The Avengers Forever: Foreword

	Foreword Page 5 of 6

About the Episode Guide and Review Pages

There are five episode indices, each covering an "era" of the series as distinguished by Steed's partner at the time. Episode titles in the indices link to review pages. You can check out individual reviews, or scroll through them all using the navigation links. Each review page features most of the following, where available:

A breezy plot synopsis.
IMHO: A brief critical analysis, with a bowler rating.*
Reviews by site visitors, as well as the best scene and best line.
Screen grabs, each of which has a "hidden" caption.
Production and air dates, cast and credits, and shooting locations.
Doppelgangers: guest actors who have appeared in other episodes.
Trivia, including the episode title in various languages.
Steed's Kin: notable references to his various "aunties" and the like.
"We're Needed": the 18 color Emma Peel teasers.
The tag, that great Avengers trademark scene at the end.
Acronyms, video products, and lots, lots more.

*By the way, just in case you weren't aware, "IMHO" is a cyberspace acronym for "In My Humble Opinion," which is meant to be just a teeny bit sarcastic.

Stats

The Emma Peel era episode review pages have some extra features. First, since there is always a victim—or several, or even quite an extraordinary number—the "body count" is provided. Also, the producers of this era had certain "rules": no killing women, no blood, no hand guns for Steed, no police, and others. If one of these rules is broken, you'll see an icon indicating it, as shown below. (To see the parenthetical notations on the review page stats, hover your cursor over the icons.)

	A victim (icon identifies the deceased)
	A woman dies (icon identifies the deceased)
	Blood is spilled (icon identifies who is bleeding)
	Steed carries a gun (icon indicates if he uses it or not)
	A policeman appears in the episode

Subtitles

The subtitles (e.g. "Steed Finds a Town of Ghosts, Emma Gets Put Into Harness") have various sources. The Cathy Gale era subtitles originate from period London television guides; those of the Emma Peel era come from the episodes themselves; and the Tara King subtitles were penned by Yours Truly.

Bowler Ratings

The ratings and reviews are, of course, entirely subjective. Here are the ratings for my "four-bowler-scale":

Exceptional, stand-out, must-see personal favorite.

Jolly good show, old boy!

Average, but still better than most television programs today.

Not up to the usual standard—but, like pizza, it's always palatable.

Don't bother (thankfully rare). Equivalent to Leonard Maltin's BOMB.

Note that the eras—Cathy Gale, Emma Peel, Tara King, The New Avengers—are each rated on their own merits. It is hardly fair to compare the technically inferior Cathy Gale videos with the filmed episodes, and it is quite tricky comparing Tara King with the incomparable Mrs. Peel. While I have always favored Emma, as most fans do, I strive to be as objective as possible.