Customer Rating:
Summary: Terrific first season episodes!
Comment: Volume 17 has episodes "The Quadripartite Affair" and "The Giuoco Piano Affair", both which appeared on Man from UNCLE's first season and are one of the first episodes. The Man from UNCLE series is one of my favorite TV series ever to watch! The main characters are Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn, "Bullit" and "The Magnificent Seven") and my favorite the enigmatic and quiet Russian, Illya Kuryakin played to perfection by actor David McCallum (another great movie with him is "The Great Escape").

EPISODE 3 "THE QUADRIPARTITE AFFAIR": In Yugoslavia, Marion Raven's (Jill Ireland) father is killed because of his discovery of a plot to overthrow governments with the use of a fear gas. Gervaise Ravel (Anne Francis) and Harold Buffington (John Van Dreelen) are behind the plot and have Marion to be watched. Also working for them is Colonel Adam Pattner, (Richard Anderson, from "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Bionic Woman" series). Solo and Illya are assigned to find out where the fear gas is being made and to destroy it along with the help of Marion and native Yugoslavian Millan Horth (Roger C. Carmel).

Great episode and this is the first Man from UNCLE tape that I bought. Illya Kuryakin fans will most definitely love this episode since he gets to do a lot, plus he gets a love interest. The thing is that Marion, Jill Ireland, is in real life David McCallum's wife (though unfortunately she doesn't seem to act or do very well in this episode). Besides this episode, she will later on play in also "The Tiger Are Coming Affair" and "The Five Daughters Affair". And since this affair was supposed to be a two-parter with "The Giuoco Piano Affair" but was made into two separate episodes, she will return in her role as Marion Raven along with the same villains Ravel and Bufferton. We also get to see May Featherly as the beautiful UNCLE agent Heather McNabb, who occasionally appeared on UNCLE's first season episodes, one example "The Neptune Affair".

EPISODE 7, "THE GIUOCO PIANO AFFAIR": Gervaise Ravel (Anne Francis) and Harold Buffington (John Van Dreelen) are back again and on the run. UNCLE wants to get them once and for all. Napoleon concocts a plan to use Marion Raven (Jill Ireland) as bait for them. At first Marion is dead set against it but with a little persuasion from Illya (she really does like him!), agrees to help. According to plan, Marion is kidnapped by Ravel and Buffington to be used as a bait to get the UNCLE agents. Of course Napoleon and Illya are ready to catch the crooks and save Marion.

In my opinion, I like this episode better then The Quadripartite Affair. The title of this episode comes from the chess move called the Giuoco Piano where the players force the Queen to make her move (but of coures the White Knight, Illya, comes to the rescue!!!).Jill Ireland does a much better job in this episode, acts her parts just right and says her lines to perfection. She plays a little stronger role, especially in the beginning where she argues with Illya. Throughout the whole episode you can tell she's trying very hard to get Illya's attention! The humor is great and some of the best scenes are both the beginning and end party scenes at Marion's apartment. Some of the guests you can tell are Richard Donner (UNCLE director as a drunk), Norman Felton (UNCLE creator as a chess player), Sam Rolfe (UNCLE pilot scriptwriter as a Texan) and associate producer Joseph Calvelli (UNCLE writer as a writer). When asked how it felt to direct himself, Richard Donner said with a tongue-in-cheek answer, "I was the most versatile actor I've ever worked with" (trivia from "The man from UNCLE book" by John Heitland).

I very much highly recommend this Man from UNCLE Volume 17. For other good first season episodes, I also recommend Volume 1 which includes "The Project Strigas Affair" and "The Never Never Affair". Volume 3 has also two very good second season episode's included, "The Deadly Toys Affair" and "The Minus X Affair". But I should say that all of UNCLE's episodes are good!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The Quadripartite Affair and The Giuco Piano Affair
Comment: These two episodes were at first going to be made into a two parter but was changed to two different episodes. The two episodes has lots of Illya and his former wife, Jill Ireland. Their both great, and so is Napoleon. I love the party scenes at Marion Raven's (played by Jill Ireland) house in the Giuco Piano Affair!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: These episodes for any Illya fan!
Comment: The Quadripartite Affair and the Giuoco Piano Affair is a must see! For those who love Illya will enjoy them. Jill Ireland is very funny in the Giuodo Piano affair. I love the party scenes! You'll laugh at the funny parts!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: not the best but better than average
Comment: These two episodes were filmed and telecast as separate episodes but fit easily into one two-hour show as they were filmed to be released as a two-hour theatrical film. While they don't represent the best efforts of the first season, which was clearly the show's best, they are nevertheless superior to anything in the second and third seasons and much of the fourth. The best scene is Solo's attempt to track Ann Francis on a yacht during a party.

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