The first episode of The Ipcress File begins in West Berlin in 1963 as Harry Palmer (Joe Cole) wakes up and puts on his glasses so he can see the woman in the bathtub nearby. He sits with her later and admits his German has improved because he has an excellent teacher. He goes to work where he answers phone calls before heading to a restaurant nearby. He gets a message from a guy in an army truck so he goes around the corner and meets with them. He helps sell a truck full of the finest US whisky and takes the money. He also grabs a box of Hershey’s candy before leaving. He visits Frau Stuten (Anna Schumacher) and her son Andreas to confirm the contraband has been offloaded and they’ll be out in ten minutes.

He gives the chocolate to Andreas after making the boy promise he’ll share it with his friends. As for the money, he gives it to Frau and encourages her to share it with no one. When the military police arrive outside, Harry encourages Frau to take Andreas and get out of there. He screams for everyone to get out before running from the military police as they climb the stairs. Harry runs outside, along the street, and into a pub. He grabs a coat and hat that he uses to disguise himself as he leaves the pub. Once he loses the military police, he goes to a locker that contains a suitcase with money inside. He adds more money to the suitcase and locks the locker back. When he returns, he is confronted by the military police who know about the Hershey bars.

Harry convinces the sergeant to hit him so he can hide the locker’s key under the rug nearby. He is taken to the Colchester Military Prison in England. Once he is taken to his cell, we join Professor Dawson (Matthew Steer) who is busy working on a project. He checks the results and asks who is coming to the pub. As their car speeds down the road, Dawson tells Morris (Paul Bazely) and the others about neutron bombs being the future. A car pulls out in front of them causing them to swerve and wreck. Someone opens the door and puts a rag over Dawson’s mouth. He is likely being knocked out with chloroform. Morris watches as he is pulled from the car and placed in the other vehicle which leaves seconds later.

At the prison, Harry gets a visit from Deborah (Tamla Kari) who learns he had enough money to pay for everything. He claims he was going to get leave, see a lawyer, and get it all sorted out. She reminds him that she wants to get engaged to Pete and he promised her a divorce. Harry reveals he has eight years looking at him. She asks what they’re going to do. Major Dalby (Tom Hollander) talks to a treasury official (Richard Hope) and others about his spy operation. He tells them about the War Office Operational Communication was only intended as a temporary solution to secure for the Ministry of Flow of Intelligence without the delay and obstruction experienced dealing with the MI5 and MI6.

It was designated provisional so the ministry was unable to assign a code within the budget. The treasury official complains that allowed him and his unit to hide from the treasury. The official asks him who he answers to. The minister (Paul Higgins) interrupts to say Dalby answers to him. He tells them to put any further questions about Dalby’s budget in writing and send them to his office. Outside, the Minister tells Dalby they can’t trust five and six on this because they have too many commies. It wouldn’t be helpful if one of their scientists was enhancing Soviet capabilities. The Minister admits Dawson is vital to the development of a new class of nuclear weapons and the neutron bomb. When Dalby asks whether they’re calling it an abduction or defection, the Minister says it is an unexplained absence.

The Minister doesn’t want a word of this to get to the Americans since it could lead to the end of the cooperation on the development of atomic weapons. As they continue walking, Dalby tells him about his conversation with the treasury. Then, we join Jean Courtney (Lucy Boynton) as she gets off a bus and enters a secure building where she says hello to Terry. Once she gets close to her desk, a coworker, Chico, tells her he has typed up a summary if she’d like to check and sign it. She tells him the time is wrong, the sweater was turquoise and not blue, and there was a central light fitting in the main room that was suitable for housing a device.

Although she didn’t say stone the crows, Chico (Joshua James) says it felt like she might. She refuses to sign it so he goes back to work and does his best to annoy her. Then, their boss calls for them to come to his office. They go to Major Dalby’s office to learn about the kidnapping of Professor Dawson and the primary suspect named Jan Pilsudzki. Alice (Anastasia Hille) hands out paperwork while Dalby says he is 43 and was born to Polish Bolshevik parents. He is believed to be in the US sector of Berlin where he makes a living smuggling goods and persons from one side of the wall to the other. He has allegedly been involved in high-profile kidnappings and extortion too. Jean is asked to put in a standard application with the CIA to see what they know.

She sees a picture of Harry Palmer and asks who he is. Meanwhile, Harry is forced to do physical labor at the prison. Moments later, Dalby meets with him at the prison and says he is the son of a dockyard laborer named Arthur and a textile worker named Maude. He went to the Imperial College London and graduated with a first-class degree in mathematics. He spent time in Korea and was recommended for a distinguished combat medal. Dalby quickly goes over Harry’s operation in Berlin before asking about his relationship with Housemartin (Urs Rechn) who he sold stuff to for American dollars. Harry tells him how he sold lobsters to Housemartin who smuggled them to the East where he sold them to the German mistresses of the Russian generals.

Dalby admits he wants information as to how they can contact the man in question. In return, he’ll seek to improve Harry’s conditions. Harry warns him that Housemartin is a very smart, suspicious man who won’t be easy to trick. He goes on to say he cuts people including women and seems to enjoy it. Harry insists Housemartin will see him coming from a mile away. He tries to talk Dalby into letting him go to help. Jean Courtney returns home to her father (Nigel Hastings) who suspects they’re going to be blown to smithereens any day now. Her mother (Claire Fox) and a friend enter to say James is looking forward to coming back. They agree there are so many things to do before their wedding. Then, Jean has dinner with James (Ben Lloyd-Hughes) who talks about moving to New York on the Upper West Side.

He makes it clear that she won’t need to work before putting a necklace around her neck. Dalby and the Minister attend a meeting with General Cathcart (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor) who talks about the Soviet advancement in nuclear weaponry. They’re shown a video of the Soviet’s most popular nuclear bomb while Dalby tells the Minister about using Harry for the operation. Although he is the only one they got, Dalby is certain they won’t be able to trust him. Harry is released from the prison and picked up by Chico and Jean. Once he gets into the vehicle with Jean, they talk about her necklace which he believes is Chanel. He claims he has seen one just like it, but it belonged to the wife of an American officer. Jean realizes he likes to speculate so she warns him he’ll think himself back through those gates if he isn’t careful.

Once they drop him off, Chico tells Jean he likes Harry. He goes inside where Alice shows him the Official Secrets Act which he will need to read and sign. Then, he will be held liable for breaking it. His pay is designed as Civil Service E4. The accommodation is being given to him based on his level with the deposit and rent being deducted directly from his pay. When Harry tries to find out what he is doing there, Dalby tells him to sign and date the papers or he’ll go back to prison. He offers to take him out to lunch if he signs. Then, we are taken to the Embassy of the United States where Jean meets with Paul Maddox (Ashley Thomas).

He suspects she is surprised that he is black and offers her a coffee because he has a hangover. They sit down as Maddox begins telling her about the English boys he saw playing the blues last night and uses it as evidence that he can be an intelligence officer with the CIA. They begin talking about Colonel Gregor Stok (David Dencik) who is allegedly a third undersecretary at the Soviet embassy and possibly the highest-ranking undercover operative in Western Europe. Jean shows him documents about Stok’s English girlfriend, Natalie, and explains he uses her apartment for semi-clandestine meetings. In exchange for giving the CIA information about Natalie, they’d like help with the border points for their operation in Berlin. Maddox admits they’re suitably intrigued.

As Dalby and Harry eat, Dalby tells him about Alice who parachuted into France in 1943 and murdered a Gestapo officer before bringing him his Luger which is still in her desk. Harry promises not to borrow anything without asking. Once Dalby asks how he got his goods to East Berlin, Harry asks for a pen. He tells Dalby how you can get in the tunnels and go from east to west and west to east. Harry learns they want him to use his relationship with Housemartin to locate and retrieve the missing person. Dalby can’t promise his freedom, but he’ll do what he can once they deal with Housemartin. Next, we see the Tempelhof Airport in Berlin. Harry arrives and passes through the checkpoint. He gets back to his apartment where he finds Jean waiting on him.

She says it is a nice place he had here. He questions whether she means that for a non-commissioned officer, but she never thought about it that way. She believes he should’ve been commissioned after Korea though. Jean accepts a drink as she begins asking him questions about serving in Korea. At first, he was very bored. Then, he was very frightened. Before long, he was bored and frightened at the same time. Jean reveals her brother was there as well. Her brother was wounded very badly so wouldn’t talk about it when he came back and eventually took his own life. They begin discussing Jean’s necklace which she isn’t wearing right now. She asks whether Deborah is wearing a ring nowadays although she knows Deb is waiting for a divorce.

Jean also knows that Deb was pregnant when Harry left for Korea. Then, he tells her how he intends to contact Housemartin by going to the Liebeskellar nightclub in Kreuzberg and telling the doorman he is looking for Alex or whatever he is calling himself tonight. He’ll sit and wait as the waitress comes to his table every 15 minutes. Eventually, she’ll come with a message. Jean shows him a picture of Dawson while explaining he disappeared six weeks ago. Housemartin is believed to have kidnapped Dawson for another party. Harry is asked to make a rival bid of up to $10,000. After she gives him money for the drinks, she reminds him to collect the receipts. Once she leaves, Harry retrieves the key he hid under the rug.

Later, Frau gives Harry a ticket to Geneva and a passport and tells him to be careful. He goes to the locker to get the suitcase full of money, but Dalby is there to take it from him. Dalby admits he is good although he isn’t as good as him just yet. Dalby takes his passport and ticket to Geneva too. He says he’ll refund him after an appropriate deduction for expenses if they succeed. Since he has no other choice, Harry goes to the club and waits for the message like he said he would. He gets a message before long. Chico and Jean listen as Harry is taken out of the club, searched, and put in a car waiting outside. They end up losing Harry who is taken to meet Housemartin.

Harry tells him his friends think he might be able to help them. Housemartin threatens to harm him if he thinks he is trying to trick him. Harry knows what he did to Frau because he dropped her at the hospital. Housemartin reveals he was in Warsaw when they crushed the rising. Then, he confirms the man Harry is looking for is still in Berlin and he can arrange his return for $20,000. He says meet tomorrow night at 0100 Number 32 in the East. Harry is instructed to come alone or not at all. When Harry meets with Dalby to tell him about the money, Dalby says he just happens to have a suitcase full of money in his possession. At the US Embassy in Berlin, Maddox works with Jean to help arrange for Harry to pass through the checkpoints.

They offer to give him one hour to get the guy and get back. He invites her to dinner in London sometime so he can learn about the guy they’re retrieving. On his way back inside, he is invited out with others from the Embassy, but he says he doesn’t drink. While they wait, Jean tells Harry that Dalby likes him. He contemplates running away and changing his name although Jean is confident they’d find him. Harry learns that Dawson is special because he designs atomic bombs before he gets out and crosses through the first checkpoint. He passes through and continues walking until he sees a light flashing above him. A guy outside watches as he goes into the building. He encounters Housemartin and a guy he claims is Professor Dawson.

Housemartin says it is him and he should check his scars so he begins doing that. He asks for two minutes. Housemartin takes the money and leaves. Harry looks outside and sees the light flash. A group enters the building and shoots the supposed Dawson dead. Harry runs outside and manages to escape. Maddox watches Jean and Dalby as they wait for Harry to return through the checkpoint. Dalby tells Jean it is too late and they’ve lost him. Harry is shown on a bus with a broken mug wrapped in a rag.

 

The Ipcress File Review

The opening episode of The Ipcress File was pretty good although it took some time for the story to develop. It had a lot going on with a lot of character introductions, but the story was very easy to follow. So far, we know that Harry Palmer was arrested by the military police for selling contraband and sent to prison. He has been recruited by Major Dalby in an attempt to find and retrieve Professor Dawson who happens to be one of their most important atomic scientists.

While Harry arranged an exchange with Housemartin in East Berlin, I am not convinced the guy in question was actually Professor Dawson. Harry likely didn’t either hence the reason he took the mug from the room before gunmen stormed in and opened fire. Overall, the first episode of The Ipcress File has a different feel and the story is moderately engrossing. The episode scores a 7 out of 10. Recaps of The Ipcress File can be found on Reel Mockery here. Learn how to support Reel Mockery by following this link.