The Most Suitable Person
‘She’s not a girl, she’s a fellah.’

Burnside needs to replace the missing members of his team. Willie goes to the firm's training school and learns that a woman named Laura Dickens is the best candidate.

The scene in which Diane tells Burnside about Laura's arrival at his office is funny, from Burnside's asking Diane, ‘Are you about to give birth or make a statement?’ Watch Burnside quickly tidying his desk and adjusting his tie. Even the man of steel likes to make an impression, it seems.

There are other staffing problems. The CIA has learned that an officer in Burnside's employ is seeing a psychiatrist, and that shrink has a suspicious habit of recruiting patients with military backgrounds.

James Bond, where are you now?
Willie is sent on assignment to Malta to investigate an agent's death. Being shot at is scary and no, Willie's not James Bond. He has some cleaning up to do after the fright.

Curiosity
Colin Grove not only looks like Mike Wallace--who joins the series next year--he even says, ‘I have a friend in MI5.’ Mike Wallace echoes this in All in a Good Cause.

Comment (from Anne-Marie, United Kingdom)
The ending of this episode has got to be one of my favourites. Peele, on the one hand congratulating Neil on the successful outcome of the Malta job, is also keen to remind Neil that once again the Sandbaggers have annoyed MI5, or at least Willie has managed to.

Neil, with just the hint of a smile, quickly puts Peele in the picture regarding the success of his other 'operation' which should get MI5 off their backs for a day or two at least. Peele's change of expression as Neil explains is a picture, and another fine example of the man's acting ability.

Think OpSec!
According to this American Cold-War era training film you can download from the open source film archive, 'people of interest' to foreign intelligence services should be careful of who they make friends with when pursing their hobbies. (Spot the two blokes in the bar who seem a bit chummy!) Note the mixed media used to make this film. Back in the 70s, most presentations were photographic slides or 8mm film. In the 80s, when this film was produced, this gave way to slides translated to video. For a look at an even earlier age, another bizarre another counter-espionage film also now in the public domain, that tries to spice up an otherwise boring car factory tour by involving. This McCarthyite period film uses of all things, martians as a stand in for the Soviet Union.