The Avengers Forever: The GLG Reports

	The GLG Reports Page 48 of 67

All Done with Mirrors
By Grant L. Goggans

"I'm awfully flattered, really, you dashing to the rescue like this." Absolutely dire. Proof, if any were needed, of the failure of Tara as a character, this tedious mess gives her something of a misbegotten solo outing and fails completely. Steed-free adventures were nothing new to The Avengers before this one, but Cathy and Emma were far more interesting characters than Tara and more than capable of holding an hour's interest while Steed sat on the fringes. With Tara it can't be done. Making matters worse is the foolish Watney, with whom she's teamed. It's almost as though the producers thought Tara would work better teamed with someone less competent and with less of a character than herself. Ray Austin wisely shot this hour on location and, for the most part, it looks superb, and strikingly unlike a lot of the London-or-suburb-based stories of this era. Unfortunately, his efforts and flair (catch the through-the-eyeglasses shot) come to naught with a number of very fake fight scenes, culminating with the pathetic fall down the lighthouse stairs, which the hapless stuntman has to accelerate by visibly continuing his roll.