Somewhere in the Greenwich Village, Thrush agent Charles A. Buuder and his bodyguard John Hardy remind designer Jay France that they paid him for an exclusive print. France insists that he didn't make a copy, and Buuder shows him a newspaper photograph of a dress made with the same exclusive pattern. The designer insists that he has a right to his own creation, and refuses to tell him who has the print. Hardy grabs a pair of scissors, and France quickly says that he gave it to a friend he wanted to help out.
Napoleon and Illya check tenements and ask the apartment manager at one building where they can find France. She doesn't remember France and dismisses France as a deadbeat, and the agents continue their search.
Buuder searches the studio and finds nothing, and repeats his question. France refuses to talk, and Buuder tears up the apartment.
Napoleon and Illya arrive at the apartment of an attractive woman and figure they have the wrong place.
France finally talks and sys that he gave the pattern to his buddy at Agnes Sue. Hardy stabs him to death, and Buuder starts a fire. Napoleon and Illya, in the building, smell the smoke and investigate. The two Thrush agents go out the back window, while Napoleon and Illya prepare to break the door open. However, the kerosene explodes before they can, blasting the door into the hallway.
Act I: Kuryakin... This is a Japanese Name?
Later at U.N.C.L.E. HQ, Napoleon and Illya show Waverly the charred scissors that was all they could salvage. They have found the original of the photograph that Buuder showed France, and Napoleon admires the model. Waverly confirms that the pattern is the coded Thrush Five-Year-Report. They chose the dress to transmit the report and lost the pattern, and Thrush will do anything to find the report. The article with the photo doesn't mention the model's name. Waverly shows them the scissors and Napoleon spots a name etched on it: Agnes Sue. Agnes Sue's manufactures women's dresses.
Somewhere in the garment district, Napoleon and lllya go to the office of Agnes Sue. Harry Parkaginian and Harry Sighn are there and explain that they run the place. The agents pass themselves off as buyers—Illya from Japan--and ask about one dress. The two Harrys go to the rack, and secretly discuss the fact that they don't recognize have the dress. Parkaginian complains that they've missed the major fads, and Sighn is sure that Illya isn't Japanese. The Harrys come back with two other dress and try to convince the agents to buy them without success.
The model, Ramona, comes in and complains that a man dragged her all over the Caribbean in his plane. She goes into the next room where the cutter, Parkaginian's second cousin's son, Jerry, is working. He eagerly points out that the new pattern made Fashion Weekly, and the pattern could put the company back on the map. Jerry tries to impress her but Ramona can barely remember his name. She admits that she didn't bring the dress back, and Parkaginian comes in with a dress for Ramona to put on.
Once she has the dress on, Ramona comes on in one of the dresses the Harrys showed the agents early. Napoleon is more impressed with Ramona, and Parkaginian goes in the back to ask Jerry if he recognizes the dress. Jerry says that he designed it himself. While they talk, the sewing machine goes out of control and ruins their new lines of Capris. Parkaginian goes out and says that they'll have the dress in the morning. Buuder and a team of Thrush agents come in, guns drawn, and Hardy searches the rack for the dress. Jerry sees them from his workshop and tells Ramona, and he drops her down the drop chute to the loading dock
While Jerry secretly calls the police, Buuder has Hardy take all of the dresses off of the rack to burn them all with acid. Napoleon and Illya jump the Thrush agents but some of the acid hits Napoleon and the Thrush agents escape while Illya uses a fire extinguisher to douse the acid on his partner.
Act II: How Do You Explain Acid To The Insurance Company
Later, the Harrys look at their ruined stock. Parkaginian figures that the intruders were after Jerry's dress. Jerry insists that everything will work out, just as Sighn gets a call that Trimble's wants three dozen of Jerry's dresses. More calls come in for the hot number, and Jerry says that they have a sample of the dress. He explains that Ramona has a copy at home. Parkaginian sends Jerry to Ramona's apartment to get the dress.
At U.N.C.L.E. HQ, Illya and Napoleon try to identify anything about the dress. They spot Buuder's name on it, and Napoleon is sure that the blonde model in the photo is the brunette Ramona at Agnes Sue's. Sighn calls to tell Napoleon that they have the dress and it wasn't in the shop when Buuder destroyed them. Waverly tells Napoleon to check it out while Illya investigates Buuder, who works in cotton knits and novelty fabrics. Napoleon suggests that Illya go as a fashion designer, and Illya has no choice but to agree when Waverly seconds the suggestion.
Jerry arrives at Ramona's apartment and finds her on the phone to one of her boyfriends. He says that he needs the dress so they can get it into work right away. Ramona admits that she left the dress somewhere and says that she'll bring it in with her when she comes. Jerry agrees and Ramona ushers him out.
Illya goes to Buuder's office and introduces himself as a freelance dress designer. Buuder recognizes him from Agnes Sue's and Hardy knocks Illya out. They toss Illya in a bag and head back to Agnes Sue's, figuring that the wholesalers got the dress back.
At Agnes Sue's, a delivery man drops off a package with a finishing iron. It's COD and Napoleon is obliged to pay because the wholesalers are broke. Jerry comes in and admits that Ramona is bringing the dress. Napoleon warns that Ramona may be in danger, and Jerry gives the agent her address. After Napoleon leave, Buuder and Hardy arrive and prepare to use the finishing iron to torture the three men for the dress' location.
Napoleon arrives at Ramona's apartment and explains why he's there. She says that she can't find the dress
The Thrush agents tie up their captives and Buuder demonstrates that the finishing iron is heated up.
Act III: Shoot First, Call The Police Later
Jerry tells Buuder that Ramona has the dress, and Buuder believes him despite the Harrys' claiming that he's a liar. Hardy gets Ramona's address from the card file and the agents take off.
At Buuder's office, the Thrush agent hangs Illya up in his bag. Illya escapes out the bottom and takes on the agent, and soon knocks him out.
Ramona remembers that she left the island at a hotel on the island of Andros in the Bahamas. Illya calls Napoleon, and Napoleon says that they have to find the dress. Ramona comes over and says that she left it at a casino cabana in Puerto Rico. Once Illya signs off, Napoleon asks Ramona to stay for a while until Illya returns with the dress but she isn't interested.
Illya tries to call the casino and haggles with the operator to pay for the call.
Jerry tells the Harrys that he gave Buuder an old address, and explains that he lives near Ramona and knows where she now lives. Once he leaves to check on her, Parkaginian tells Sighn that they have to pick up something at a sporting goods store.
Illya gets through to the casino, and the man says there that they don't have cabanas or a swimming pool. The agent then tries to call the Andros hotel, and gets the same operator. She gets lllya confused over the name of the hotel and the owner. Illya then goes to Ramona's apartment and explains that he didn’t find the dress. As Ramona tries to remember, a delivery man arrives with the dress. She remembers that one of her boyfriends spilled cherries jubilee on it and it had to be dry-cleaning. The agents leave with the dress and find Jerry and the Harrys, and Parkaginian is armed with a shotgun. Ramona faints and Jerry runs to her, and the wholesalers order Jerry to get their dress back. They give Jerry the shotgun and tell him to cover the agents while they take the dress back to the office. Napoleon suggests that they lock the dress up until they have a little talk, but Parkaginian refuses to deal with dress bandits.
Back at the office, the Harrys call the department stores back to confirm their orders. Buuder and his men come in and the Harrys run into the workshop and lock the door behind them. The Thrush agents break in and the Harrys say that they hid the dress. When they try to negotiate, Buuder makes it clear that he isn't interested.
Act IV: Like Shish-Ka-Bobs We're Going
At Ramona's apartment, Napoleon wakes Ramona up. Jerry blames himself, explaining that he wanted to be a big hero. He explains that he met France in the Village and they gave the dress to Ramona to get the publicity. Napoleon explains that Buuder made the print, and Jerry says that he sent Buuder on a wild-goose chase. The agents warn that Buuder is dangerous and went back to Agnes Sue's. Ramona wakes up as Napoleon tells Jerry that the Harrys are in danger. Jerry insists that he's going to do exactly what Parkaginian told him to do.
Buuder's men tie up the Harrys and prepare to set the workshop on fire.
Napoleon tells Jerry to call the Harrys, but the cutter figures that they're up to something. The agents finally agree to tell the real truth, and say that Illya's real name is Illya Bluestone. When they explain that the Bluestone factory has 1800 machines, Jerry is so impressed that Illya is able to jump him and grab the shotgun. Napoleon says that they have to get to Agnes Sue's and save the Harrys, and Jerry agrees to go with them.
Buuder tells the Harrys that once his men burn up the workshop, the dress will be destroyed. The Harrys try to negotiate, suggesting that the dress could be outside or in a fireproof safe, and Buuder demands the dress before they negotiate. Parkaginian tells them that it's in a tube underneath a table, and Buuder recovers it. As Buuder prepares to set the fire anywhere, Napoleon and Illya arrive and attack the Thrush agents. Jerry frees the Harrys and Ramona looks on, and the agents finally defeat their opponents.
Later at the Agnes Sue fashion show, models present the new dress as Napoleon, Illya, and Waverly look on. Waverly explains that they sent samples of the coded dress to U.N.C.L.E. offices all over the world, and they're being besieged by buyers. As the Harry suggest that Waverly become their international dealer, Ramona walks past Jerry and approaches Napoleon. Napoleon claims that Jerry is a valuable U.N.C.L.E. agent and she immediately goes over to him and addresses him by his correct name for the first time. She suggests that they get better acquainted and Jerry eagerly agrees.
Written by Gadfly on Dec 29, 2015