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Synopsis in 3 sentences or less:
The IMF team heads to East Berlin to rescue a kidnapped teenage girl and bring down a corrupt doctor and military officer.
Memorable Quote:
Now once we cross no man's land into East Berlin, there can't be any mistakes or we spend the next few years in Siberia. ~Jim
Highlight:
Now once we cross no man's land into East Berlin, there can't be any mistakes or we spend the next few years in Siberia. ~Jim
Highlight:
I'm a big fan of secret rooms in general, and the fake room in the doctor's office behind the cabinet was pretty cool.
Lowlight:
Lowlight:
Why was it necessary for the doctor to put the girl in an artificially induced coma? Unless he's just a sociopath.
Conversation:
Other thoughts, observations, and questions I didn’t ask when I was in fourth grade:
- This episode shares a name with a MacGyver episode (also about the Berlin Wall), and both episodes include a little girl's doll.
- How does the team have all of these materials to work with in East Berlin?
- Did Phelps actually shoot Max and Nick? Even with bullet proof vests, that seems like a risky maneuver in case the vest doesn't work or his aim is off.
- Even though Grant is the tech guy on the team, Max is no slouch either with electronics as he shows a few times in this episode.
- The father doesn't seem overly excited to see his daughter at the end. Germans have a reputation for stoicism but this guy is a little over the top.
Conversation:
Colin Budds, episode director
This was the first episode of US television I directed. It was the beginning of a long, fruitful, demanding but enjoyable relationship with some great US producers. The Wall is another ep revisited from the original series. I remember "the Wall" was built in the carpark at the studios and "checkpoint Charlie" was underneath a pavilion at the Brisbane showgrounds. Great art department team. Many original scripts were to follow and just like the originals some were great, others less so but I have nothing but fond memories and still work with some of the IM team today.
Final Analysis:
I wasn't really into this one. The second half was slow to develop, especially the scenes involving the locked up and drugged up doctor, and the ending was odd when the doctor in a drug induced haze made a run for the border. I'm sure our president would love this one since he's a big fan of walls, but I'm only ranking it 5 out of 6.
I'll probably rate this one last, but not because I hated it....just had the least interesting overall flow than the others thus but not dramatically less. Aside from the pilot episode which I loved, the following five episodes have all been operating at about the same "decently entertaining but not mind-blowing" level for me. I didn't care for the ending, and unsatisfying closing scenes have been my biggest issue with this show thus far, but I did like the scenes in the interrogation jail where the doctor was being drugged and conned by the team.
ReplyDeleteThe producers got the timing right by less than a year in reviving a Berlin Wall storyline from the original series, as this episode aired on December 11, 1988, and the Berlin Wall came down in November 1989. I thought they captured the atmosphere of East Germany well and give props to whoever had the original idea of filming this series in Australia as thus far it's given them an impressive array of locations to represent many different global settings. Apparently, a little girl with a doll is absolutely necessary for any ABC adventure series involving escaping the Berlin Wall.