- A British agent, who was thought to have defected, resurfaces with sensational information - confirmation of a Russian spy mole existing in the Service.
- At the home of Sir Oliver Lacon, George Smiley listens to Ricky Tarr's story. He was dispatched to Lisbon a year ago when the local resident, Thufty Thessinger, requested assistance. A Russian trade delegation is in town and one member, Boris, is stepping out on his own at night to bars and restaurants. Ricky soon realizes Boris is a trained agent and as per standing orders, doesn't approach him. He decides to check his hotel room and there meets Boris' wife Irina. They are soon having an affair and she eventually tells him a great secret: there is a Russian agent, a mole, buried deep in the British secret service. George had similar concerns before his forced retirement and now Lacon asks him to investigate.—garykmcd
- Part Two Tarr tells his story
The episode starts (as do the following ones) with the last 40 seconds of the previous episode. Ricki Tarr now tells the story of his time in Lisbon.
He had been sent to Lisbon (he is at this time working for Guillam) to assist in recruiting what the Lisbon station boss believes is a Russian businessman who will have contacts to provide information fr British Intelligence. Tarr follows that man to a Lisbon nightclub and observes him with a group of people, but realises (through observing his behaviour) that the Russian is actually a trained 'hood' or spy, which Tarr is not supposed to recruit without permission from the Circus (which is probably as the mole back in London is blocking such moves). Tarr however decides to investigate on his own by breaking into the Russian's hotel room.
Tarr enters the room and places small wedges in the door (which will warn him if someone uses the door). He is searching the room when he hears a woman praying on the balcony. The woman thinks it is Boris the Russian (her husband) and Tarr pretends he is an Australian (named Lawrence) who has come to the room to confront the Russian for stealing a girl from him earlier in the evening.
The woman tells Tarr that her husband is an important man and has influential friends. She tells him her name is Irina and Tarr keeps up the Australian pretence. However Irina goes to the hotel door, retrieves the wedges, and says to 'Lawrence' that he is someone else. Irina says she doesn't know anything about Australia but they could meet the next day.
Irina meets Tarr - Tarr says he thinks Irina looks scared and she says she is not supposed to meet people in this way. She tells Tarr she does 'special work' but has a job as a trade expert which she is tired of and hates. She asks for help and tells Tarr she will call him Lawrence as in Lawrence of Arabia. Tarr says 'but he was English' and Irinia replies 'I know'.
They continue to meet and Irina tells Tarr she knows he is an agent. She tells Tarr that Boris missed him (ie did not realise he was an agent following him). Irina tells Tarr she is studying the Bible and Tarr is falling for her, suggesting to her they could take a room in a village.
Tarr is now sleeping with Irina and Tarr questions her about his work for Boris. Irina tells Tarr she wants to go to England and then tells him she knows something very important which will make Tarr famous. Tarr asks her to tell him, but Irina says she can only speak to the head of the Circus.
They agree to meet again at a cemetery the next day. Irina tells Tarr that when she was in Moscow a boyfriend told her a story concerning Karla, and the story concerns one of Karla's greatest conspiracies, which is happening in England. The story is that Karla has inserted a mole into the Circus. The boyfriend is the driver and right hand man to a Colonel Viktorov, who briefs the mole. In London man has the workname Polyakov, but Irina will not name the mole and reiterates she will only speak to the head of the Circus.
Tarr sends a coded message to London but the reply he gets is very detailed asking for more information - and Tarr suspects that someone in London is stalling. He decides to try for more information and retrieves a notebook left by Irina at the cemetery which she has left there in case of her being found out. Tarr reads the notebook, which includes the information that the mole is known by the codename Gerald, and that information from him is being passed to Karla in Moscow. The notes say that the mole is at the very heart of the Circus - Irina says the guards are watching her and that she suspects Tarr has said too much to London.
The scene returns to Lacon's house, and Tarr reads the rest of the notes from Irina. Tarr tells Smiley that he found out through an airline contact that a woman had been smuggled aboard an aircraft wrapped in bandages. Tarr also checked the hotel but there was no sign of Boris or Irina. At this point Lacon opens the room's curtains and it is daytime, so Tarr's story has taken all night to tell.
Smiley questions the timing of Tarr sending the signal to London and Irina's disappearance, but Guillam says it would have been possible. Tarr then decided to disappear from Lisbon and it is revealed that Tarr has been missing for three months. Smiley asks Tarr why he has decided to approach them now and Tarr says he fears someone is looking for him.
Smiley asks Tarr about passports - Tarr says he burnt his 'escape' passports and flew back via Ireland.
Lacon asks to speak to Smiley alone. Lacon apologies to Smiley for not believing him when Smiley had (six months before) suggested to him that there might be a mole in the service. Lacon believes Alleline has done well, and Smiley asks whether the 'Witchcraft' information is still being produced. Lacon confirms that it is and is still valued. Lacon asks Smiley 'who can spy on the spy'. Lacon asks Smiley to 'clean the stables' and identify the mole. Lacon puts it to Smiley that the knowledge of Bill Haydon's affair with Smiley's wife might hinder Smiley investigating what is happening , but Smiley denies this. It is revealed that Haydon and Prideaux were at Oxford University together.
Smiley tells Lacon that he will need some help to run the investigation and asks to use Mendel (previously seen assisting Control to set up the meeting between Control and Prideaux.) Mendel arranges for Smiley to stay at a down market hotel so that he can have time to think and read. Mendel tells the hotel owner to keep to strict rules about who what information can come in and out. Lacon meets Smiley at the hotel and Smiley tells him he will need information - Lacon is reluctant to provide this and Smiley asks Guillam to go to the Circus illicitly to steal information for him. Smiley says he is going to Oxford to look up an old friend while Guillam goes to the Circus.
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