Customer Reviews

The Avengers '68 Set 1

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

For those new to The Avengers, ignore all the bad press that the delectable Tara King gets. Sure Emma Peel was sublime, and Cathy Gale was right on. But Tara King was also top notch, as were most of her episodes. Wherever you go on the web you will find Tara's episodes variously panned. Tish and pish! They are some of the most interesting, quirky and truly '60's' episodes of ANY television show ever.

Let me first state that the high rating of five stars relates to the greatness of the episodes, which is mainly the point of these reviews. Sadly the quality of these so-called 'digitally remastered' episodes by A&E is worse than bad.

Unfortunately the picture quality of my A&E DVD release of these magnificent episodes is passable at best. Now given the mass production method used in manufacturing these things I do not accept that only my copy is dodgy and I assume that the VHS releases are similarly affected. In particular, the episode on vol 1 of this set, "You'll Catch Your Death" is so poorly remastered as to be distracting. The brightness is shocking and the screen flickers with the old stains and blemishes I can only assume remain on the original film stock. Why haven't they been removed? Come on A&E (and Canal+ in France) get it together! There are many fans out there that expect better and will pay for it. Don't sell us short.

If you want truly good remastered episodes, I suggest you try and find the (now deleted) 1990's Lumiere releases on VHS. I know its an increasingly unpopular format, but faced with the abysmal quality of the A&E releases, it's worth the hunt believe me. I have several and they are excellent.

Sorry A&E but you should know better than that.

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.

This is the first series for her. Episodes include:

Game
The Super Secret Cypher Snatch
You'll Catch Your Death
Split
Whoever Shot Poor George Oblique Stroke XR40
False Witness

As some of you who have read other reviews that I have done for The Avengers series and I'll say it again... Being a new fan in terms of seeing the movie, see my review, I became interested in the show.

Now granted Mrs. Peel was beautiful and had class and brains, and Blackman had curves and brains also, yet most people over look Tara King. She did have very good wits and great intellect.

When I first bought this set I thought I was wasting my money, but I was wrong. This volume is pretty good. The firt two episodes are hard to get use to the idea of Steed working with someone else other than Peel, yet after that you warm up to the idea nicely. She adds a new spark to the show and a something... I don't know what, as the French would say. The transfer of the shows is not bad although A&E should have made another master copy and given some better color job or sharpened the picture. Yet those are just small complaints. Steed and King do work well together and they do have chemistry which does make watching the show more enjoyable.

While many Avenger fans rate the Tara King episodes as below par, for me they are a great reminder of that late 60's TV era. Tara was actually the first Avenger girl I can recall although catching up on the Emma Peel years has hardly been difficult.

The most unfortunate aspect of this 2-disc set has to be the quality of the prints used. The earlier Avenger releases (of much older material) were certainly shown some additional tender loving care. Maybe A&E have shown favor to the more well known Mrs Peel while Tara's stories have not received an equally impressive 'wash and brush up'.

The episodes are marked with many nicks and scratches, some of which run through the whole picture for minutes at a time. One story borders on the unwatchable as all of the print damage is shown in full digital quality !

Don't let us down A&E. Your releases of British TV have been excellent up till now. No slacking off please in quality or quantity.

How can I have a better copy recorded off live TV than this shambles that A&E has seen fit to release?

The quality of the prints makes this the worst DVD I have ever seen from a company like A&E whose previous Avengers releases have been outstanding.

Game and The Super Secret Cypher Snatch are just about OK even though there are scratches on the print and some of the cuts not quite right. You'll Catch Your Death is unbelieveably bad with splodges, scratches, lines wobbling all over the picture making it almost unwatcheable.

I would give the content of the DVD 4 stars but the quality makes this really 0 stars.

Watching these episodes is definitely not time well spent!

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. 1" color-coded BLUE), is the first 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. 1 (which includes Vols. 1 and 2), we're talking about six very enjoyable, action-packed, color episodes:

Volume 1:

"Game" - Steed finds he has something in common with a bunch of men who have been found dead playing games.

"Super Secret Cypher Snatch" - Cypher HQ springs a leak. Steed and Tara mop up.

"You'll Catch Your Death" - Empty envelopes mailed to ear, nose, and throat specialists worldwide bring a delivery of death... Steed requests a return receipt.

Volume 2:

"Split" - `Inside job' takes on an entirely new meaning when Steed investigates murders at the Ministry of Top Secret Information.

"Whoever Shot Poor George Oblique Stroke XR40" - Tara goes undercover as the niece of an American scientist to find out who `murdered' a supercomputer.

"False Witness" - When Lord Edgefield is accused of blackmail the witnesses seem incapable of keeping their stories straight.


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. I do want to mention, for this set in particular, that Linda Thorson was shrewd enough not to try to emulate Diana Rigg - she has a unique flair of her own.

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!

If you fondly remember that great British import that we watched on TV way back in the 60s then you no doubt know about the content of what you are getting. You know you are getting the best in that department. You are more likely concerned about the quality of the product. Like John might say to Tara, "You scratch my back and I'll scratch your back. Just watch the hat please." At last now, John and Tara are back and are here to stay on DVD. The Tara King episodes were excellent, being well scripted, thought out and well acted. More appropriately one may ask how they look. They look good, very good, excellent in fact. Tara would have it no other way.

I was completely satisfied with the dvd's I ordered. They arrived earlier than I thought so I am happy with the product.

Hi, just recieved my merchandise The Avengers '68 set1 it was to my surprise an authentic purchased copy "sorry I've been burnt before". it is in very good condition and arrived in very timely manner.Very satisfied with the product look forward to purchasing from this client again. thank you for your diligence.