The Young Avenger
Page 57 of 110

Whoever Shot Poor George Oblique Stroke XR40?
By Joseph A.P. Lloyd

Direction: Two out of five. Another very standard director, rather like Dickson, Williamson also worked on The Champions, and "The Gilded Cage" is one of the better episodes. But, he does not seem to have very much flair, and the only interesting shots seem to be on the outside of Pelley's house.

Plot: Two out of five. Rage against the machine again. However, we have lost that touch of reality, which made sure that "The Big Thinker" went on my top five list and did not languish at six. As a computer lover myself, it just seems far too silly for my liking, I have to say, but the interrogation of Pelley is a refreshingly real touch. Otherwise, it seems to have little to recommend it.

Original Music: Half a point out of five. What is this supposed to be? A joke? Howard Blake's second score for the series is a complete and utter shambles, the worst I have ever seen! Just forget it, and watch the stupid operation instead.

With Music From: "Death's Door," "The £50,000 Breakfast," "From Venus With Love," "The Town of No Return," "Death at Bargain Prices," "Never, Never Say Die."

Wittiness: Two out of five. The scene where Steed and Tara discuss her deception is fairly amusing, as is the tag, but Tara looks terrible in both. Bring back Emma!

Action: Four out of five. Tara, dressed in a catsuit, literally, fights Jacobs, and then proceeds to fall downstairs in an utterly pointless, but very kinky scene. The music from "Death at Bargain Prices" is also a help. Later on, Steed has two very good fights with certain other members of the cast, including a butler and the sicko Jacobs, to whom he does the old trick of the shot rebounding into the villain through his hat! Rather intelligent.

Cars/Sets/Locations: Two out of five. Jacobs has quite a nice Rover P5, but it is no longer necessary about one scene later. We also see a blue Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud. Pelley's house is rather good, although they could have had a real summer house. I hate the computer room set, though, so dated!

Introduction/Tag: Two out of five. The introduction is very immediate and really puts us in the picture. However, a little interesting direction and witty line or two would not go amiss. The cocktail is really rather potent, but do we have to see that Linda Thorson is wearing a saggy bra? Emma Peel would never have let it happen!

Overall Impression: It is a bit like The Champions: the same director, the same dated sets and the same level of humour. Anthony Nicholls as well is straight out of that series. Oh dear me, not a very good sign. I am afraid that nothing in this really convinces me, and it is saved from the tray of "Immortal Clay" and "The Gladiators" by Jason, the butler's great performance. Apart from that there is nothing to say, apart from the fact that Linda Thorson has a smashing American accent, and that she is a bit girlish here, really. A bit too silly, really.

Rating: Five out of ten.

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Page last modified: 5 May 2017.

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