The Avengers 5.01 - The Fear Merchants

Last year I watched the fourth season of the Avengers. I didn't write complete reviews. I divided the season into three parts and wrote my general thoughts. A year later, I feel braver. I feel more able to write complete reviews of each episode after gaining experience with "Smallville" and "Masha and the Bear". Whether I'll have time to write reviews is a different matter. I'm already falling behind with things that I want to write.

Each episode in the fifth season begins with this screen, announcing that the Avengers is in colour. This was relevant, because the first four seasons of the Avengers were all made in black and white. As far as I know, this screen was only added to the American television broadcasts. This season was broadcast from 14th January to 18th November 1967, but colour television wasn't available in the UK until 15th November 1969. (Apart from some experimental broadcasts, mostly on BBC2). It's a shame that the text on the screen was written by someone who didn't know how to spell "colour".

Everyone already knew that Diana Rigg was a beautiful actress, but she looked stunning in colour. Only the Americans profited from this. I watched the episodes every week in black and white, and my parents didn't buy a colour television until 1980. The prices of colour televisions were prohibitive at the time. The first time I saw the Avengers in colour was in 2003 when I bought the series on DVD. The Avengers series was one of the main reasons that I invested in my first DVD player. But I don't watch the DVDs any more. In 2015 the series was rereleased on Blu-ray, and it looks better than ever.

The episodes were included on the DVDs in their broadcast order, but on the Blu-rays in their production order. It doesn't make much of a difference, because the episodes were all standalone stories that can be watched in any order. I'll review the episodes in their production order.

Sadly, the first episode is one of the weakest episodes in the season. It has a premise that doesn't stand up. It's called "The Fear Merchants", because it's about a company which sells fear to its customers. Does that sound strange to you? It's easy to explain, but difficult to believe.

The company is called Business Efficiency Bureau. They promise customers that they'll make them successful by eliminating the competition. For instance, Jeremy Raven is the owner of a ceramics company. It's the largest ceramics company in Britain, but there are seven competing companies, individually smaller than his, but in total holding more than 50% of the market share. He proposes mergers, with himself as the head of the new companies, but they all turn him down. He turns to the Business Efficiency Bureau for help. Their fee is 50% of the increase  in profits.

The BEB sends a market research questionnaire to the owner of each of the seven competitors. Based on the results, a psychiatrist calculates what the person's greatest fear is. For instance, a businessman who suffers from agoraphobia is drugged and then carried to Wembley Stadium, where he wakes up the next day. The shock drives him mad. Another man is scared of spiders, and the appearance of a giant spider in his room gives him a mental breakdown.

The problems are manifold. What if a company chief refuses to answer the questionnaire? Is it certain that he's also afraid of something? If he is, what are the chances that he's so terrified of <fill-in-the-blank> that being exposed to it will drive him mad?

The head of the BEB is Pemberton, played by the veteran actor Patrick Cargill. He was best known for playing comedy roles, but in this episode he has the air of a Bond villain.

Every Bond villain needs a muscle-bound henchman at his side. That's Gilbert.

The brilliant but evil psychiatrist is Dr. Voss. Oh wait! I've just decided that she's my biggest fear. If I woke up in the morning and found her lying naked in bed with me I'd scream at the top of my voice.

What was Jeremy Raven thinking? If I walked into a business meeting and were confronted by characters like this, I'd turn and leave immediately.

Pemberton and his cronies are no match for John Steed and Emma Peel. All it takes is for Steed to swing his umbrella at them and Emma to aim a few karate chops.

Here's a gratuitous rear view of Emma Peel and John Steed.

I hope you enjoy it. There are also naked feet in the episode, but I'll save treats like that for a future review.

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TV Series: The Avengers Season 4 Part 3

After finishing "Banshee" yesterday I've returned to "The Avengers", which I last watched in February. "The Avengers" is a series that can be easily interrupted, because the episodes are all standalone stories.

I have to offer a word of explanation for calling my reviews "Part 1", "Part 2", etc. "The Avengers" seasons aren't divided into parts. It's only my reviews that are divided. I hope that's cleared up the confusion.

"The Avengers" is one of my favourite series, especially the fourth season. I intended to name a top three of the season four episodes, but only two episodes stand out: "The House that Jack built" and "Death at Bargain Prices". I like all the other episodes equally.

Steed is a perfect gentleman. He maintains eye contact while talking with this busty blonde. It would have been too hard for me.

He even maintains eye contact when she jumps on his lap. Do you recognise the actress? It's Carol Cleveland, who's best known for appearing in "Monty Python's Flying Circus", the series and the films.

By the way, here's a question for pub quizzes: "What is Emma Peel's maiden name?" This newspaper clipping shown in "The House that Jack built" gives us the answer. Of course, if you're a serious Avengers fan you knew that already.

Here's another newspaper clipping. We're never told why Emma Knight left the company that she inherited from her father.

In my last Avengers review I included a lot of photos of Emma Peel's face. I don't apologise for it; Diana Rigg has an amazing face. Here's a character in the episode "What the Butler saw" whose office is practically a temple to Emma Peel. Look at the photos on his shelf.

Here's a closer look. But can you blame him?

I'd be happier with one large photo. Talk about obsession!

I'll leave you with my own personal photo gallery, screenshots taken from "The House that Jack built". The gun that she's carrying is so small that I thought it was a fake, but the ever reliable Internet Movie Firearms Database states that it's a Smith & Wesson 4th Model Revolver with a .32 calibre. I haven't been able to find a review of the gun, but I assume that it does its job.

It will probably be a few months before I start watching season five. I have other viewing plans. Be patient, I'll get to it eventually.

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TV Series: The Avengers Season 4 Part 2

In between my films and my WWF television shows, I'm managing to watch a few episodes of "The Avengers". I mean the British TV series, not to be confused with the American super-heroes. I might even finish the fourth season some time this year. Today I watched three episodes, but I'll only write about "Small Game for Big Hunters", first broadcast on 15th January 1966.

The episode concerns a fiendish plot by retired British soldiers. In the Second World War they were stationed in the fictional country of Kalaya. They loved the country so much that they remained in the country after the war, but after a change in government they were expelled. Back in England, they've set up an artificial climate that matches the climate of Kalaya, including the high temperature and high humidity. In this artificial environment they've developed a strain of tsetse flies whose bite will kill everyone who isn't vaccinated. They intend to unleash the flies in Kalaya to wipe out the population, so they can keep the country for themselves and their friends.

Wow! That's an incredible story, and as "The Avengers" progressed the stories became increasingly difficult to take seriously. But that's the charm of the series.

I'm adding a gallery of photos of the beautiful Diana Rigg, all taken from this episode. She has one of the most beautiful faces I've ever seen. It's not just her facial features, it's the aura of calm that she exudes.

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