"Wine, Women and War"
(Original air date 10/20/73)
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Steve travels to the Caribbean for a relaxing holiday, but instead gets
unwittingly entangled in a nuclear black market ring

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90-minute TV movie

Writer: Glen A. Larson

Director: Russ Mayberry

Soon after having recovered from his last mission in the Saudi Arabian desert, Steve is sent to Alexandria, Egypt, to retrieve top secret documents aboard the yacht of a powerful nuclear black ring leader, Arlen Findletter (Eric Braeden), believed to have in his possession the American missile "Polaris".
He slips out of a party to contact a navy submarine a few yards away from the shore. He signals Captain Dawson (Simon Scott) with a tiny flashlight to indicate that he will begin his journey to the yacht in the allotted time of twelve minutes.
He kisses his friendly contact, Tamara (Catherine Ferrar) goodbye, dons a rubber suit and swims out to the Findletter's anchored yatch as he drives to shore to the celebration party.


Steve circumspectly makes his way down below where he breaks open the safe, but is surprised to see it empty. Guards spot him and begin shooting at him. Steve jumps over board just as a loose bullet hits the fuel tank setting the yacht on fire.
Back at the party, the host, Masaha (Lee Bergere), is bewildered to learn that Findletter didn't order this celebration soirée he believes is premature. Findletter, however, suspects this was some sort of ploy to lure him away from his yacht, and his suspicions are founded when they witness the explosion on board.
Having avoided the blast, Steve manages to swim through heavy underwater depth charges dropped by a Spanish patrol ship and is picked up by the navy submarine.
Steve lies in sick bay, mangled and unconscious. First officer Meade (Dennis Rucker) advises Captain Dawson that the medivac is on its way and is shocked when he sees Steve's ripped arm. His superior orders him to dismiss what he's seeing and that if the medical team doesn't break every speed record getting to them, they might lose one of what must be the most valuable man in the world.


At the National Medical Center, Steve's injuries are repaired. Later his new boss, OSI director Oscar Goldman, confronts him. A vehement discussion is exchanged between the two on the subject of those missing files and why he wasn't told about the subterfuge. Steve refuses to continue working for Goldman, even more so when he learns that the woman he was smitten with, his contact, Tamara, was killed shortly after he escaped.
In the following days, Dr. Rudy Wells (Alan Oppenheimer) supervises Steve physical therapy and is happy to see that the bionic man is making a full recovery. Steve is still reeling over Tamara's death and Rudy explains that the reason she was killed is because she was seen with him and that they apparently tried to make her talk. In a gush of fury, he slams his fist through a concrete door.


Later, Oscar and Rudy discuss Findletter who might be in the possession of one of their "Polaris" missiles. He was informed that a Russian rocket scientist had flown to the Caribbean to meet with him. The safe Steve broke into was supposed to contain an arms catalogue and Oscar proposes to send the bionic man down to the isles to retrieve it. Rudy assures Oscar that Steve is ready physically but that given his obvious resentment towards him and his organization, that he may not be cooperative. Oscar says they'll need Steve Austin on this mission, with or without his cooperation.
Rudy attempts to convince Steve to agree to the mission but he refuses. Rudy insists by saying that as a goodwill gesture, Oscar has arranged for him to get some rest by making available the full run of the floor to him. However, Steve can't leave the complex until the mission is completely fulfilled. Steve gets mad, lashing out at Rudy that, even though he is grateful to the doctor for saving his life, he's nobody's robot.
Steve feels trapped and seeks a way out. In the hallway , he meets with an old army comrade, Harry Donner (Earl Holliman), in whom he sees an opportunity for escape, unbeknownst to him that Harry is now an OSI agent working for Oscar.
Steve sneaks out of his room at night and meets with Harry who drives him to the airport. Harry calls Oscar to inform him that Steve will board the plane on schedule.


Steve travels to the Caribbean to Harry's vacation retreat. On a less-than-fourth-full plane, he is conveniently seated next to a beautiful woman (Britt Ekland) whom he believes was paid by Harry to provide him with a good time. She quickly sets him right by slapping him hard in the face. Startled by this sudden reaction, Steve breaks his champagne glass. The second incident of the sort in less than a week worries Steve it might be the result of a mechanical problem. On the phone, Rudy explains that it's a power surge triggered by a sudden increase of adrenalin whenever Steve gets angry or outraged.
While jogging on the beach, Steve spots the woman's limo arboring the Russian flag in the driveway of a majestic estate located adjacent to his beachhouse. He decides to get a closer look but is quickly stopped by the guard at the entrance gate.
He returns to his beachhouse where he finds another alluring woman, Cynthia Holland (Michele Carey), OSI undercover agent and a friend of Harry's who was asked to act as Steve's tour guide while he's on vacation. Steve has his doubts but accepts her invitation to a game of golf.


On the golf course, Steve meets with an old friend, Russian rocket engineer, Alexi Kaslov (David McCallum). He is accompanied by Findletter and the woman on the plane, his assistant, Katrina Volana. Alexi appears tense and quickly ends the small talk.
Later, Steve is invited to Findletter's casino. He attends with Cynthia. There, he is asked in the back office where he and Alexi drink to old times. However, Alexi believes Steve is sent to spy on him as he's about to make a bid for the stolen Russian missiles. Steve insists he's here on vacation, but fails to convince Alexi who shoots him with a tranquilizer.


Steve rouses on a boat where he is kept in the company of Katrina who says she will tend to his every wish. Alexi is in the middle of a delicate transaction with Findletter and doesn't want Steve in the way. Our bionic man plays along for awhile until it's time for him to act and get to the bottom of this. He ties Katrina up and jumps off the boat through a porthole.


Incensed, Steve rushes back to the beachhouse where he meets with the two undercover OSI agents. Having unravelled the mystery of his chance encounter with Harry and his "supposed" vacation, Steve yanks the phone from Harry's hand and threatens Oscar on the other end that the next time he wants him on a mission to tell him beforehand or he'll kick his department so high he'll need Skylab to get it down. That said, he hangs up on Oscar, shattering the receiver in the process.
Steve packs up his things to leave. Harry explains the reason for the charade but Steve is not impressed. However, he decides to pursue the mission when Cynthia tells him that Findletter is responsible for Tamara's death.


Steve hides in the trunk of Findletter's limo taking a blindfolded Alexi to the secret underground facility where the seven Russian stolen missiles are kept along with the ultimate American rocket "Polaris". Conveniently hidden, Steve overhears the entire conversation.
Steve heads back to the beachhouse. Harry informs him that the mission is over since Findletter is pitching a most secure rocket in no way can be in his possession. Steve sings a different tune after having seen his hideout and urges Harry to contact Oscar to let him know he's just learned that the ring leader has his eye on the Poseidon war submarine, which is to be launched tomorrow.
Steve parachutes down to the compound to free Alexi and Katrina. In the escape, Alexi is shot and Steve and Katrina are apprehended. Steve uses his bionic powers to escape.


He and Katrina make their way to silo number seven inside which the "Polaris" is kept and rig it so that when Findletter opens the silo, the missile will automatically destroy the complex. He and Katrina climb up the silo while Findletter proceeds to open each and every one to find them.
When he gets to silo number seven, the rigged "Polaris" shoots straight at him.


Outside, Steve carries Katrina in his arms to get away faster from the atomic blast.
"This is for a princess named Tamara and a friend named Alexi," Steve says, smiling to Katrina and they watch the giant mushroom cloud in the horizon.


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