Professor Popinjay's Compendium of Perspicacity

A Non-review by Professor Popinjay

Most people to whom I’ve spoken about this iteration of the 1988 Mission: Impossible series have either never heard of it or can’t differentiate it from the original 1966-73 series. It only lasted two seasons, but it still featured Peter Graves as leader of the team. It also featured a few members of the original cast as guest stars, so it’s easy to understand the confusion.

The show started during a writers strike, therefore much of it consisted of scripts for the old show that were reworked or modernized. I found some of the modernization laughable. While it was easy enough to predict things like 3D printing and holographic images, some liberties they took to appear cutting edge bordered on pure science fiction like the dream recorder. That was dumb.

As far as “holographic” images went, they usually had some actor or actress just there in the room doing things that a hologram still can’t do.

The show was really formulaic and kind of predictable in that way. The serendipity was hilarious. Just about every episode involved one character or another having superstitions or they were a practitioner of VooDoo or they were part of a cult or their industry depended on a tribe of people who worshiped a volcano. The story elements the team could exploit were just soooo convenient and theatrical.

I found it funny their master of disguise spent more time being played by other actors than himself. Thaao Penghlis would put on a rubber mask and there would be a cutaway and then the actual actor he was impersonating would be sitting where Thaao was originally, adjusting his actual face as if it was a mask. This is a trope of all Mission: Impossibles though. Their use of the method in this version was comical sometimes, like when they made a guy see himself being tormented by the devil. Yeah, that was a thing. Peter Graves was being the Devil… if you can imagine.

I’ve seen a few episodes of the old show but not enough to accurately form an opinion. What I did see was superb though. It took itself very seriously and frankly deserved to do so because it didn’t insult the intelligence of its audience, at least in the few episodes I’ve seen. 1988 definitely had its high points and could do serious much of the time. This I think was part of its downfall though. Sometimes it took itself very seriously during very far-fetched and unbelievable moments.

Peter Graves has this no nonsense way of speaking. It sounded cool when he’s rattling off the facts. But when he’s expected to say silly things in a serious manner like “He’s been involved in Satanic rites.” while watching a guy’s dream on a screen, it generates a guffaw from me.

If this show had been made for kids and portrayed by kids, it might have been more acceptable. But it was made by serious adults and portrayed by serious adults who expected other serious adults to accept these wild predictable plots and science fiction-esque technology in a real world setting. More often than not, it just didn’t work.

The last episode was probably the most ridiculous. I wonder if it was the last straw that lead to it’s cancellation or if they had just thrown caution to the wind at that point. I know they (gnomes) had moved it’s time slot around a bunch which is always a death sentence. Nothing was ever able to compete with the Cosby Show.

The last episode had a mummy wandering around strangling people. It was quickly explained it was a guy enacting the mummy’s curse to protect the interests of a Seth worshiping Egyptian cult. Come on, guys. Is this Mission:Impossible or an episode of Scooby-Doo?

I really wanted to like this show. I think I’ll go back to the 1966 version and see if all of it is as good as the couple episodes I’ve seen.

Optional Tangent: While we’re on the subject, after watching Peter Graves do his thing as Jim Phelps, I gotta say, he really is a likable character and it really was a travesty what they did to him in the first Tom Cruise Mission: Impossible film (1996).

It’s no wonder Peter Graves turned down the part. Shame on the filmmakers and shame on Jon Voight for taking over the part without making some changes. They could have changed the character’s name, made him an imposter with an elaborate mask trying to frame Phelps, any number of things could have been done to redeem the character instead of making a beloved character into an irredeemable villain. I loved the first M:I film but I have to pretend Jon Voight is Jim Phelp’s no good brother or something like that. Shame!

Box art!