Guest Essays
Page 12 of 14

PURDEY AND ME
by Phoenix

I came to know a friend in Britain who furnished me with some episodes of The New Avengers because I had heard that Joanna Lumley was in it, and I adore her in everything because she's so very excellent as an actress. Instantly I was blown away by Purdey as a character, because she was such a fantastic and dynamic person. I don't like comparing her to the others... I think that's unfair to all of them because they're each their own person. And Purdey is most certainly distinctive. She's very eccentric and so bizarre at times, but even though she's somewhat inexperienced, she's capable and strong. Personally I get the feeling that Purdey and Gambit are about even in terms of experience, but Purdey is definitely ahead of Gambit in terms of dealing with naiveté.

This is shown admirably well in "Hostage," which is still a very good episode even though it does feature another "Purdey kidnapping of the week" since it does showcase Steed's character... a common (and unfair, I think) criticism of the series, that Steed was underused. Many times he's the central character! Another wonderful indication of her personality, as you noted, was "Obsession," an episode revolving around her past, and "Emily," which surprisingly enough gave her a great spotlight. I really found her to be so engaging and determined... her charm and style in "Dirtier by the Dozen," her cool chic in "The Eagle's Nest," and her unshakeable determination in "The Last of the Cybernauts...??" and "Target!" She shines especially when she's forced to press on alone in "Sleeper," and while vulnerable shows her softer side in "To Catch a Rat." And her irrepressible ebullience in "The Three-Handed Game" especially impressed me, as a dancer.

Her outfits, I always thought, were not only beautiful but also practical. In most cases I admired them and found their utilitarianism perfect for whatever case, since her movements were so heavily based in dance. Of course dancers prefer light, colorful clothing on the whole, and most of Purdey's were loose-fitting around the legs (sometimes even a loosely-wrapped and highly-slit skirt over something akin to tight shorts) because they were her most crucial weapons. I feel obliged to point out the striking red dress in "Dirtier by the Dozen," the gorgeous green sweater with white scarf in "The Three-Handed Game," and the very sixties-chic ensemble in "Emily"... all these were so indicative to me of what a dancer would really wear in that situation. Some might find them to be impractical in appearance... but in reality they're perfect for her style, especially her fighting method. There were a few of her outfits I didn't like, but they were few and far-between. Even her pyjamas were fabulous! I think it was nice that they gave her clothes she could fight in at almost any time as well, because sometimes in the original series Emma and Cathy were known for inexplicably donning full leathers for no apparent reason other than to indicate to us that an action sequence was forthcoming! I loved Cathy's leather catsuits dearly, but I'm not sure I'd stay around a museum if I walked in and found a woman decked from neck to feet in leather and stiletto heels!

I do agree that she was taken advantage of too much though. She did have that unfortunate Tara King condition where she could be kidnapped rather easily. Still, when she was kidnapped in "Hostage," I believe, she did give as good as she got until she was very reasonably surprised. She's kidnapped, but rarely without a tremendous struggle. Still, I wish we had been able to have more New Avengers, because perhaps later she would've grown out of it, as Tara more or less did, becoming even stronger and less prone to being harrassed so.

I think the thing that threw off a lot of original Avengers fans was indeed the tone, which was, to me, more like the Cathy Gale era, with occasional generous doses of Emma-era humour. The thing was, in The New Avengers, the heroes were sometimes in very real trouble and very imminent danger. In the Emma era, at least the popular colour one, one would never doubt that Steed and Emma would find a way to extract themselves from a situation, no matter how risky it seemed. Their adventures at that time were also a bit over-the-top, and perhaps fans missed that. For the life of me I don't understand why "Gnaws" and "Emily" are so brutally despised... to me they were every bit as entertaining and fun as the Emma Peel episodes! I think people just sometimes take these things so seriously they occasionally do forget to enjoy them...

Recently having acquired The New Avengers DVD set, I just wanted to say that seeing Purdey in action again has inspired me to pick dance back up, if only for myself, in my own home. I had forgotten the joy it gave me, and seeing Joanna's grace on-screen and the wonderful character of Purdey, I have to say that I probably wouldn't love The New Avengers so dearly if not for her. She embodies everything that I would like to be, in many ways, and I think I identified with her better than any other Avengers girl. She was tough but also real, and that connected with me profoundly. I could see myself in that situation, realistically, and identify with her. It really reached out and touched me.

All materials copyrighted per their respective copyright holders.
This website Copyright © 1996-2017 David K. Smith. All Rights Reserved.
Page last modified: 5 May 2017.

Top of page
Table of Contents