Episode
Mission: Impossible: Nerves
Overview
Wendell Hayes, the brother of an imprisoned Syndicate enforcer, has stolen a canister of nerve gas and threatens to use it if his brother Cayman isn't freed - the IMF must stop him and recover the gas. Worse, the canister has a defective casing that Wendell is unaware of, and will release the gas in 43 hours anyway. And...Cayman dies of a heart attack in jail, forcing the IMF to have guest-agent Bill Williams take his place. The IMF has Hayes' imprisoned girlfriend Saretta ""escape"" with prisoner-Casey handcuffed to her. Saretta takes Casey to a winery in a IMF car with a bug on it that Barney traces. Jim delivers ""Cayman"" but Hayes doesn't turn over the gas. They track Hayes to an observatory but he gets word via his partner Tully that his brother tied and he unmasks Williams-as-Cayman. Hayes and Tully shoot it out over an argument and with his dying breath Hayes tries to shoot open the canister...hid in the observatory roof, revealing its location to the IMF.
Details
- Series
- Mission: Impossible
- Season
- Season 6
- Episode
- Episode 12
- Air date
- 1971-12-04
Episode context
Nerves is Episode 12 in Season 6 of Mission: Impossible. It aired on 1971-12-04.
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Episode 11: The Visitors
Publisher Granger is controlled by the Syndicate, killing reporters and protecting Syndicate-owned politicians in his state. The IMF must make sure the voters know what Granger is up to before the next elections. Appealing to Granger's interest in UFOs and his obsession with immortality, chauffeur Barney hits him with a paralysis drug delivered by bee sting and Jim and Casey mysteriously appear in a light show, ""cure"" him with futuristic equipment, and appear. Thanks to IMF-rigged reports of UFOs, Granger believes they are aliens! After another rigged death of Casey that Jim ""cures,"" Granger begs for immortality. Jim agrees if he publicly renounces his way. Granger exposes the Syndicate candidates and then is shot by his former aide and Syndicate man.
Episode 13: Run for the Money
Syndicate members Trask and Mason control the Syndicate's illegal racing operations, while Trask ruthlessly dispatches the competition - the IMF must take them out. Trask is jealous of thoroughbred owner Mason so Jim offers him a mysterious but promising racehorse - Trask finds out the horse is a kidnapped fast-racer. The IMF arrange for him to get the horse and then place a number of bets on the horse in Trask's name. After keeping Mason from having the horse killed, Trask's horse wins and the IMF get the $4 million from the Syndicate funds, leaving Trask to hold the bag.
More episodes from this season
Episode 10: Blues (aka Hard Rock)
Stu Gorman is a music-industry figurehead for the Syndicate. He and his financial expert, Belker, are taking control of the music industry and the IMF have to stop him. The IMF know that Gorman killed a witness, Judy, to keep her from testifying, so Barney auditions for Gorman using a song called ""Judy's Gone Now"" and claiming Judy had taped Gorman when he killed her, and he has the tape. Barney gets Gorman to pay blackmail while Willy fake-rigs Belker's car to explode and claims he's working for Gorman when caught. Belker gets lead to Jim as a corrupt policeman with the recording, and he and Jim agree to blackmail Gorman instead. The IMF gives Belker a fake tape of the murder scene and when Belker confronts Gorman, Gorman knows its a fake and admits he killed Judy, then tries to kill Belker. But the police show up - the IMF have Gorman's confession on tape.
Episode 14: The Connection
Reese Dolan is the new Syndicate heroin distributor on the East Coast. Dolan uses an island base off the coast of northwest Africa and is going to use it as a distribution point for heroin into the U.S - the IMF must identify his overseas opium source and get the evidence to convict him. Dolan is being financed by an underworld figure, Madame Renada, whom he has never met, so Jim and Barney fly him and his men not to the island but to a lookalike off the coast of Georgia, where Casey assumes the role of Renada. Reese calls his distributor in Istanbul and the IMF has the delivery plane taken into custody. An IMF flyer makes the delivery which Dolan apparently converts to heroin and sends on its way, while Reese's supplier, Hajii, suspects a double-cross when his pilot doesn't return and calls Dolan's distributor, Cleff. Willy tries to sell heroin to Clegg and then is ""forced"" to tell that Dolan still has it, then lead Clegg to the fake island. Dolan finds out he still has the opium, and
Episode 9: Invasion
An earthquake damages the U.S.'s Distant Early Warning (DEW) system and a Defense Department advisor, Whitmore Channing, steals plans from the Air Force identifying the weak spots. Channing has hid the information for pick-up by an enemy agent the next day, and the IMF must get the name and flight # of the agent from Channing. The IMF evacuate Channing's city block and drug him unconscious after a fake electrical shock, then wake him up after adjusting the clocks to a day later. He believes the information has already been picked up, an idea ""proven"" by a faked IMF invasion of the European People's Republic. But then the EPR invaders arrest Channing and put him on trial. Channing reveals the location of the drop to prove his ""innocence"", and then the IMF let him covertly know the whole thing is a fake. Channing calls his contact and mentions his name - the IMF get it via a tapped line and arrest the man before he can recover Channing's info.
Episode 15: The Bride
Joe Corvin, a Syndicate money handler, ships millions through Swiss banks and the IMF must put him out of business. Corvin uses a courier that the IMF set up - Corvin has him killed and needs a new courier. Casey steps in as his mail-order bride addicted to drugs by airline employee-smuggler Jim. Corvin and Jim become partners but when the IMF fake-tightenes up security, they need a new way. Casey fakes her death and Corvin ships the cash in her coffin. Barney steals the money and the coffin is dropped on the runway, revealing a fake corpse. Corvin is confronted by the Syndicate, and an alive Casey shows up with two tickets to Miami. The Syndicate let Casey go and dispose of Corvin, permanently.
Episode 8: Underwater
Berlinger, a millionaire manufacturer and stolen gem dealer, will be transferring diamond to a Syndicate boss for $75 million. Only one man knows where the diamonds are - Hoffman, Berlinger's former lieutenant, who stole them. Berlinger is torturing Hoffman for their location. The IMF must get the gems and the money. Barney springs Hoffman and they become partners so Hoffman dives for the gems (hidden on the body of a courier sunk at sea). Casey brings Berlinger to Jim, posing as a diver, who offers to get the diamonds. Willy follows Hoffman to the gems and the team knocks him out and takes him into custody - then Jim leads Berlinger to the same spot and offers to make a deal in return for his $5 million payment. Under pressure from the Syndicate, Berlinger agrees and in the subsequent meeting the police capture everyone.
Episode 16: Stone Pillow (aka Big House)
A private detective, Edison, has pictures incriminating Syndicate boss Vochek in a murder and is using them to blackmail the mobster. The IMF need to get the pictures to get Vochek convicted, but Edison has been convicted and is in prison for six months. Since Edison is unaware that his accomplice Leona is dead, Casey takes her role while Jim is Edison's cellmate and helps him to escape, then fake their deaths. Casey-as-Leona tells Edison she sent the evidence to the D.A. after she heard Edison was dead, and Jim convinces Edison she is keeping the pictures to pull off her own blackmail scheme. When Edison confronts her, Jim fake-shoots her but she calls a confederate to get the film - desperate, Edison reveals the location himself as he goes for it, and ends up arrested.
Episode 7: Encounter
Syndicate boss Frank Brady and his underling Martin Stoner are terrorizing Southwestern businessman, forcing them to partner with the Syndicate. The weakspot is Stoner's wife Lois, who has become an alcoholic under the pressures of her husband's work. The IMF capture her and dry her out while Casey takes her place. She goes on a retreat and Brady sends a killer, Dekker, to keep an eye on her and kill her if she talks. Willy infiltrates Brady's organization and finds out some information which he leaks to Casey, who reveals it in an encounter group session and Dekker seriously wounds her. Casey continues with the mission while Brady suspects that Stoner leaked the info to his wife. Willy sets up Brady's goons to be arrested and claims they were set up - Brady sends him to kill both Stoners. Willy fails and Stoner heads for the bank with ""Lois"" to get his Brady's records. Unfortunately the real Lois escapes and tips off Brady. Brady and Dekker go to the bank, and Dekker kills Martin Ston
Episode 17: Image
Emil Gadsen has controlled the Syndicate's vice operation in the Northeast U.S. - now he plans to flee the country to avoid an indictment, leading his underling Thor Coffin in charge. Gadsen has a list of officials he pays off that he'll be taking with him - the IMF must get the list. Barney plays a psychic who visits believer Gadsen and warns of someone coming who is ""closer then a brother"" (although Gadsen has no brother), then drugs Gadsen to react in pain to someone showing him the Death tarot card. Then Gadsen and his son Tony meet ""Professor Gadaradz,"" who is Gadsen's lookalike (actually IMF guest-agent Scott). When Gadaradz has a heart attack, the IMF show Gadsen a Death card and he feels sympathetic pains. Barney convinces Gadsen that Coffin kidnapped and is now torturing Gadaradz - Gadsen breaks into Coffin's estate where Willy has snuck in and is fake-torturing Gadaradz. When Gadaradz ""dies,"" and Gadsen collapses in pain, he gives the list (hidden in his watch) to his son Ton
Episode 6: The Miracle
Only two Syndicate men know where $8 mil in heroin will be arriving - narcotics dealer Alvin Taylor an dhis executioner, Frank Kearney. When Jim approaches Kearney to make a deal and he refuses, Willie ""shoots"" Kearney - Barney as a surgeon then operates providing a heart transplant and covertly uses drugs and hypnotism to make Kearney mild-mannered. Kearney can't bring himself to shoot Jim and hears on the radio about people taking on the traits of persons they received organs from - with the aid of new girlfriend, the church-hating Kearney finds out the man who donated a heart was a priest! Realizing he can't do his job and the Syndicate will wipe him out, Kearney leads Casey and the rest of the team to the beach where the heroin drop occurs, and the police arrive just before Taynor can kill Kearney.
Episode 18: Committed
Syndicate boss Chandler's alibi is provided by Lt. Governor Harrison, who is in Chandler's pocket. Chandler has the husband of the only witness, Nora Dawson, get her committed and proceeds to have her driven insane at a mental hospital he controls. The IMF must get her out and have her testify in 24 hours. Jim gets Casey committed and she is put in a room near Nora, then he manages to get to Nora's cell and she and Casey switch - Jim then takes Nora-as-Casey out. The team get Nora off the island - when Casey-as-Nora is called to testify, she babbles insanely but then removes her mask while the team bring the real Nora in to testify.