episode. I'm so used to seeing him as a drunk on Bewitched and he was most certainly not a drunk character here. This episode has some good moments and keeps moving through the episode though the plot is not one of my favorites. My favorite moments though involve when Max and the KAOS agent have been tranquilized and are fighting each other in slow motion. That's a funny concept and it's well executed by Don Adams.
RATING: 6.5/10
44. The Whole Tooth And... (12/24/66)
Max is hiding secret plans in his tooth and plants it in someone going to jail when confronted so he has to get arrested to get it back.
This episode, which aired on Christmas Eve but has no tie-in at all to Christmas, has a very clever premise. It seems like it's going one way with Max carrying the information in his tooth but then it turns a totally different direction when it becomes about Max trying to find a way to get in prison. That part is the best part of the episode with a lot of funny moments and opportunities for Don Adams to be funny while trying to get arrested. The final act of Max actually trying to retrieve the tooth once in prison is probably the weakest part but still clever.
RATING: 7.5/10
45. Kiss of Death (12/31/66)
A wealthy heiress is a member of the Daughters of KAOS, and she is after Max with a kiss of poison lipstick.
This is a delightful episode that actually does have a New Year's Eve tie-in, which is when it aired. It's also one of the most 60s-feeling episodes to date with the party scene and very fun looks for 99 and especially the Chief. Even though we find out fairly early in the episode that the heiress is a KAOS agent, it stays suspenseful and interesting. There's a strong guest turn by Geraldine Brooks as the heiress and the strongest performance yet by David Ketchum as a drunk Agent 13.
RATING: 8.5/10
Starring
Don Adams as Maxwell Smart (30 episodes)
Barbara Feldon as Agent 99 (26 episodes)
Edward Platt as The Chief (29 episodes)
Robert Karvelas as Larabee (20 episodes)
David Ketchum as Agent 13 (12 episodes)
Stacy Keach as Professor Carlson (10 episodes)
Bernie Kopell as Siegfried (5 episodes)
Dick Gautier as Hymie the Robot (2 episodes)
King Moody as Shtarker (1 episode)
31. Anatomy of a Lover (9/17/66)
KAOS has reprogrammed Hymie to try to kill the chief and Max is asked to dismantle him but can't. He takes him home where the Chief's visiting niece falls in love with Hymie.
Season Two kicks off with the second appearance of Hymie the Robot. I mentioned in season one that I'm not a big fan of Hymie but I do appreciate the cleverness of his stories and this is a pretty strong plot to kick off the season. It's also sweet to see how much Max cares about Hymie that he tries to defy the Chief. There's a lot of good one liners here especially as Max tries to hide Hymie in his apartment and when he's confronted about it. After some thin season one plots, there's a lot to this episode between the mystery of who's programming Hymie, the Phoebe love story and the Hymie jokes themselves.
RATING: 8/10
32. Strike While the Agent is Hot (9/24/66)
Max becomes the head negotiator of the Guild of Surviving CONTROL Agents at the same time he's trying to solve a case.
This episode is pretty clever because of the way they dovetail the two stories. At first, all the negotiating stuff seems like a kind of silly subplot but then it gets a little bit subversive where Max can't believe the benefits that KAOS is giving their agents. Even as they're trying to kill each other, they're getting into the intricacies of the KAOS and CONTROL contracts, which is a pretty funny twist on the episode. The case itself is so-so and more in service of the negotiating comedy, but that works here.
RATING: 7.5/10
King Moody as Shtarker (1 episode)
KAOS has reprogrammed Hymie to try to kill the chief and Max is asked to dismantle him but can't. He takes him home where the Chief's visiting niece falls in love with Hymie.
Season Two kicks off with the second appearance of Hymie the Robot. I mentioned in season one that I'm not a big fan of Hymie but I do appreciate the cleverness of his stories and this is a pretty strong plot to kick off the season. It's also sweet to see how much Max cares about Hymie that he tries to defy the Chief. There's a lot of good one liners here especially as Max tries to hide Hymie in his apartment and when he's confronted about it. After some thin season one plots, there's a lot to this episode between the mystery of who's programming Hymie, the Phoebe love story and the Hymie jokes themselves.
RATING: 8/10
32. Strike While the Agent is Hot (9/24/66)
Max becomes the head negotiator of the Guild of Surviving CONTROL Agents at the same time he's trying to solve a case.
This episode is pretty clever because of the way they dovetail the two stories. At first, all the negotiating stuff seems like a kind of silly subplot but then it gets a little bit subversive where Max can't believe the benefits that KAOS is giving their agents. Even as they're trying to kill each other, they're getting into the intricacies of the KAOS and CONTROL contracts, which is a pretty funny twist on the episode. The case itself is so-so and more in service of the negotiating comedy, but that works here.
RATING: 7.5/10
33. A Spy for A Spy (10/1/66)
After Siegfried kidnaps the Chief, CONTROL and KAOS keep capturing agents until they run out and have to swap them back.
This is the first appearance of Siegfried, played by Bernie Kopell. I know he is a popular character for many fans of the show, but I'm not a big fan. I think Kopell overacts most of the time. However, Kopell is pretty restrained here compared to later appearances and the plot is very clever, even if it's another episode built on negotiations. The part of the episode where spies are getting offed on both sides quickly is a little repetitive but the negotiation between Siegfried and Max and then transfer of the spies has some really strong moments.
RATING: 7/10
34. The Only Way to Die (10/8/66)
Everyone is convinced that Max has been killed and is mourning him but Max is actually undercover.
After a solid start to season two, this episode doesn't really work. It's a good premise with Max faking his death but it doesn't really work in execution and a lot of it is due to performances. Although Don Adams is a master at lots of different characters, he doesn't seem to give much of an effort towards being Max's "aunt" so it makes it not that funny. And Barbara Feldon very much overdoes it in her grief about Max while on a mission. The jokes are lame and the performance is overblown.
RATING: 2/10
Max pretends to be a safecracker in order to stop KAOS from robbing the Federal Reserve Bank.
This episode was born out of necessity in part because Don Adams had dental surgery and it required him being covered with a mask for some of the episode (or perhaps it was a body double?). The extended time that we don't get to see Don Adams' face does not do this episode any favors because Adams drives the action so much in pretty much every episode and we need him there for episodes to work. The rest of the episode is just ok although I always enjoy seeing how they use Agent 13, now in his second episode but filling the role Agent 44 did in the first season.
RATING: 3/10
36. Casablanca (10/22/66)
99 poses as a blonde lounge singer while Max appears to be on vacation in Casablanca but is actually undercover.
This is a send-up of the classic movie and one of many parodies Get Smart did, especially as the series went along. It's been a long time since I've seen the movie Casablanca, but this seems like a pretty strong parody with a pretty high production quality. There are some obvious and subtle references to the movie and the exotic locale plus a suspenseful story keeps it very interesting. My only regret is I wish they hadn't spent so much time in the lead-up to getting to Casablanca. I would have liked to see more scenes actually in Casablanca.
RATING: 9/10
37. The Decoy (10/29/66)
Max pretends to carry CONTROL's new secret code when he is kidnapped by KAOS and injected with a truth serum.
Get Smart fares better when it has denser and more complicated plots and that is certainly the case here. The first half of this episode is better than the second, but it's pretty enjoyable all the way through. I found myself wishing there was more of the process of Max traveling as the decoy before he was captured. However, there are some very funny moments especially when Max tries to act "normal" while talking to the Chief as the decoy.
RATING: 7/10
Detective Harry Hoo joins Max at a tropical hotel where the guests keep disappearing or dying one by one.
Despite the second appearance of Harry Hoo, a character I do not enjoy, this episode is still fun with its Agatha Christie-like plot. This episode is also helped by the setting which looks a little bit like it was filmed on the set of Gilligan's Island. Though I still find Hoo annoying, he is not as integral to the plot and it seems like it actually could have just been done with Max and 99 but I digress. The episode stays suspenseful and is a fun one to watch.
RATING: 7.5/10
39. Rub-a-Dub-Dub... Three Spies in a Sub (11/12/66)
Max and 99 are prisoners on Siegfried's submarine and the Chief has to decide whether to save Max and 99 or let Siegfried get away.
Although not a continuation at all of the previous episode, this episode starts at what is clearly the same set. This is the second episode with Siegfried and already Bernie Kopell's performance is getting broader though still not as broad as it became. The submarine setting is interesting and there are a couple funny moments especially related to the Chief having to make a decision (and then covering for himself when Max and 99 make it out alive). But, it's just a so-so Siegfried entry.
RATING: 4.5/10
40. The Greatest Spy on Earth (11/19/66)
Max and 99 go after a KAOS diamond smuggling plot at a circus and several circus acts are suspects.
Although some elements of the "Who Done It" aspect are predictable, the cast of characters in this episode makes it quite enjoyable. A circus is a unique setting for a sitcom episode and each of the "circus freaks" are well defined characters that get their chance to shine. It makes the end of the episode when they all come together more enjoyable because we've gotten to know them each a little bit individually. Get Smart doesn't always give their guest characters enough to do or enough character development so this is a strong entry.
RATING: 8/10
Max and 99 are the prey of a KAOS hunter on a remote Caribbean island.
Boy, Get Smart was getting use of their island set as this is the third time in four episodes to have a scene set at a mostly nondescript island. This episode features a nice turn by a pre-Rhoda Harold Gould as the villain. He's also one of the darker of the Get Smart villains. Not only is he a former Nazi, he also mails a dead, stuffed agent to CONTROL, that we see! Not something you see in every 60s sitcom. Although still comedic, this type of character is more often seen on shows like Criminal Minds. It's a suspenseful and exciting episode with a well-shot chase scene.
RATING: 8.5/10
42. Bronzefinger (12/3/66)
Max and 99 pose as members of the art world to try to catch a KAOS agent who forges famous paintings.
I'm usually a fan of art themed episodes. It's odd since I don't really have any interest in art in general but I think it's because art episodes are often heist ones and I like heist episodes. Perhaps this episode proved that it's not just regular old art episodes. There are some good moments, but it's also a pretty predictable end and the climactic scene is not as exciting as I wanted it to be. It also, like too many Get Smart episodes, takes too long to get to the meat of the episode (the scenes at the art gallery).
RATING: 3.5/10
43. Perils in a Pet Shop (12/10/66)
Max tracks a talking parrot who leads him to a pet shop operated by KAOS.
It's interesting to see Dick Wilson guest star in this episode. I'm so used to seeing him as a drunk on Bewitched and he was most certainly not a drunk character here. This episode has some good moments and keeps moving through the episode though the plot is not one of my favorites. My favorite moments though involve when Max and the KAOS agent have been tranquilized and are fighting each other in slow motion. That's a funny concept and it's well executed by Don Adams.
RATING: 6.5/10
44. The Whole Tooth And... (12/24/66)
Max is hiding secret plans in his tooth and plants it in someone going to jail when confronted so he has to get arrested to get it back.
This episode, which aired on Christmas Eve but has no tie-in at all to Christmas, has a very clever premise. It seems like it's going one way with Max carrying the information in his tooth but then it turns a totally different direction when it becomes about Max trying to find a way to get in prison. That part is the best part of the episode with a lot of funny moments and opportunities for Don Adams to be funny while trying to get arrested. The final act of Max actually trying to retrieve the tooth once in prison is probably the weakest part but still clever.
RATING: 7.5/10
A wealthy heiress is a member of the Daughters of KAOS, and she is after Max with a kiss of poison lipstick.
This is a delightful episode that actually does have a New Year's Eve tie-in, which is when it aired. It's also one of the most 60s-feeling episodes to date with the party scene and very fun looks for 99 and especially the Chief. Even though we find out fairly early in the episode that the heiress is a KAOS agent, it stays suspenseful and interesting. There's a strong guest turn by Geraldine Brooks as the heiress and the strongest performance yet by David Ketchum as a drunk Agent 13.
RATING: 8.5/10
Tomorrow: The Friday Five - Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week!
Next Thursday: A look at the second half of Season 2 of Get Smart!
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