THE AVENGERS-TWO’S A CROWD, ROOM WITHOUT A VIEW, A SURFEIT OF H2O, and THE HOUR THAT NEVER WAS

One of the worst, if not THE worst, fourth season episodes is TWO’S A CROWD. The episode has a slow pace, a boring script, and even the soundtrack is lacking, something that never happens in seasons four to six, ever, in the AVENGERS. The one saving grace is Brodney who returns in the next season but he’s not given a lot to do (and some of it isn’t that funny TBH). The idea of a main villain not being one mystery but not being one person is sort of interesting but there’s not much else here besides them using “toy” planes and submarines to kill people, which they do. The other idea that is sort of cliché is the double. Here, Steed has one and I don’t think he was given plastic surgery but I will be honest, I fell asleep a few times during this very boring episode. There are, of course, as in all AVENGERS episodes, bright moments and fun moments but not enough and I’m not sure the plot makes a lot of sense. I also find the resolutions not very satisfying. Was Warren, the double killed by Steed? What happened to his bodyguard, the Major? Was he part of Steed’s plan to get Warren or was he killed? Seems he was not killed.

At one point, the double (or was it Steed?) breaks a glass and in full view of FOUR or FIVE villains, Emma somehow gets a large shard of glass to cut herself free. What? One of the spies (Russian) is frustrated with the carnation the double wears and angrily states maybe they should add a stick of celery.

Also: Emma DOES NOT recognize the real Steed at all, which says a lot about their relationship, I suppose.

ROOM WITHOUT A VIEW is a bit better and very AVENGERS quirky but there’s a number of flaws. While the fights are always welcome, here, the two men Steed fights (and loses to) have bayonetted rifles. They don’t shoot Steed a number of times ---so okay, maybe that’s because they don’t want anyone to hear the shots---in the hotel. BUT then they do fire when it’s difficult to actually hit him. The editing during the fight is not great either and I’m pretty sure we have non Asian actors playing Asian villains here. It is interesting they seem to be allying with both some British business man who is an eccentric who wants to build hotels all over the world AND Russians, all of them making money or getting what the want.

There’s also an odd scene of one of the guards (the one in charge and who I do not think we see again) who uses something to caress his captive Emma Peel. This might be why one actor who was asked to appear in the AVENGERS who saw this scene called it “puerile” but I’m not sure I agree. Nothing more is made of it. Emma does joke about wanting to switch her room at the hotel (her prison cell) because she has a honeymooning couple next door to her (she does not go into why but we can all guess!).

The lack of complete resolution is also somewhat annoying sometimes. Some of these men survived but some were killed? Who? Why were some killed and some not?

Oh, and at times, the speed with which Steed but mostly Emma seem to change outfits and back again is befuddling. Were some of these shot out of order and they forgot the continuity of hair and costuming?

Again, there are great moments here (more than TWO’S A CROWD) and much more lively pace and a good gimmick (it’s very scary to have a hotel room block the doors and windows and gas you so someone can enter via a secret door in the closet). But overall, it’s not that impressive but at least it works.

A SURFEIT OF H20 also has a scary premise: a weapon that can kill you by making it rain on you until you drown. It starts off great and goes south by the climatic fight scene. The man who is building an Ark to escape the flood is, even for THE AVENGERS, a bit far too far over the top and he all but ruins the climatic fight scene (he gets knocked out and I was so happy someone shut him up). There are a lot of bodies, too, and it’s a very dark episode in a way in that bodies are shown quite often. The villains are appropriately British but must be foreign and made to sound that way. The idea of this episode is far better than the execution.

THE HOUR THAT NEVER WAS is my favorite fourth season episode so far. It is more like a THE TWILIGHT ZONE episode in its first half as Steed and Emma have to walk to an air base that is going to be closed down after Steed swerves to avoid a cute dog named Rosie (I wish they took her after they left the base). They find no one on the base but evidence of people having been there (a working shaver---why didn’t the villains shut it off?; a bicycle) and miss the unconscious fish but not the unconscious rabbit. No one seems to be on the base at all. Then, Mrs. Peel vanishes and Steed, after some investigation and meeting a slap happy scavenger, is back in his car as if he and Mrs. Peel never arrived. He returns to the town and finds old and new “friends”, some of whom are just being used for brainwashing. The dentist is the villain---and seems British and an airman---who will sell the secrets his brainwashing produces (or is it as Emma feared that he will plant saboteurs in every British air base across the globe?).

In any case, this is pure AVENGERS and later, quirky AVENGERS and this makes a sort of sense, has the eccentric tramp (who dies after Steed already found him and we are made to think he was dead but wasn’t and then he later IS). The time is stuck at 11am, the location shoots are wonderful, and the fight is long and fast paced and just fantastic. I can see why Emma has her fans. AND I didn’t really remember or realize this: in this season (and the rest?) Emma is full on scientist who knows A LOT. Her expressions during the fight scenes are fantastic as is the choreography (unlike A SURFEIT and ROOM WITHOUT A VIEW).

All in all, a very entertaining episode from the start which does not involve a “case” or some victim but Steed himself in his car (and Emma shows up in the back seat after the accident). This also makes me wonder if Rosie was sent to delay them from arriving or made to deliberately stop them, a far fetched idea, indeed but this IS the Avengers we’re watching. It makes more sense than a random accident and the dog belonged to a guard at the guard house, an invisible or rather off screen someone who brings down the guard rail in Steed at one point.

One thing to really notice is the music here. I don’t know if most of this is new to this episode or not but the truth is here, with a lot of dialog not being said over it, it is simply wonderful and the mix of the cues is excellent, several inspired by the main theme and the fight music just wonderful. There’s also one great moment where Steed looks up at the British flag and the music has the Avengers theme motif.

I really like this episode. The end teaser is pure silent movie comedy as Steed and Emma realize no one is driving the milk truck (Lorry?) they are on the back of and they begin to chase it after jumping off the back. The film is sped up. Wonderful.

And while ROOM WITHOUT A VIEW had the lame fight take place while the tape recording plays super fast and then super slow, HOUR has Steed fighting the dentist when the villain releases nitrous oxide (it looks as if he did it deliberately though why is beyond me) so that, not only are the two men laughing DURING their struggle to fight and/or kill one another, Steed’s mouth is wide open as the dentist tries to use a drill on him (or the device that will brainwash him, not sure). Emma joins in later when she finds Steed has knocked the villain out.

Brilliant episode.

I have really come to appreciate Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in the AVENGERS. Not only could she fight and best most enemies, most men, she was also a scientist and researcher. She was not treated as a shrinking or shrieking violet either.