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| Production 43010 Original Airdate: October 12, 1975 | |||
 A feral boy in the wilderness
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| Produced by Lionel E. Siegel | |||
| Written by Judy Burns | |||
| Directed by Jerry London | |||
| Guest Cast | |||
| Guest Star(s) John Fujioka as Kuroda | |||
| Co-starring Buddy Foster as Wolf Boy Quinn Redeker as Bob Masters Teru Shimada as Shige Ishikawa | |||
| With Bill Saito as Toshio Rollin Moriyama as Japanese Man Shizuko Hoshi as Japanese Woman | |||
| Broadcast Order | |||
| Season 3 | |||
| ← Previous | Next → | ||
| "The Song and Dance Spy" | "The Deadly Test" | ||
| Related episodes The Last Kamikaze | |||
Summary
Kuroda, the Japanese pilot Steve had once found hiding on a remote island, unaware the war was over, is asked to investigate reports about a youth reported to be living with wolves on the Japanese island of Hoyoko. Kuroda invites Steve to join him in the search. Despite the objections of Oscar Goldman, Steve goes to Japan because he believes the youth to be the son of a U.S. ambassador and his wife, who were found dead in the wilderness.
Deconstructed
Quotes
Ishikawa: I'll tell my secretary what men you with to take with you and what supplies you will need.
Kuroda: I need only one man to help me, sir.
Ishikawa: One man?
Kuroda: Yes sir. The man who brought me out of the Philipine jungle. The astronaut, my friend, Colonel Steve Austin.
Steve: Falling boulders a common thing around here?
Kuroda: Sometimes. But that was too close.
Steve: Yeah, you can say that again.
Steve: You'd like to stay here with him in the forest, wouldn't you?
Kuroda: Yes. But you are right, we should get the boy back quickly.
Steve: I found a path that will get us to the jeep by dark. (notices Kuroda's foot stuck in a bear trap) You've found another trap, huh?
Kuroda: Accident.
Steve: You know, Kuroda, you've been telling me how hard it is for you to adjust to city life. Imagine how hard it's gonna be for him.
Kuroda: You mean, Gary and I can go back, life in forest?
Steve: For a few months. Then we'll see how it works out.
Trivia
Character
- Steve gets his first taste of sushi, and doesn't care for it much. I guess he's a steak and potatoes man.
- It seems Steve favors an exterior frame backpack, as he was shown using one here & in season two's Taneha.
- Another James Bond villain makes an appearance in SMDM. Teru Shimada played Mr. Osato in "You Only Live Twice" (1967). Other actors who have played Bond villains and have appeared in SMDM include Bruce Glover, who played Mr. Wint in "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971).
- Steve is shown during the final fight to deliver a karate like chop to the back of one of the Master's men.
Gaffes
- While Steve is chasing the Wolf Boy through the forest, he has a backpack on. Later he is not wearing the backpack, but when he catches up to the Wolf Boy, the backpack returns.
- While hunting for the Wolf Boy in the woods in Japan, Steve discovers a wolf trap. Steve and Kuroda later discover the Wolf Boy mourning over the body of a dead wolf. The last sighting of a wild wolf in Japan was in 1905. Wild wolves had been extinct for decades at the time of the episode.
Conjecture
Mission
- This episode features a somewhat unusual, though not unprecedented, instance of Steve telling Oscar what mission he's going on, rather than the reverse. Though both Steve and Jaime occasionally had adventures that were more personal than professional in nature, what makes this episode slightly unusual is that Oscar could well have sent Steve on a mission like this. Laying the "wolf boy" claims to one side, a joint American-Japanese rescue of the son of a dead American diplomat seems an appropriate use of OSI resources.
- It seems a little odd that Kuroda's benefactor couldn't have found more fitting work for a man with such highly developed survival skills than selling women's shoes.
- It's strange that Steve & Kuroda would pass their picture of Gary, back & forth over the camp fire. Kuroda drops it, causing the Wolf Boy to burn his hand. Then minutes later after having burn salve applied, Wolf Boy is holding onto a rope, with said burned hand.
- After Kuroda's ankle is released from the trap, he shows no indication of being hurt, unlike when he was in the trap. It seems highly unlikely he'd be able to stand, walk & run, so well, just minutes after being in a steel trap.
- Why is Oscar in Japan, at the mission's end, if he is trying to cut the OSI budget? A second trip would cost money, he can't afford. Wouldn't it be less expensive to make a phone or radio call?
Storyline
- It is possible to speculate that Oscar's worries about how to squeeze $570,000 out of the OSI budget may be a bit of subtle continuity with the recent events of "The Bionic Woman" and "The Return of the Bionic Woman". Although the scene of Oscar trying to pinch pennies could have been written just for laughs, it's certainly reasonable that the effect of Jaime Sommers' unexpected bionic replacement and cryogenic surgeries would eventually be visited upon the OSI budget.
Gallery
