Maxwell Smart (Don Adams) and 99 (Barbara Feldon) arer undercover in foggy London (read as stock footage, and back lot work). They also throw in a quick appearance by Danny Thomas. They are to take care of an American gangster, Scar (done before the opening credits) and deal with a the Scorpion Gang who are causing problems.

That Old Gang of Mine was written by Phil Hahn and Jack Hanrahan and it first aired 2 December, 1967.

The pair had to a local pub to meet up with the Chief (Edward Platt) and his opposite in English CONTROL, Hathaway (Eric Brotherson). They want Smart to go undercover as Scar and infiltrate the gang and bring them down.

And among the gang is Turk played by iconic actor, Sid Haig. They’re pulling off a job tonight, steal the Royal Jewels, will Smart be able to stop them? or will he have to go through with it to save the day? But with a group of doublecrossers who can trust who and live through the theft? And who is the real baddie?

There are some great gags, including a foggy hotel room, a twist on the cone of silence, and a pretty funny impression of Churchill. Definitely not England, but definitely very funny.

The Mild Ones obviously riffs on The Wild One. It was written by William Raynor and Myles Wilder and debuted on 9 December, 1967.

It’s another undercover mission for Smart and 99 when they go undercover in a biker gang as Wheels and Legs on a mission to find a missing Prime Minister (Nick Borgani).

Steve Allen makes an uncredited appearance as the Minister’s Aide.

They infiltrate the gang in their leather jackets and white helmets, as the episode riffs on hippie and biker culture. Smart even has to take place in a jousting contest with bikes and mops. It’s all pretty goofy, but very funny.

The bikers are all tropes, and Smart is hilarious throughout. There are chases, babes, and halfway decent stunts.

The mission itself is just a ploy to get Smart and 99 into a biker story, and for the most part it works, but it works as a spoof of all the biker culture at the time.

It also once again, shows the constraints of a television budget. It feels small, but it’s done well, and Adams and Feldon are comfortable with their characters, and their place in the series. It’s a fun one, though I like the previous one more.

Classification: Dead was co-written by David Ketchum (Agent 13). He was joined by Bruce Shelly and it first aired on 23 December, 1967.

It’s a bit of a nod to the noir classic, D.O.A. – Adams is left with hours to live after he’s been poisoned by a KAOS agent. He needs to find the cure!

The cure is tough to find and CONTROL scientists will need time to develop it. Time he doesn’t have.

99 works to help, despite being upset that Smart was with a woman socially, and it wasn’t her.

The trail leads to Mr. Hercules (John Fiedler), who offers the cure in return for CONTROL codes and information. Will Max be able to outwit him and live?

It’s a fairly fun episode, and Max actually has some nice action beats and superspy moments; electrifying an assassin while he’s kissing a girl is very on brand.

And while I’m sure Fiedler has done tons of work, he will always be Hengist from Star Trek’s Wolf in the Fold, and the voice of Piglet.

I really dug this episode, and it was well-executed. It was paced well and just worked. The best of the three this week.