06x05 - The Organisation Man

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SIMON: Destiny chooses
some men to win at everything.

At life, at the races,
to have all the best girls,

to grow roses in December.
But for men like Horace Spode,

fate has chosen another path.

I can't fault that.

Excellent,

but we'd expect nothing else
from the notorious Simon Templar.

Comments?

Well?

We don't deny Templar did
all he was asked. But?

We're not sure of him, sir.
It's his manner. It's not serious.

He's...he's frivolous.

Frivolous? Aye.
There's no dedication in the man.

I agree.

Nevertheless, we accept him.

Send in Mr Templar, please.

You've got a week to knock him
into shape.

A pleasure!

Roper. Jonathan Roper.

How do you do?
A glass of port, Mr Templar?

That's...uncommonly civil of you.

Waterford.

An unusual design.
A speciality made for George I.

You'll enjoy the wine, too.

I'm sure I will.

Thank you.

Taylor, . One of my favourites.
Aye...

but do you know a w*apon
like you know that stuff?

Mauser -.

Unusual thing to be carrying
in your pocket.

I prefer the... version.

There's less tendency to drag left.

Satisfied, Leander?
We'll see.

Tell me, Templar, is Spode
the first man you've ever k*lled?

There have been other regrettable
occasions. Regrettable?

In a way of speaking, Leander,
less crude than your own.

You gave it a nice professional
touch.

Thank you.

No pangs of guilt?

No qualms?

About a stranger?
It happens, with some men.

The kind we're not interested in.

Then I've passed, have I?

Finish your port, Templar.

I'll show you around.

Haa!

You name it, we've got it.
You want a French officer? Jacques.

A British naval rating?
Harry Collins.

A Japanese major.

An American colonel. Impressed?

Baffled. You have offered me
a great deal of money.

Now you'd like to know
what you've got to do to earn it?

Haa!

This is our third year of operation.

As a health farm? How do you keep
out legitimate customers?

We're always full.
I simply turn them away.

This is a very exclusive
health farm.

So I see.

No fat men allowed.

We find it a convenient cover
for our...other activities.

Which are?

We are a small but highly trained
mercenary army, Mr Templar.

Our g*ns are for hire.

And you were able to accept
my grades?Yes, luckily for you.

I didn't ask to join.

Nobody asks. We select.

And if your recruits
don't come up to the mark?

We can't afford publicity.

Leander...disposes of our dropouts.

Somehow, I doubt they will include you.

Although there might be a touch
too much personal initiative.

You have my word,
I shall stick to the house rules.

Good. Well, time's short.

I've already told Leander
he has seven days

to bring you up to scratch.

Come along, then. Come on,
you can't let the new man b*at you.

Get on with you. Come on, now!

Come on, now, Mason.

Go on with you!

For six weeks now, I've put you
through the best training there is.

At the end of it, you make a fool
of me in front of Templar!

It's k*ll or cure, Mason,
you understand?

Yes, yes.
Go on, then. Run!

Good morning.

There's a pub a couple of miles
up the road.

See how fast you can make it.

The debonair Simon Templar...

Dehydrated by unaccustomed exercise.
..is in bad need of a drink.

It's funny you should say that.

An operation is scheduled
in about a week.

What sort of operation?
I won't know until the day.

Cheers.

The Major wants a full report.

Later. Can you make it tonight?

Well, it's against
the school rules...

but for you, I'll do my best.

Close up there! Stay together!

Close up!

I think I'm sick. I need a doctor.

You made a fool of me
in front of Templar.

I'm sick, I tell you! And I tell you
you're a dropout, Mason.

Right, Mason.

I'll give you one more chance.

You say you're not a dropout?

Prove it!

times.

With your rucksack on.

One...

One, two.

Two, three.

Three, four.

Four, five.
Why don't you stop him?

Why don't you?

Six, six.

Seven, seven.
I have your permission?

Eight.

Nine, nine. Ten.

Templar, he's a hard man.

On himself, as well. Leander!

Sir. That'll do.

All right, Mason.

Get showered.
Take his rucksack. Sir.

One hundred, Leander.

Sir.

One, one.

Two, two.

Three, three.

Just in case you get the idea that
his bark is worse than his bite.

Would you like to stay
and watch him?

Not particularly.
He'll do it, you know.

Seven, seven.

Eight, eight.

Doglike devotion to duty.

Nine. Ten. Ten.

As long as you keep him
on a short leash.

You have a taste for the good life,
Templar.

Thanks. Who doesn't?

Leander. Cable.
They don't work for the money.

Born subordinates.

Ah, you agree!

You agree that the world is divided.

Between the shepherds and the flock?

If you like.

Or between those who lead
and those who follow.

It's an idea to juggle with.

It's the idea.
Once you've grasped that,

once you've freed yourself
from this democratic garbage,

then you can act.
If you are a leader.

Three years ago, I made the break.

With society? The law?

With everything, but most of all,

with the unworkable idea that men
are equal in anything.

Democracy is devoted
to the protection of the weak.

Numbers against quality.

I shall be watching you,
Templar, closely.

I think we speak the same language.

If we do, you have a future
with this organisation.

I'm glad to hear that. Why?

Well, because in your organisation,

there seems to be no such
thing as a past.

I've been in British Intelligence
for years

and this beats everything.

A private army!

Why? What for?

It's baffling.

Did you guess at anything
from the type of training?

Only that we're doing a job
in a week.

What sort of a job?
Roper hasn't said.

You say they're recruited
from different countries?

America, France, Japan...
You name it.

Come in.

Mr Spode.

No ill effects, I trust? None.

So pleased you managed to
keep all the sh*ts

in the area of the bulletproofing.

Spode has some ideas.

Tell him.

Craddock. George Anthony Craddock.

Head of the European desk
for Chinese espionage.

The man in charge of all Chinese
agents in Western Europe.

Normally stays in Peking,

but last week he slipped over
to Hong Kong. Has a girl there.

And you grabbed him?
We waited ten years for the chance.

He's got more information
in his little finger

than a sackful of Chinese agents.

We're bringing him back
for interrogation.

He'll take time to break.

Maybe as much as a month,
but when he does...

The floodgates open.

We could have a complete list
of every ITT.

ITT? Information Transfer Techniques.

Dead letterboxes, that sort of thing.

Every ITT and every European contact
the Chinese have.

So you can see the importance
of George Anthony Craddock.

To the Chinese, sure.
They want him back.

So we work on the basis that they
are Roper's current paymasters.

Yes, Spode.

We test the hypothesis that their
intention is to rescue Craddock

and return him to Peking.

Since you know the location
of Roper's army,

why don't you march a commando
company against them tonight?

We've thought of that,

but there are too many
unanswered questions.

Do they have other centres
of operation?

Is Roper really their boss?

It would be fatal to cut off
a tentacle and leave the octopus.

We're relying on you, Simon.

Look!

Our new boy? I wonder.

Shall we report him?

Not until we're % sure.

Roper likes him.
We'll check his room.

Listen!

Templar?

Suppose we wait and see.

Well, take care.

Why?

Your type's one in a hundred.

Oh? And what is my type?

Brash, overconfident, mercenary.

The perfect recruit
for Roper's outfit.

We wouldn't find another in a hurry.

Don't you think of anything
but your job?

Sure. The job above mine.
I intend to get it.

Good night.

Is it Templar?

I don't know. It could be.

Come on.

You all right?
Yeah...

What's his room number?

Number eight. Ground floor.
Come on.

What is it, Leander?

Are you drunk, or something?

Er...a mistake, I guess.
Aye.

Well, what about the light?

Nervous?

Relieved. He should be safe here.

How long do you think it'll take
to break him down?

I tried to form an estimate
at our first meeting. Difficult?

He's a trained agent.

Even so, there are ways.

Don't misunderstand me, my dear.

I'm a civil servant.

I don't overstep departmental
regulations.

Delivery of the prisoner, sir.

Thank you, Captain.
Put him in my office.

Very good, sir. All right, this way.

You don't think you'll do any good,
do you, Spode?

You'll cr*ck within three weeks,
Craddock.

You'll talk!
You'll beg me to listen.

Leave a man on the door, Captain.

Cigarette?

I am familiar with interrogation
techniques.

A little kindness,
then the harsh treatment.

Sometimes it works.

Not with George Anthony Craddock?
No.

Light?

You know what I want.

ITTs, names of agents in the West.
I know.

Then why not make it easy for
yourself? Easy for you, you mean.

No, I'm not making it easy, Spode,

because I think, if anything,
time is on my side.

Nobody told me
just how much Scotch it takes

to make a Highlander communicative.
But you confirmed the information?

The truck leaves
the fusiliers' depot tonight,

a three tonner driven by one man.

And the load?
Just what you wanted.

Good. You may go.

There's something that Leander and I
wanted to say.

Allow me one guess. About Templar?

Yeah.
Don't bother. He's a good man.

Better than us?
We've been with you from the start.

And you'll stay to the end.
Sure.

We...we just don't want Templar
brought in over our heads.

This is a m*llitary formation, Cable,
not a labour union!

The rewards are greater
than in any other army

and the penalties for mutiny
precisely the same.

Tell your friend.

Stop it.

Right, gather round.

Move it, Templar.

Right. Now, you know what this is?

A penknife?
Don't be frivolous, Templar.

This is a Scottish skiandhu...
for close combat.

One of the finest little weapons
ever invented.

It may not look much...

..but you can feel it in your guts.

You. I want you to come at me.

I want you to come at me hard...

..using that.

When I say come at me,
I mean come at me.

Leander, your slip's showing.

How was that? Better?

Very much better.

Leander.

Sir.
Get them back to work.

Right, what are you lot grinning at?

Get back to work!

I've been watching you work
the last couple of days.

I like what I see.

I'm putting you in charge
of a job tonight.

What sort of job?

Well, let's just call it
a necessary preliminary skirmish.

Oh, and Templar...

I like to see Leander
put in his place occasionally.

But don't get carried away,
will you?

I could become very concerned.

POLICE RADIO: Fox Easy, over.

Fox Easy. OK, over.

Fox Easy. Approaching now. Out.

What's going on?

Be quiet and cooperative and
nobody'll get hurt.

And if I don't?

You'd k*ll a man for the load
I'm carrying?

I don't believe it!

Some things just have to be done,
laddie. Get out.

Turn round and face the truck.
Hands behind your back.

No v*olence!
Why?

Because I'm in charge on Roper's
authority. Now snap it up.

I'll take care of it.

It's Roper.

I thought this was my night?

I thought I'd check
you'd had no trouble.

With the haul or...your boys?

They'll learn to love you.
I can hardly wait.

Let's look at the haul.

Aren't they beautiful?
East Fife Fusiliers.

I've always admired
the swing of the kilt.

So you grabbed yourself a truckload?

All right, take it away.

Put him in the back, Leander.
Tie his feet.

Carry on.

Templar!

What's the boss have to say?
This and that.

Just small talk, huh?

That's right. Small talk.
Like a couple of old friends.

We get along.
As friends or...partners?

All right. Get them moving, Leander.

What is this, a union meeting?
Come on, Leander, get moving!

Take the front, Cable.
I'll bring up the rear.

Good evening.

I guess I got you out of bed.

Where's Spode?
In the parlour.

Not er...
A question of decorum.

Yes, I should think so.
A man of his age. Shall we join him?

Where did you leave him?

Well, he was sitting right here,
in this chair, smoking his pipe.

Maybe he took off. He didn't know
for sure I was coming.

What was that?

Haven't you ever heard
a man snore before?

Make yourself at home, Mr Spode.

A man of my age
must look after himself.

Not as young as I was.

I...I don't suppose I could have
a cup of coffee, could I?

Any news? Oh, we did the job
tonight, as planned.

What was it? h*jacked
an army lorry carrying kilts.

East Fife Fusilier kilts.

Kilts? How very odd.

What do you make of it?

I could make more of it
if I knew what special duties

these Fife Fusiliers were
carrying out in the next day or two.

Craddock. They relieve the guard
on Craddock tomorrow.

And the correct regimental kilt
is the only item of uniform

you can't get from
a theatrical costumier.

You have your answer, Mr Spode.

Are you prepared
to go through with this?

If that's what Major Carter wants.

The idea is to surround the place
and take Roper's people redhanded.

Good. Well, I'll get back
to the health farm...

..and leave you to make
the arrangements.

Make yourself at home.

I knew it, Templar.
And Leander knew it, too.

Yes, you're a couple of bright boys.
I always said so.

You don't talk your way
out of this one.

You could be right. We've probably
bitten off more than we can chew.

Aah!

Get the g*n!

Oh. Fair sh*t.

Don't worry about the body.
I'll take care of that.

Are you an undertaker, too?

Quick march!
Left, right, left, right!

Left...

Squad...

halt!

Right turn.

Stand at...ease!

Not bad.

Stand easy.
Mr Roper, sir.

Well? We've er...found the bike,
but there's no sign of Cable.

Where was the bike?
On a bridge, about two miles away.

The front wheels were jammed into
the railings.

So he could have gone right
over the top in the river?

Aye, he could.

Do we go ahead, sir?

Why not?

Girls, final check, please.

Right, this is the final inspection.

For this little exercise you need to
look as Scots as haggis.

Carry on, Leander. Sir.

Do your button up.

Are you satisfied with all details?

Any Highland regiment
would be proud of them, sir.

There'll be no room for mistakes.

You can rely on me.

These two men, they know their job?
All briefed, sir.

These are the guards
to the prisoner.

Any questions?
No, sir.

I have a question.

Try me.

We all know the method.
What's the objective?

You'll know that too, soon enough.

You're a realist, Craddock.
Choose.

I chose ten years ago.
In a man's life,

there's room for only
one choice like that.

On the th January,
you dispatched two agents to Paris.

A French couple. Who were they?

Napoleon and Josephine.
Their code names?

Mr Spode!

Information Transfer points?

Nothing doing.
Your representative in Washington!

Details! I must have details!

I'll give you details, Spode.

Listen. Ten years ago I did your job.

A bit higher up the ladder,
but the same sort of job.

I lived on £, a year and haggled
for £ worth of expenses.

And then you threw it all over
for Peking.

Where I lived like a king.
Anything I wanted.

Cars, girls, good food,
the best French wine.

Why, look at this office, Spode.

Mine's a palace by comparison.

You were going to give details.
You've just had them.

You lived high on the hog.
So? So I don't forget it.

As I told you,
a man can only choose once.

I've chosen.
I'm not going back on it.

No cooperation?
Well, voluntary, no.

I'll cr*ck in the end.

Every man does,
when the real treatment starts.

But not until agents
have been replaced? Exactly.

Not until it's too late to be of any
use to you. You're a loser, Spode.

It's in your stars.

Would you like to get back to work,
Mr Spode?

It's a diversion. Turn left.

They just diverted the genuine
Fusilier guard. Good.

Roper's men passing
the diversion now.

Should give them a clear half hour
at the house.

Everything's ready here.
Have you informed Captain Yates?

No, but I want him to
play it for real.

The whole house is surrounded.
Good. Over and out.

Move over.

What is it, Leander?

Well, well.
The young lady who runs the pub.

She had us under observation
at the diversion. Had she?

She was in radio contact
with someone. That's worse.

What do you think, Templar?

At this stage, we have no choice.
I say we go ahead.

Decisive.
Put her in the back of the truck.

Take over, driver.

Get a move on!

B Company, First Battalion East Fife
Fusiliers reporting for guard duty.

men and me. Tombs.

Yates.

New guard ready for inspection, sir.

Thank you, Corporal. Fall in.
Sir.

Trust the East Fife Fusiliers
to be regimental about it.

We like to take things
a bit more casually, I'm afraid.

Oh.Send over two men to take over
the prisoner on the guard,

sign here and he's all yours.

Corporal! Mason and Gregson
up to the house

to relieve the guard
on the prisoner.

Sir. Mason, Gregson,
up to the house.

Corporal.
At the double!

Piper!

Sergeant!

Retiring guard ready for inspection,
sir!

Corporal!

Advance guard ready for inspection,
sir.

The skiandhu is on the wrong leg,
Captain.

Your chaps wear them on the left,
surely?

You're mistaken.

Sergeant, arrest these men.
They're impostors!

Make for the house. I'll cover you.

Kate... You all right?

Yeah.

Find Craddock.

Check on Craddock.

Who are you?
I'll explain later.

On your feet.

You know, I don't believe you.

I think your g*n is like mine.

Empty. Just keep them like that.

You care to put it to the test?

I might.

Uh-uh.
Later. Just now, I'd rather talk.

I have time.

Upstairs,
there's half a million dollars.

All we have to do is take it.

No deal.
Oh, come now, Templar.

Think what you're turning down.

I know. A lifelong partnership
with Jonathan Roper.

I'm sorry. Pity.
We would have made a good team.

Why don't you save it
till the violins arrive?

I still bet that g*n's empty.

You could lose more than money
with that bet.I don't think so.

I'd have been dead before now.

You see? You'd have lost the bet.

I don't think I will a second time,
though.

Where's Craddock?
Simon, he's gone.

Gone? What's the betting
he isn't with Spode?

I decided they weren't going to put
me out to grass...with nothing.

You'd have your pension.

No need for that now, Mr Craddock.
I succeeded where Roper failed.

Your Chinese friends ought to pay
well for the service.

Spode, look!

This is quite an assumption.

I don't think so.
Where are the army units

that Spode was supposed to be
calling up?

You may be right, but he seemed
such an inoffensive little man.

When he sh*t Cable?

He's a loner.
That makes him something special.

You mean, you should know?

Faster, Spode. Faster!

Foot's through the floorboards
already.

I can't hold it!

I can't hold it!

Mr Craddock and Mr Spode.

Luckily a kilt isn't easy to
disguise.

The last of Roper's men
was picked up an hour ago.

Good. And the health farm?

Surrounded by local police.

I took the liberty of arranging it

in the absence of orders
from Mr Spode.

Hmm.

Well, I shall miss Spode.

I won't deny he was an effective
operator until this last business.

I don't suppose...

No, no.

I was about to say
that the Department

was most impressed
with your efforts.

That's very nice of you to say so,
Major.

If you should care
to make a home with us,

well, Spode's chair is empty.

Well, I'm touched,
but I do think you're overlooking

the most likely candidate
for the post.

Miss Kate...er...
Barnaby.

Miss Barnaby?

Yes!