Review: The Adventures of Paddington “Paddington Becomes a Secret Agent”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

This episode opens with a classic 007 style silhouette as Paddington writes to his Aunt that “the fox is in the sweet shop” before regaling her with how he learned all about secret agents.

Julie receives a package in the mail. What at first seems like a nondescript briefcase is soon revealed to be a secret agent kit.

Mrs. Bird remarks that she had one like it when she was younger, and goes on to point out the included tools of the trade. There’s binoculars, a periscope, a “disguise kit” (Groucho Marx glasses), a bugging device, and invisible ink. The boys are impressed by her knowledge about the tools of the trade. But she’s sure to point out to them that the most important tool a secret agent can have is their own ingenuity.

When the phone rings, Jonathan goes to get it, but Mrs. Bird beats him to the punch. She tells the caller that she’ll meet them at the rendezvous while scribbling a note, then heads out wearing a hat and coat. Judy comments about the strangeness of the situation.

Jonathan breaks down what just happened, leading Paddington to the only logical solution, “Mrs. Bird is a secret agent! A secret one! A secret…secret agent.” They’re all understandably excited, and decide to trail her.

They follow her in disguise, which comprises of a beret for Judy, sunglasses for Jonathan, and the classic mustachioed glasses for Paddington. Mrs. Bird hops on a bus, leaving only a note in her wake.

The coded message indicates the rendezvous will happen at one. They lay a trap with invisible ink in order to track her to the secret location, and hide by commandeering Mr. Curry’s newspaper.

But what could this mysterious rendezvous possibly be?

Our take:

Right from the opening this episode seems interesting. Coded messages, moody, high contrast film noir greyscale, and the promise of spy shenanigans…what could be better? Mrs. Bird secretly being a spy, of course!

This is a bold choice that effectively utilizes the best of Phyllis Logan (of Downton Abbey fame) impressive range. From gamely laying out the basics of spying to whispering messages about a secret meetup, there’s just enough gravitas to her performance to make it seem like Mrs. Bird could really be a spy. And of course, she manages to do all of this in a kid-friendly manner.

Overall this episode effectively puts on the trappings of classic spy movies and tales without ever verging into actual gritty territory. Even Paddington saying things like “this is a matter of national security” take on a more lighthearted implication than that line generally holds.

Mr. Curry, as always, has to suffer from his encounter with Paddington and the Brown family, although he’s fortunate to only be out a newspaper this time.

Visually, this episode switches things up impressively. The scene where they’re following Mrs. Bird’s invisible ink trail switches over to hard boiled black and white that seems particularly striking in the show’s style.

The scene that divides the screen into three segments, one with Mrs. Bird, one with her boot’s footprints in white on a black background, and the bottom one featuring the silhouettes of the Brown children even has slight Cowboy Bebop theme vibes.

It would have been easy enough for this episode’s storyline to have followed spying on Mr. Curry, him being annoyed, and so on and so forth until the lesson about privacy or whatever is learned, but the writers went with a different and far more interesting route.

Canonically, it’s more than possible that Mrs. Bird is ex-M16, CIA, KGB, or any other number of secret agencies. She’s impossible to surprise, capable of advanced illusions, and her age is listed as “immortal”, so why not?

It’s just as likely that she set up the fun charade just for the kids. Who, for the record, are terrible spies, they’re way too loud.

Overall, this one’s fun, silly, and well worth the watch.