Episode 7: The New Avengers
Page 173 of 192

 

  Stats

Purdey's date who dies of the week: George Myers

All the rest

  A.K.A.

 Cible

 Tödliches Training

 Tiro al bersaglio

 Doelwit

  Other Viewpoints

• Visitor Reviews
• Rodney's Reviews
• The Young Avenger

TARGET!

BEST OF TNA

Produced: July 1976
UK Premiere: 23 November 1976
US Premiere: 12 September 1978

"It's the one percent that kills you!" Agents in Steed's department are suddenly dropping like flies, apparently of natural causes. The only common factor is that they had all gone on leave after taking target practice on a special shooting range—a range which Steed had the distinction of being the only agent to complete at 100%. Determined to match Steed's record, Purdey runs the course, but only achieves 99%. When Gambit plays an unintentionally deadly trick on a colleague, he learns that the shooting range has been compromised by the enemy and is poisoning agents—at which point he realizes that Purdey had been hit. Now Gambit must run the course at 100% to retrieve the antidote and save her life!

 IMHO

It gets off to a shaky start, with the premise established by a series of abbreviated, abstruse vignettes—a second viewing is helpful here. The guest cast is not especially memorable (Keith Barron looks as if he is sleepwalking). Then there's the closing scene, when our recovered heroes drive off—crashing through the shooting range gate... wait—why didn't they do that when they arrived to retrieve the antidote? Yet despite its abundant flaws, it remains a favorite, mostly for the manifest camaraderie of the threesome.

 Trivia

"German-born Frederick Jaeger started out in the leading role of Bradshaw in 'Target', this week's episode of The New Avengers, sat around for two weeks in pouring rain, and ended as little more than an extra! His contract limited him to two weeks' work, so when the rain came to ruin the schedule of location filming, he only had enough time left to play the minor role of a character called Jones. Roy Boyd took over the Bradshaw part. 'Circumstances beyond our control,' explained Avengers executive Brian Clemens. 'Sometimes you can't beat the English weather.' " From TV Times magazine, 20-26 November 1976 (with many thanks to Alan and Alys Hayes)

Director Ray Austin was the stunt arranger for the Emma Peel era, and made a credited appearance in "The Gravediggers."

MORE TRIVIA

 Best Scene

A delirious Steed stumbles into the shooting range and snitches a hat from one of his mechanical doubles before proceeding.

 Best Line

Professor Lopez offers Steed some of his (apparently vile) special brew, commenting, "That's the way I judge a man." Steed groans in response, "Intestinal fortitude."

 Essential Reading

TARGET

Written by
Directed by

Dennis Spooner
Ray Austin

Full production credits

CAST

John Steed
Mike Gambit
Purdey
Draker
Ilenko
Bradshaw
Jones
Myers
Kloekoe
Kendrick
Lopez
Talmadge
Palmer

Patrick Macnee 007
Gareth Hunt
Joanna Lumley 007
Keith Barron #
Robert Beatty
Roy Boyd
Frederick Jaeger #
Malcom Stoddard
Deep Roy
John Paul #
Bruce Purchase
Dennis Blanche
Robert Tayman

UNBILLED

Nurse
Titherbridge
Potterton
McKay

Suzanna Macmillan
John Saunders
Peter Brace
Marc Boyle

# DOPPELGANGERS

Keith Barron

Dragonsfield

Frederick Jaeger

Death of a Great Dane
The Cybernauts
Return of the Cybernauts

John Paul

Requiem
The Three-Handed Game
 

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Page last modified: 5 May 2017.

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