"The Monkees" Rewatch: The Spy Who Came in from the Cool

In “The Spy Who Came in from the Cool” Davy buys a pair of red maracas while the boys are out and about. Unfortunately, due to some height confusion, they contain a microfilm said to show “the latest secret American weapon” stolen by vaguely Eastern European/Russian spies. (The 60's, eh? Yesh.) Then there’s fourth wall breaking, I Dream of Jeannie references, silly dancing, and an agent who talks to popsicles while the band tries to help the C.I.S. catch spies Madame and Boris.

Man, I love this episode. The premise is a bit out there, sure, but is has so many great little moments. For example, when Boris and Madame first confront the boys at gunpoint, Peter cries, and Mike admonishes, “Look! See what you did? You made ‘im cry, ya big ox!” It makes laugh every time.

The same goes for this exchange:

Madame: I grow impatient.

Peter: I grow daffodils.

And then he yanks a fake bouquet out of nowhere.

Little absurd curveballs like that are one of my favorite things about the show overall. Nowadays it would be called “random” (and that’s true), but to me it’s also Python-esque. That descriptor will become more appropriate as series goes on, especially when it comes to The Greatest Monkees Episode Ever. (But I’m getting ahead of myself, we’ll get there.)

Another great moment is the spy movie dream sequence wherein Micky teaches the others how to use spy gadgets and karate. I realize now how little I’ve yet to talk about Micky Dolenz in these posts so far and that just cannot stand. Micky’s a comedic genius, but he’s difficult to discuss because so much of that genius comes from his voice and how he says things. He does some great accents and voices and the dream sequence here is a great example (as is his answering service lady from the previous episode.)  Mike is often pegged as the dry, sardonic Monkee (or maybe that’s just my observation), but Micky has some great deadpan moments himself and in “Spy” in particular. His “Sorry yours won’t do” is a prime example and bloody hilarious to boot.

Something I think is interesting to note about this episode is that it shows them playing a gig at a club. Out of the episodes so far the bulk of their performances take place in the context of romps and not them just being a(n occasionally) working band. Ironic that a show built as a vehicle to promote the Monkees’ music has little to do with them being a band, in terms of plot. Of course the previous episode, “Your Friendly Neighborhood Kidnappers” is an exception, as it shows them taking part in a talent contest, but for the most part the band aspect is kind of incidental. I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing, though. I mean, realistically, how much kid-friendly material can you really squeeze out of band related stuff before the band must “make it” and the show completely jumps the shark? Being kind of off-center from the beginning with the band mostly as a background detail was probably the best way to go.