Hunt Stockwell

A-Team character|

name=Hunt Stockwell
rank=General
awards=None known
actor=Robert Vaughn
episode="The Say U.N.C.L.E. Affair" (season 5)
"Point of No Return" (season 5)

General Hunt Stockwell is a fictional character in the 1980s action/adventure television series, "The A-Team" played by Robert Vaughn. Hunt Stockwell appeared on "The A-Team" in its final season (season five, 1986-1987). He represented the dramatic shift that the A-Team underwent in the final season, as their new primary antagonist and boss. Similar to how Jack Ging was brought in the fourth season of the show ["Bring Back... The A-Team" (2006), Justin Lee Collins] , Robert Vaughn was cast partially in the hope that he could mend fences between George Peppard, whom he had long been a friend of, and Mr. TFact|date=June 2007.

Fictional character biography

The character of Stockwell first appears in the opening episode of the show's fifth season, "The Dishpan Man". In the first three episodes of the season (a story arc commonly referred to as either "The Court Martial" or "The Revolution"), it is through Stockwell's manipulation that the A-Team comes to work for him, offering them a pardon after fulfilling an unspecified amount of missions that they perform for him.

Stockwell is never accepted onto the team in any traditional sense, although he is shown to be capable of working with them quite well at times too. Nonetheless, a few episodes have the members of the team either threatening to kill, leave or otherwise rebel against Stockwell:
* Murdock threatens to kill Stockwell in the "Court Martial" arc if he doesn't help him.
* In the episode "Alive at Five", Face considers leaving the team after having had enough of Stockwell's manipulations.
* Murdock is also later faced with an almost apathetic Stockwell when Murdock asks Stockwell to learn into Face's paternity [In the episode "Family Reunion", season 5 episode 8.] .
* Both Face and Murdock have a confrontation with Stockwell when they believe Hannibal might have died on a solo mission [In the episode "Point of No Return", season 5 episode 9.] .
* Hannibal himself also has trouble with Stockwell's pressuring and manipulation in a few episodes, most notably "The Crystal Skull" and "Without Reservations". Even then, Stockwell does show a certain appreciation for the team, but it is balanced by his attitude towards their expendability, often given them certain time-related ultimatums. He shows some emotion when it comes to Hannibal, whom he seems to respect (even likening him to himself ["You make fewer mistakes than anyone I have ever come across with the exception of my self. Don't make one at this stage in the game.", "Firing Line", season 5 episode 3.] ), and when he is confronted by Murdock and Face in "Point of No Return". From time to time however, he makes sure to remind the team that the missions are to be done "My way."

Not much is revealed of Stockwell's own history, although several pieces are filled in, in the episode "The Say U.N.C.L.E. Affair" (a reference to Robert Vaughn's starring role on the show "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."), wherein he is betrayed and held captive by his former partner Ivan Trigorin (played by David McCallum, also Vaughn's co-star on the "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."). In the episode "Point of No Return" it is revealed Stockwell spent a great deal of time in Hong Kong, where he built up an extensive intelligence network.

Stockwell is most often assisted by Carla, who also takes over the operation when Stockwell is captured. Stockwell has access to a large number of agents all over the world and numerous intelligence resources. As Stockwell himself explains [In his first appearance, the episode "Dishpan Man" (season 5 episode 1).] : "I work inside the system. I keep my skirts clean, I am a dedicated American patriot." He is seen mostly in his private jet or at the A-Team's safehouse in Langley, Virginia (set up by Stockwell). His existence is mostly secret, and his operation is shown to be purely dependent on him, set to "dissolve" if Stockwell doesn't call in to an undisclosed location at certain intervals [As explained by Carla in "The Say U.N.C.L.E. Affair", season 5 episode 6.] .

References