Customer Reviews

The Avengers '66, Set 2 [VHS]

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The final season of the original Avengers finally comes to DVD & VHS in region one. "The Forget me knot," the debut episode of Ms. Tara King played by Linda Thorson, was released back in 1998, but only now is the entire series seeing the light of day - and it's been well worth the wait.

There are many of course who do not rate these last adventures featuring the debonair John Steed as Britain's top government agent as highly as what had gone before, and it's easy to see why. Steed's pairing originally with Mrs Gale (Honor Blackman) and later Mrs Peel (Diana Rigg) had been an excellent match for his skills. With Mrs Peel leaving the show, the producers, Brian Clemens and Albert Fennell followed suit and John Bryce was brought back to the programme, following his stint producing the early Mrs Gale episodes.

The first thing Bryce did was to cast his girlfriend, twenty one year old Canadian Linda Thorson as Steed's new assistant, Miss Tara King. In order to complete the delivery of episodes to the US market, production was fairly rushed, and what came out of it was deemed substandard. Bryce was sacked and Fennell and Clemens brought back to rescue the production. Clemens was particularly unhappy about Linda Thorson's role, but it was too late in the day to do anything about it. They set about filming the initial block of 8 episodes (extended to 9), rehashing two of the abandoned Bryce episodes, and bringing back Mrs Peel for the one-off story "The forget me knot" to introduce the new character of Tara (although this "debut" was actually filmed third). Once these episodes were ready, they set about producing the final batch of 24.

There is a very significant shift in the character of Tara King between these two production blocks as Thorson began to gain confidence in the part. Also added as a regular into the later stories is Steed & Tara's boss, "Mother," played by Patrick Newell. Thorson's inexperience and the naivety of the character are often cited as the reason the show was cancelled after these episodes were transmitted. Personally, I think the inclusion of the very annoying "Mother" to be a far more valid reason. But it's all a matter of taste.

The stories are included on the discs in the order they were first transmitted in the UK. I would strongly recommend viewing them in PRODUCTION ORDER (easy to track on any Avengers website). There are several reasons for this. It's easier to warm to Miss King as you follow her character development. It also makes more sense to understand her constant hair changes and costume. She started as a blonde, moved to a be-wigged brunette, and only in the latter 24 episodes did we see Thorson's own hair. We can also see how the actress started in "slimmed down mode" (on the orders of the TV station) but regained her lost weight as the series moved along. The character also started out as a complete "spy" trainee, but by the second production block, had become one of the most experienced agents in Mother's department. I also enjoyed seeing the rehashed sets from episode to episode too. All these nuances are lost by following the stories strictly in disc order, and indeed the characterisation of the leads is actually confusing if you simply watch the shows in disc order.

As for the discs themselves, sadly A&E have once again neglected to include any extras at all. All there is are a few still photos, although it has to be said that the menus are at least very well done. The picture quality is certainly very sharp, but there are definitely flaws due to sparkle and dirt. Sadly, "You'll catch your death" has been transferred incorrectly, and the picture strobes and jumps throughout. Clearly no-one at A&E was paying much attention to the remastering process.

Clemens believes this batch of episodes to be the best of the entire run of The Avengers. He has stated that everything came together right in terms of production and scripts. I can't say I agree entirely. They are certainly as enjoyable as anything else, but the total fantasy nature of the stories and the weakness of Tara and Mother characters combine to take the edge away when compared to the earlier Peel episodes. Regardless, it's all camp and wacky fun and I still highly recommend this collection to any fan of the series as there is plenty here to enjoy.

Two memories stand out more than any other from my childhood. One, the receipt of a new G.I. Joe -- any G.I. Joe, for any reason and at any occasion (at $5.00 each, which was money in the mid-60s). The other, watching episodes of "The Avengers" with my father. It was our favorite program. And how could it not be? Original, intelligent, loads and loads of fun. All made perfect by the magic of the charming, delightfully arrogant Patrick MacNee and the stupendous, mind-bogglingly stupendous, Diana Rigg. I must confess that I've always had a penchant for buxom blonde bombshells loaded with sin -- e.g., Jayne Mansfield. But no one has ever had more apPeel (sexual and otherwise) than Miss Rigg's Mrs. Peel. I recognized this even as a mere boy.

In this day of fatuous, vulgar entertainment, it is a genuine pleasure to be able to watch Steed and Mrs. Peel battle evil-doers with their incomparable panache. There's nothing on current television that can even hope to compare -- not even the excellent "X-Files," which (not coincidentally) owes so much to "The Avengers."

The episodes in this collection are exceptionally fine. If you have a heart condition, however, you may want to give "A Touch of Brimstone," with Mrs. Peel as the "Queen of Sin," a miss -- her outfit (with her in it, of course!) is heart-stopping.

Come and relive your childhood memories -- with the even more appreciative eye of an adult!

A sense of history deals with some less than innocent high jinks & a hysterical professor who resorts to murder. When a brilliant economist is murdered, Steed persaudes Mrs. Peel to enroll at the university he had intended to visit. As usual Emma deals with a hostile villain (a college student) coolly tossing him over her shoulder. Sly humor abounds. Emma finally knocks out her would be assassin in the library. The title that falls on top of him "How to develop a winning personality"! The motive for murder- the villain felt slighted and unappreciated. "Who was Grindley? Only an archivist- a glorified librarian!" Note the paper, books, lack of computers. Pre-computer age library set. The usual banter & dead bodies. Why does some poor chump always offer to meet Steed "later" only to end up a corpse? Note that this plot device recurs in The Danger Makers Honey for the Prince is my favorite of all the 7 on this set. Diana Rigg's comedic talents as well as her sexuality were showcased in this one. Emma does a steamy "dance of the 6 veils" going undercover- not literally, if she can help it! to foil an assassin. The degraded status of women in the harem, Emma's outrage at this repressive situation are conveyed by Mrs. Peel's look of horror when she reads her name on the duty roster in the harem! The Butler one is pricelessly funny. Emma is instructed to engage the attention of the amorous Captain Miles. Rigg' dodging MIles atempted seduction- his living room is "rigged" with instantly closing curtains, dim light, collapsible sofa, pull out bar etc. is amusing. Steed's repeated interruptions (he is undercover as the butler), and feels that he has to "save" Emma , as well as Miles frustration at Steed's instrusions are great fun. Nevertheless the indomitable Mrs. Peel can always be counted on to be resourceful. although one elderly ex general in his 80s looks at her and observes of her "Most distracting!" This was a better mix than the last boxed set of 7 of the color episodes of Rigg and MacNee. Weaker scripts sometimes the last year( 1967). The black and white set was well worth the price. Honey for the Prince and What the Butler Saw I rank in the top ten. Note Stee'd's delight "The butler did it!" I rate both of them ahead of A touch of Brimstone.

This set contains some of the best episodes of the series. The writers fully develop the formula that carries them into the next season, collected in AVENGERS '67. There's at least one certifiable British eccentric per episode, and the Steed-Mrs. Peel exchanges achieve witty perfection. Perhaps not incidentally, these episodes also feature Emma in some of her slinkiest outfits. Better and more consistent overall than the Avengers '65 boxed sets. Highlights include HOW TO SUCCEED... AT MURDER, HONEY FOR THE PRINCE, THE DANGER MAKERS and TOUCH OF BRIMSTONE.

Each of Steed's ladies made their own mark. Honor Blackman's Kathy Gale, set the pace. Sleek sassy women, who were as smart as they were sexy. They held their own in a man's world and didn't need someone to take care of them. Blackman and Rigg were two very positive role models in a time when most women were victims, wives or secretaries on telly at the time. Blackman made less of an impact in US, because they were generally shown as a Summer Replacement, to keep people from seeing reruns. Since they were run on ABC, tried to be recognized as a big-boy network the old Black and White Gales were not widely scene.

Rigg came along and made Emma Peel a character that will go down in the hall of fame. She is as popular today, if not more so. So when she left--to do as Blackman did -- go on to be a Bond girl, Steed had to have another partner. Enter Tara King. She gorgeous full figure Canadian with eyes to do for. They tried to play on her more feminine side (and with horrid fashions). Seriously, the clothes designers for Tara needs shooting. For the most part, they couldn't design more dumpy look clothes. They stuffed her in a series of wigs - some very bad - so point one, she was fighting an uphill battle. Also, the scripts were not as sharp. Even so Tara is charming and a pleasure to watch.

Episodes include:


All Done with Mirrors
Legacy of Death
Noon Doomsday
Look (stop me if you've heard this one)... but There Were These Two Fellers
Have Guns... Will Haggle
They Keep Killing Steed (with a very blond Ian Ogilvy doing a guest spot)

I bought this DVD because of the extremely silly episode with the long title. I remembered watching it in 1968, and being amazed at all the talent on show, and always had it as a favourite. It wears as well as you expect, which means I love the stagey sets, outrageous clothes (yes, we wore stuff like that), the cars. I'm a hard-core Emma Peel fan, but Tara, while not being quite so forceful nor as sexy, has her own appeal. The other episodes are like new to me - maybe I didn't see them back then, but I was such a regular every Saturday evening ... memory fades.

Prior to 1967, "The Avengers" was yielded in black-and-white. Going to color was a definite improvement; however in 1968 there were three additional significant changes:

1. Mrs. Peel (Diana Rigg) was traded out for Steed's new partner, Tara King (Linda Thorson).

2. The producers asserted that the 1968 episodes were more [paraphrasing] "believable" -- in fact, just the opposite is true. The '68 episodes are more bizarre than ever, but still very good.

3. There is more involvement by Steed's boss, "Mother" (a wheelchair-bound chubby guy who shows up in very strange places to discuss Steed's progress on respective cases).

This DVD package, (2 DVDs, individually cased and further packaged in an attractive cardboard box, this "Set No. 2" color-coded ORANGE), is the second of FIVE sets for the 1968 episodes. The marketing of "The Avengers" can be quite confusing so I wanted to get that information out up front. This is also the BEST way to buy the DVDs (by the "set" rather than by the "volume") for any season, from 1963 through 1968.

Patrick Macnee shrewdly plays John Steed, England's gentleman undercover agent. Linda Thorson is one of several of a line of Steed's voluptuous sidekicks. In the U.S., most of us didn't even know about Honor Blackman and Macnee's other (earlier) partners until years later when these episodes finally emerged on VHS tape. Diana Rigg can probably claim about 60% of the credit for the vast number of U.S. audience members who were glued to their TVs when "The Avengers" finally hit here. The other 40% (not forgetting Macnee's fine performances) had to do with the presentation of this excellent series.

Starting in 1965, with Rigg, the filmscore was notably updated and played more prominently throughout the story, enhancing the action and suspense. Also, the action itself was boosted. There was never a dull moment with Steed and Mrs. Peel. And these episodes were all FUN -- one embraced a sense that Macnee and Rigg were having a great time in making these films. Now that I've seen episodes from "The Avengers'" earlier years, ('63 and '64), I can see that they dragged quite a bit during that earlier era and were much more soap opera-ish. The fun continued throughout the final year, 1968, even though Linda Thorson was simply never quite as dynamic or as sexy as Diana Rigg. The '68 filmscore and title scenes at the beginning and the conclusion of each episode were spiffed up a bit too.

Each of these 52-minute episodes is futuristic (at least for the period) and on the cutting edge of excellent television productions. I know of no series, "The Original Star Trek Series" excepted, which has remained as timeless as "The Avengers". You'll encounter, in the 1968 episodes, every nemesis ranging from Eastern spies posing as murderous British Army officers to equally murderous hotel desk clerks.

In the 1968 Set No. 2 (which includes Vols. 3 and 4), we're talking about six very enjoyable, action-packed, color episodes:

Volume 3:

"All Done With Mirrors" - Steed is under house arrest (a theme we've seen before!) while Tara plugs the leaks at a classified facility that hasn't been keeping its secrets.

"Legacy of Death" - The inheritance of a dagger turns into a truly double-edged gift and bodies pile up in Steed's drawing room.

"Noon Doomsday" - Steed is trapped in a convalescent home by an old adversary who has a flair for drama and a thirst for vengeance.

Volume 4:

"Look (Stop Me If You've Heard this One)... But There Were These Two Fellers" - John Cleese guest stars as Steed and Tara face down a band of killer clowns determined to save their rest home from destruction.

"Have Guns... Will Haggle" - Tara's on the hot seat when Black Market rifle brokers choose her for a product demonstration!

"They Keep Killing Steed" - A plot to infiltrate and subvert a peace conference hinges on the creation of an exact double of Steed (yet another familiar theme!)


The storylines of the various "The Avengers" episodes seem absurd to varying degrees as we view them today - but 1968 continued to escalate the absurdity beyond the previous years' entries. This did not diminish my enthusiasm for the "The Avengers" because the overall series always manifested a "Batman" (TV series) tongue-and-cheekness about it. I mention this only to prepare viewers for this actuality.

The casting in all episodes is spot-on, punctuated with the very best sets and scenic locations. And Linda Thorson's astounding beauty (tenoned with her great figure!) really accentuates the `60s look in her mod attire.

I'll be reviewing all of the 1968 sets, (as I mentioned earlier, there are five in all, with 2 "volumes" per set), so be on the watch for my comments regarding the other sets at their appropriate sites on Amazon. In the meantime, while not exactly as marvelous as the 1967 episodes, this particular set still garners my highest recommendation!

The concluding black-and-white episodes of the Diana Rigg series had a more than usual tendency to show off her figure to fullest advantage. Such is the case especially with "A Sense of History," in which she dresses in a leg-revealing Robin Hood outfit, and "A Touch of Brimstone," where she wears next to nothing as the Queen of Sin (and is attacked with a whip, to boot). "How To Succeed...At Murder" has her in a bodystocking/leotard, practicing ballet for a good portion of the story. And when she isn't dressing down, she's quite the clothes-horse, wearing a gorgeous white pants suit, for instance, in "The House That Jack Built," a memorably striking bit of surrealistic sci-fi.

Oh, yes - Patrick Macnee is here too, lest we forget that he was the only actor to have starred in every season of the show. And he gets to play dress-up in these episodes, as much as Diana Rigg dresses down.

As usual, the interplay between the two is delightfully witty and sparkling, their interaction with numerous flamboyantly unusual villains (and more common thugs) well-choreographed and exciting.

The Avengers is a great TV show. Has to rate in top 5 of all time. My personal favorite is The Fugutive. You can't go wrong with any of the Emma Peel era. The stories are intense and well written and acted. I am extremely dissapointed that netflix
removed the streaming episodes. Amazon , if you pick it up, I will switch to your service.

The product was as advertised. Delivery was very quick. The price was fair. I'm totally happy with this transaction.