Ep 1. Mr. Big

Smart (1965) is an American comedy television series featuring spies. The show premiered on NBC in September 1965 and ran for five seasons. The first episode of the show is titled "Mr. Big" and was originally aired on September 18, 1965.

The episode begins with Control agent Maxwell Smart, played by the show's creator and star Don Adams, in a car driving towards a meeting with a KAOS agent. KAOS is CONTROL's nemesis, a criminal organization that seeks world domination. The KAOS agent, Mr. Big, is Smart's latest target and the driving force behind the episode's plot.

Smart's partner, Agent 99 (played by Barbara Feldon), is communicating with him through a device implanted in his shoe. This gag is one of the show's most famous and beloved gags. The device allows for comedy and adds to the show's spy-movie spoof aesthetics.

The scene cuts to Mr. Big's lair, which is an underground chamber. The lair is reminiscent of a Bond villain's lair- with a central desk and communication devices. Mr. Big is talking to one of his henchmen, who is reporting back to him on their latest criminal activity.

Maxwell Smart eventually makes it to the KAOS agent meeting, but things don't go according to plan. This is because Smart runs into a handful of issues that add a comedic element. For example, Smart has to stop themselves from attacking The Chief (played by Edward Platt), with an umbrella. These jokes rely on the show's underlying spy-movie spoof.

Despite the issues, Smart successfully plants a microphone on Mr. Big and returns to Control headquarters. There, he and Agent 99 listen to Mr. Big's conversation with one of his henchmen. They hear that KAOS is targeting an international peace conference. Agent 99 and Smart decide that the best course of action is to attend the conference in disguise.

Later, Smart and 99 are at the airport, departing to attend the international peace conference. At the airport, Smart comes in contact with Mr. Big's henchmen, who he decides to take out using his shoe phone. However, Smart accidentally makes a call to Control instead of KAOS, which leads to more comedic events.

At the peace conference, Smart and 99 try to prevent KAOS from carrying out their attack but things take a turn when Smart's disguise falls off in the middle of the conference. This leads to a chaotic scene that adds to the show's comedy.

Although Smart and 99 are ultimately able to prevent KAOS from carrying out their attack, the scene ends in a cliffhanger, with Smart accidentally breaking the nuclear button control and having to immobilize himself to avoid triggering the bombs.

The episode ends with Smart and 99 heading back to Control headquarters, discussing their next course of action. Overall, "Mr. Big" embodies the essence of Get Smart- clever, subversive humor, spy-movie spoofs, and characters that are endearing in their quirks and incompetence. The episode set the tone for the rest of the series and is an excellent introduction to the show's world.