Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases
Season 1: Foundation & Extraction
Phelps assembles a new IMF team following a leadership assassination. The squad executes high-stakes extractions, infiltrates criminal syndicates, and navigates Cold War defections while establishing operational protocols.
Key Events
-
Team Assembly — Phelps assembles a new team following the assassination of a previous leader. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: IMF Headquarters
-
Mobster Interrogation — The team forces a mobster to turn evidence against his mentor. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Urban Safehouse
-
Drug Lord Lure — IMF lures a drug lord onto U.S. territory for arrest. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Border Zone
-
Barney Extraction — Team frees falsely-condemned techno-genius Barney Collier. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Prison Facility
-
Fourth Reich Infiltration — IMF infiltrates Nazi descendants recovering gold. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: European Estate
-
Diplomat Rescue — Team rescues a diplomat's daughter trapped on life support. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: East German Clinic
Season 1: Geopolitical Intrigue
Missions escalate to include royal succession interference, anti-Nazi gold recovery, and biological weapon prevention. The team faces internal framing attempts and confronts deranged ex-agents threatening retired operatives.
Key Events
-
Aborigine Alliance — IMF teams up with aborigines to dismantle an arms dealer. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Australian Outback
-
Defector Cover — Nicholas assumes a scientist's identity under KGB surveillance. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Moscow Safehouse
-
Sociopath Justice — Team brings a young killer to justice to prevent war. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Middle Eastern Palace
-
Royal Test Rig — IMF rigs a royal succession test to counter anti-American interference. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Asian Kingdom
-
Greek Infiltration — Phelps and Grant get close to a Greek billionaire running a drug ring. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Greek Villa
-
Solo Assignment Fall — A team member is killed on solo assignment against a dictator's wife. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Exile Compound
-
Journalist Blackmail — IMF stops a journalist from blackmailing politicians. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Washington D.C.
Season 1: Climax & Resolution
The first season concludes with intense confrontations against naval virus threats and voodoo slavery rings. Phelps' leadership is tested as the team secures critical intel and neutralizes major criminal networks.
Key Events
-
Russian Spy Alliance — Team teams up with a Russian spy to eliminate a chemical weapons threat. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Neutral Zone
-
Devil Undercover — Phelps goes undercover as the Devil to expose a Satanic cult. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: British Manor
-
Bacteria Sale — IMF stops an industrial spy from selling a virulent bacteria. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Industrial Lab
-
Ex-IMFer Frame — An ex-IMFer frames Phelps for assassinating retired agents. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Retirement Compound
-
Admiral Confrontation — Team forces a retired admiral to reveal the computer virus cure. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Naval Base
-
Voodoo Ring Break — IMF uses voodoo rituals to dismantle a white slavery ring. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Louisiana Bayou
-
Golden Serpent Infiltration — IMF targets Selimun, a Golden Serpent triad drug runner. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Triad Hideout
Season 2: Triad & Militant Operations
The second season opens with deep infiltration into the Golden Serpent triad, resulting in the capture of Grant's father. The team pivots to dismantling militant assassin networks and securing holy relics amid political unrest.
Key Events
-
Golden Serpent Infiltration — IMF targets Selimun, a Golden Serpent triad drug runner. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Triad Hideout
-
Grant's Father Captured — Grant's father Barney is captured during infiltration. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Triad Facility
-
Selimun Turned — Team turns Selimun against his masters and kills him. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Triad Warehouse
-
Assassin Infiltration — IMF infiltrates a militant group hiring an assassin named Coyote. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Militant Camp
-
Holy Man Rescue — Team rescues a holy man and recovers evidence of atrocities. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Imprisonment Site
-
Nuclear Bomb Countdown — Grant gets close to a woman misled by a general to stop a nuclear bomb. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: Fanatic Hideout
-
War Games Exposure — IMF stops a general from using war games as an invasion cover. Characters: Jim Phelps
Location: European Military Base
Season 2: Escalation & Cult Exposure
Missions intensify with orbital shuttle traps, neo-Nazi computer schemes, and biological terror prevention. The season culminates in a synchronized dig operation to expose a revived ancient cult in Cairo, testing team coordination.
Mission: Impossible is an American television series that chronicles the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force. The show is a revival of the 1966 TV series of the same name. The only actor to return for the series as a regular cast member was Peter Graves who played Jim Phelps, although two other cast members from the original series returned as guest stars. The only other regular cast member to return for every episode was the voice of "The Tape", Bob Johnson.
