The introduction
fools you into believing it will be a dull murder mystery, but it's far from dull. The
story moves at such a great pace that it never allows time to get bored. When Peter
Hammond is directing, you are guaranteed that it will never be less than good, and this
story is no exception. Every scene looks great and is highly polished. In particular, he
brings some great atmosphere to the final scene in the shooting range.
Eric Paice has written a very enjoyable and intelligent
tale of murder and smuggling. All the main characters come across as three-dimensional and
are well played. The one obvious standout character is Henry Cade played by Ronald
Radd;
he has some fantastic lines when being questioned by Cathy... "I'm cunning and
devious."
The design of the sets is good with the possible exception
of the house boat. Cade's office, in particular, is brilliant with its blinds and Modern
Art sculptures.
This story is pretty much carried by Cathy alone, and she
asserts herself well. She is very good in the final confrontation, showing great courage
by walking straight towards the barrel of the murderer's gun. Steed doesn't feature very
prominently but the scenes he shares with Cathy are full of great banter. Cathy is usually
serious about the situation and Steed always treats it as fun.
In all, a very strong, enjoyable episode.
Bullseye
by Frankymole, Bristol
"You're really trying to impress me with your lack of morality, aren't you?" Pleasure
from start to finish. It's funny how you can tell within 5 - 10 minutes whether an episode will entertain; from the
moment of Cathy getting pushy at the shareholder's meeting (whilst Bernard Kay lurks more actively than any villain
ever lurked), I knew this would be a joy. Then cheeky Ronald Radd shows up, perhaps the first TV villain to bother
explaining why he wears shades indoors (no, his vision is fine). The season 2 trademarks are all there — constant
red herrings and reversals as to the real criminals, novel locations (the houseboat), old charmers (the delightful
Brigadier, the Foreman, Cale), Peter Hammond shooting through an upturned wine glass(!) and his always-moving camera (just
follow it in that closing confrontation!). Moody lighting too.
The Avenged?: Legitimate arms dealers killed by
mercenary gunrunners. It's a fuzzy moral distinction.
Diabolical Masterminds?: One or two older fellows in this
profess immunity to women; so all the chauvinism is concentrated in the ageing Lothario, Mr Young (who attempts a
rather horrid sexual harassment of the young "white slave cargo" intern aboard his house-boat, ending with a biting
incident; then has the cheek to describe his wife's affair as "sordid"!). Misdirection works well, not for the first
time. The obvious villainess then isn't the villainess, as the men conspire to get away. Then she turns out to be
anyway! And the too-obvious killer, Ronald Radd's "Napoleon of commerce," turns the tables on everyone — even Steed
can't drag Cathy away before she secures a final dinner-date with him! That last scene is great fun. I love their
childish thumbs-up sign to each other.
The Avengers?: Cathy gives Steed a hard time in the stock-exchange, fuming
at his interference in her police case. She smokes a lot. Steed's action is all off-screen: from supplying huge
wodges of cash, to posing as Cathy's window-cleaner! To a new viewer, it would seem Steed is Cathy's minor informer.
Umbrella, Charm and a Bowler Hat?: Steed takes a back seat. Eric Paice shows the way for other writers; Cathy is the
star of this one. She's tremendous, too; "I've been up all night doing it!" (stocktaking). However, Radd/Cade gets
all the best lines: "I can afford ideals." And asked to describe his taste in decor: "Vulgar!"
Bizarre?: Miss
Ellis fires several blanks at Cathy from an assault rifle, just a few feet away (Cathy is thus not particularly
brave here, as she'd previously asked the Foreman to load it with blanks). Real blanks expel compressed cardboard at
great velocity from the muzzle, still sufficient to make holes in someone at a range of less than 50 feet. So
Cathy's top must be well-reinforced!
This story has a good film print and clear soundtrack. Four bowlers. A season
2 classic.
