Episode
Mission: Impossible: The Merchant
Overview
Armand Anderssarian is an illegal arms dealer who is about to complete a multi-million dollar deal selling arms to guerrilla groups around the world - the IMF must stop him. Jim pretends to be setting up a theft of a secret radar system and Anderssarian ""sponsors"" Jim with $5 million through Minister Sartori then plans to sell the system for $20 million. Meanwhile Anderssarian loses his $5 million to Paris (with Barney providing an assist) in a poker game. The IMF team perform a fake raid (under the scrutiny of Anderssarian's aide Leon) on a IMF-staged radar station but the stuff is useless and Sartori wants to be reimbursed. When Anderssarian can't do so Sartori takes care of him for good.
Details
- Series
- Mission: Impossible
- Season
- Season 5
- Episode
- Episode 23
- Air date
- 1971-03-17
Episode context
The Merchant is Episode 23 in Season 5 of Mission: Impossible. It aired on 1971-03-17.
Previous / Next
More episodes from this season
Episode 21: A Ghost Story
Howard Bainbridge, a chemical warfare expert who defected to East, was contaminated by his own experiments and then returned back to the U.S. and his family manor, where his father (a paranoid arch-conservative) had him killed and the body buried. Since Howard destroyed the records before defecting, the IMF must recover the body to get a sample of the chemicals. The elder Bainbridge, Justin, is unaware that his head of security is an enemy agent also trying to find Howard' sbody. The IMF gain access to a air-raid shelter on the grounds and start ""haunting"" Justin with a secretly-implanted microphone and holographic projectors. Plagued by visions only he can see of his son and his dead wife Janette (played by Dana), Justin calls in physician Paris, who recommends he assauge his guilt conscience and Justin ends up digging up his son's body, which the IMF take.
Episode 20: Kitara (aka The Bigot)
John Darcy, codename 'Kitara', leads a liberation movement in the African country of Bocamo and has been inadvertently captured by the ruthless Colonel Kohler. Kohler plans to torture Kitara, who if he confesses his true identity will result in the destruction of the entire movement. Kohler is after a truckful of government gold bullion Kitara stole. Jim and Doug play agents while Barney is captured and gets the location of the bullion from Kitara and gets it to Jim. Doug warns Kohler about ""lamposa hycondra"", a disease that causes blacks to turn white. After Kohler takes a IMF-rigged shower he wakes up the next morning to find himself black! Dana as a reporter introduces Kohler to shopkeeper Paris, who has ""proof"" that Kohler's grandfather was black. Kohler goes on the run and Paris hides him out at the gold's location. The authorities find Kohler there and believe he is Kitara and have him arrested, then hand the gold over to Jim to deliver it to headquarters.
Episode 19: The Cataflaque
In San Pascal Premier Miguel Fuego and his nephew Ramone have signed a secret arms treaty with a Communist power to permit nuclear weapons aimed at the U.S. into their country. The IMF must expose the treaty before the missiles are installed. The team has Paris claim that Ramone's late father was killed by Miguel and that Paris' father at the closed Madrena Prison can verify this. The IMF secretly reopen Madrena prison and have Ramone arrested for fake-killing Doug, and Paris plays his previous character's father, who claims a diary will prove his claim. Ramone escapes and rejoins the younger Paris' character, who makes him believe the diary is on his father Victorio's body, lying in state. Barney and Doug have secreted replaced the body with a wax dummy behind the backs of the guards and planted a diary "proving" Miguel had Victorio lobotomized. Upon recovering it, Ramone goes to an asylum where a braindead "Victorio" is being kept. Enraged, Ramone takes Paris to the safe containing t
Episode 18: Blast
Gregory Tolan leads an underground cell specializing in bank robberies with the money going to finance an American revolution. His mysterious sponsor is Jonathan Brace, who runs other such cells throughout the U.S. The IMF must find out Brace's identity and apprehend him. Phelps (as a demo expert) and Dana (as his insider at Tolan's next target) get recruited and has to make sure Tolan steals the money without the police knowing so he can lead them to Brace. When Jim stops Tolan from shooting Willy (disguised as a clerk), the police are alerted and Tolan's team takes refuge. Jim goes to get a (bugged) car since Brace won't come to them, Paris and IMF guest agent Grace play the homeowners, and Dana and Tolan exit with the money when Brace orders them to. Jim stops the hostages from getting killed and they follow Tolan to Brace and bring them both in.
Episode 17: The Field
An enemy power has launched a satellite containing a thermonuclear bomb and the IMF must destroy it. The control center on an island in the Adriatic Sea is surrounded by an impenetrable minefield designed by an American defector, Norris. Barney secretly sets off some of the mines - without an explanation, the facility security call in Norris, whom they haven't seen. Paris takes Norris' place and using plans that Jim stole earlier, shuts down part of the field, and Barney gets in to program the system to drop the satellite out of orbit. Unfortunately, on the mainland the real Norris kills his girlfriend, a government spy, and Paris-as-Norris is arrested for the murder! This also leaves Barney trapped in the middle of the minefield. Jim and Doug manage to extract a confession and the location of the murder weapon from Norris before Inspector Koder (who knows the real Norris) can spot Paris. Dana comes in and manages to covertly slip Paris the information they've set up to make it look li
Episode 16: The Missile (aka Torpedo)
James Read, an enemy agent, is posing as an analyst to get to a top-secret U.S. missile guidance system being tested and steal the plans - the IMF must have him take back fake plans and unwittingly pass on the incorrect information to his superiors. Dana takes the place of Read's contact and he and fake boss Jim fake a romantic relationship so Read can get blackmail photos and use them to turn over the system. Read tells Dana of his plan to kill Jim, but before she can warn Jim, Dana is kidnapped by Hecker, a psychopath who believes Dana is a former girlfriend he killed. After Willy saves Barney from a firetrap meant for Jim, Paris and Barney manage to rescue Dana and alert Jim just in time to avoid a rigged car, convincing Read he's in the clear with the guidance system.
Episode 15: Cat's Paw
Larry Collier, newspaper editor and Barney's brother, is killed while trying to establish a link between corrupt police chief Abbott and Corley, the head of a ghetto mob who masks his illegal activities with an insurance front company. Barney, set up with a past as a crooked accountant, gets close to Corley by rescuing his secretary Millie - Corley hires him on when he finds out about his "past." Barney plants money to make it look like Corley's assistant Goslin is working against him, while the IMF use a phony seance to convince Goslin to quit with some incriminating evidence. Jim arrests Goslin with the evidence, a codebook, and uses it to force Abbott to back him as a mob boss then bribes Corley's guard to try and kill the mob leader. Barney rescues him and Corley runs into Jim, who threatens to take him to Abbott - knowing Abbott will have him killed, Corley turns state's evidence.
Episode 14: Takeover
Phelps must stop Charles Peck from using violence, created by professional provocateur Billy Walsh, to elevate his puppet, Mayor Steven Tallman to the governorship. Dana is a provocateur herself, arrested by Barney the current governor's representative. Walsh gets Dana out, and Paris is a blackmailer who convinces Tallman that Dana is his previously-unknown illegitimate daughter. Peck is concerned that Tallman (actually Paris in disguise) will confess their plans to save his "daughter", and orders Walsh to kill Barney and Dana. Barney stops Walsh on TV before he can blow up a crowd of demonstrators and police during a protest, and Paris-as-Tallman confesses to Peck's involvement.
Episode 13: The Hostage
After completing a mission Paris is undercover as an American businessman and still in disguise when he is kidnapped by Latin American revolutionaries led by terrorist Robert Siomney - they ask for the release of three prisoners in return for Paris' life. Paris fakes a disease forcing the government to drop medication, which the IMF has planted a tracking device in. Once they know where the revolutionaries' compound is, Jim fakes the exceution of two of the prisoners, putting pressure on the revolutionary leader Jorge Cabal since his son Luis is the third prisoner. Dana poses as Luis' girlfriend to get close to Jorge so Siomney orders her covert death to keep Jorge on track - Barney takes the killer's place and rescues Dana. Then Jim fakes Luis' death as well - Barney fake-kills Paris and then they reveal that Luis got a last-minute reprieve. With nothing else to bargain with, Jorge turns over Siomney, Barney in disguise, and the ""dead"" Paris in return for the government commuting his
Episode 12: Squeeze Play (aka Sicily)
Albert Zembra, head of the Mediterranean branch of the Syndicate, is dying of cancer and plans on passing his list of opium farms to his chosen successor. He plans on turning power over to Carlos Empori, engaged to his granddaughter. Paris poses as a mobster and old friend of Eve's and "renews" his friendship with her, while Phelps, as Zembra's rival, warns Carlos that Paris plans to take over. Barney stages a fake assassination on Zembra, thwarting Carlos' security and making him look incompetent, then Paris and Paris-as-Zembra stage a conversation to make Carlos believe Zembra will give power to Paris. Carlos helps Jim kidnap Eve, but the plan goes awry when Eve reveals she knows Paris is a fake. Paris puts his life on the line by counting on her silence to complete the plot. Eve stays silent, Carlos is set up as a traitor to Zembra, and the dying mobster turns the information over to Paris.