The Avengers Forever: Visitor Review

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Legacy of Death
by Nick Griffiths

This is one of my favourite episodes (my favourites don't all feature Tara, although many do).

I always remember this for the excellent introduction sequence with our diabolical mastermind apparently dying. This was such an unusual ploy that I was sure that they were doing an Outer Limits style story. However, Stratford Johns and Ronald Lacy are excellent as the little double-act of Sydney Street and Humbert Green. I was at first unaware that this was a parody of a film and couldn't help thinking this was when "By Terry Nation" meant something was good.

Personal highlights include the Russian agent Gorky and the expression on Stratford Johns' face as he sees the bodies in Steed's flat. Fights-wise, Linda Thorson excels herself, although the question, "why doesn't Tara lock her door?" springs to mind. Macnee gives a more subdued performance than usual, but it matches the episode perfectly.

Four and a half bowlers.

Legacy of Death
by Robert

I liked this episode mainly because of its quirkiness. I enjoyed the scene wherein Tara King is subjected to the Chinese water torture. Later, Miss King turns the tables on her tormentor: she flips him to the ground, grabs a feather duster, holds onto one foot while taking the shoe off the other, then announces, "There is another form of Chinese torture that is equally effective—it's called tickling." Then Miss King uses said feather duster quite effectively to reduce her tormentor to a mumbling fool, but not before getting the information that she was after.

All in all, "Legacy of Death" is a good episode—I highly recommend it!

Legacy of Death
by Mikie5o

4 of 4 corks!

The second in a row on movie takeoffs, this one was done for laugh after laugh, and very successful. The sight gags started with the huge champagne bottle Tara brings into Steed's and they just don't quit. The holes in the shoes and the coffee maker water torture were side splitters. The best lines were spread over everyone... Green's "She must have been a nice lady", Steed's "Don't mind the mess, it's been a busy morning," and Tara's "Tickled pink" were but a few. A most enjoyable hour.

Did I miss something somewhere? As I recall, Steed's tuba was always tarnished brass; in this episode, it is a very nice silver.

Legacy of Death
by Andrew Holland

I had initially approached this episode with some trepidation, especially as it was a pastiche of The Maltese Falcon. Pastiches of any famous film, play, or even television programme are very difficult to bring off as The Avengers' main rival US series, The Man from UNCLE, found out during its terrible third season (which ultimately killed the series off). However, my fears have proved to be unfounded as Terry Nation has delivered an absolute corker of an episode, brilliantly adapting the plot to The Avengers format.

Patrick Macnee and Linda Thorson give very good performances but it's the fabulous array of guest villains which really makes this episode so memorable. The stand-out character has to be Stratford Johns' smarmy, endlessly perspiring Sidney Street who makes an excellent double act with Ronald Lacey's equally oily Humbert Green. It must have been quite a shock to contemporary television viewers to see an actor who was best known for playing a very straight-laced, by-the-book police detective give a performance that was deliberately pitched at the other end of the acting scale — an inspired piece of casting! Also worthy of mention are the great Ferdy Mayne as the sinister Baron Von Orlak (even if he isn't given that much airtime) and, of course, Richard Hurndall who, as Farrer, sets the wheels in motion of the whole compelling plot.

It is also an episode where even the minor characters shine, from John Hollis' loyal manservant Zoltan through to Tutte Lemke's delightful "old Gorky" who seriously threatens to demolish Steed's entire set of champagne glasses! Peter Swanwick's Oppenheimer and Vic Wise's Slattery also make their mark as two of the most incompetent villains to grace the small screen — how appropriate that they should kill each other by accident!