Bond Girls and the Women of Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Photo by MAX LIBERTINE on Unsplash

Confession time. I’m a Bond fan. Yes, I know. It’s horribly colonialist and the protagonist is a sexist jerk. But there’s something about the entire aesthetic that appeals to me.

“Bond girl” is pretty much synonymous with the image above: A sexy woman in a bikini who happens to be at least somewhat competent in some area. There’s always a Bond Girl. Sometimes she’s a damsel he rescues, sometimes she’s another agent, sometimes she’s a villain…sometimes she’s any combination of the above.

But she’s always there first and foremost to sleep with Bond. That’s her raison d’etre, and it’s why some people are stepping away from Bond.

So, let’s talk about different spy fi of a similar vintage.

The Formula of The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was an American spy fi show that ran for three and a half seasons (1964 to 1968). At the time it was the show everyone was on at some point…high profile guest stars included both William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy (together in “The Project Strigas Affair”), Sonny and Cher, James Doohan (as a different character each time), Angela Lansbury, Cesar Romero and the last appearance of Elen Willard.

Like most shows at the time it was highly formulaic. Each episode was a…