"The Maze" is one of the stranger episodes of "The F.B.I." because the plot is so difficult to predict, complex and offered man surprises!
When the story begins, Frank Wells (Steve Ihnat) and his girlfriend (Joan Van Ark) are sneaking over the Mexican border. This is because Frank's been on the F.B.I.'s most wanted list for years and he's also a man the Syndicate wants dead. Unfortunately for one of the border guards, Wells is recognized....and blasts the officer...and then speeds over the border into the United States. Inspector Erskine is called to locate Wells and this is done surprisingly easily. Now you'd think that everything's wrapped up, but there's far more. First, what about the hitman who was trailing Wells? And second, what about the map of the waterfront they found on Wells? Can the F.B.I. piece all this together and figure how a VERY angry and grieving father (Simon Oakland) is somehow involved in some plot?
Like many episodes of this show, this one features some terrific character actors. Ihnat isn't a name folks would likely recognize today but he was a wonderful actor and frequent villain on shows such as "Mission: Impossible" and "Stat Trek" (where he played the over-the-top madman, 'Lord Garth'). As for Oakland, he made a career out of playing angry guys...guys who are prone to flying off the handle and being difficult to reason with...which is why he made an excellent boss on "Kolchak: The Night Stalker". Both are wonderful here and really overshadow Van Ark and Ina Balin. Overall, a most enjoyable episode...well worth seeing.
By the way, when the lady bartender is pouring a beer early on in the show, pay attention to the beer. In one scene it has a HUGE head and is only about half fulled....and in the case of a bad edit, the glass is totally filled and the head is minimal in the next! Not a big deal...just a cute little mistake.
When the story begins, Frank Wells (Steve Ihnat) and his girlfriend (Joan Van Ark) are sneaking over the Mexican border. This is because Frank's been on the F.B.I.'s most wanted list for years and he's also a man the Syndicate wants dead. Unfortunately for one of the border guards, Wells is recognized....and blasts the officer...and then speeds over the border into the United States. Inspector Erskine is called to locate Wells and this is done surprisingly easily. Now you'd think that everything's wrapped up, but there's far more. First, what about the hitman who was trailing Wells? And second, what about the map of the waterfront they found on Wells? Can the F.B.I. piece all this together and figure how a VERY angry and grieving father (Simon Oakland) is somehow involved in some plot?
Like many episodes of this show, this one features some terrific character actors. Ihnat isn't a name folks would likely recognize today but he was a wonderful actor and frequent villain on shows such as "Mission: Impossible" and "Stat Trek" (where he played the over-the-top madman, 'Lord Garth'). As for Oakland, he made a career out of playing angry guys...guys who are prone to flying off the handle and being difficult to reason with...which is why he made an excellent boss on "Kolchak: The Night Stalker". Both are wonderful here and really overshadow Van Ark and Ina Balin. Overall, a most enjoyable episode...well worth seeing.
By the way, when the lady bartender is pouring a beer early on in the show, pay attention to the beer. In one scene it has a HUGE head and is only about half fulled....and in the case of a bad edit, the glass is totally filled and the head is minimal in the next! Not a big deal...just a cute little mistake.