Visitor Reviews
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Visitor Reviews |
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Room Without a View What? Does someone dislike this episode? It definitely makes my top ten list. There's the physicist out of his mind, and his possibly diabolical friend (who turns out to be OK after all.) There's the Chessman Hotel, with an eccentric that turns out to be that mastermind after all! There's Emma refusing to do an assignment (!), rather like Cathy in "The Charmers." And finally, Steed's touching concern for Emma when she's missing. An excellent episode, though it could have more witty lines. Room Without a View And here we have my least favorite Avengers episode ever. I just find this episode bland, slow and uninteresting. The plot is fine, Steed and Emma are there doing their Steed and Emma thing, but somehow all this episode inspires is boredom. Plus, that drag queen is again standing in for Diana Rigg, and doing her stunts. Of course, no Avengers episode is completely without merits; I love the answer Mrs. Peel gives when asked why she's going through an old guest register at the Chessman Hotel. 1 1/2 out of 5 bowlers. Room Without a View Surprising people find this one so-so. I think it has a bit to offer. Peter Jeffrey makes the perfect uptight bureaucrat. Philip Latham (the fourth and nastiest Lord Borusa in Doctor Who's "The Five Doctors") is wonderful as the fussy floor manager. And I even liked Vernon Dobtcheff as the Russian agent Pushkin. He has such an odd face and he does those stiff mannerisms so well that he seemed a natural for the part. And Steed, of course, is marvelous as Mr. Gourmet. I will knock off a point or two for Mrs. Peel's role in this one. It's rather minimalist, though I think the best line, as another review mentioned, is her explanation for going through the books. Notice that she was speaking with a distinct, if exaggerated, Castilian accent, when in fact she was talking about a guest from Venezuela. But it was still good for a laugh. Less forgivable, of course, are the non-Asian actors badly made up to look Chinese, an unfortunate practice in British TV, which survived up to Doctor Who's "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" in the mid-70s. Equally unforgivable is that the one Asian actor to appear, Anthony Chinn, did not receive billing. Tsk, tsk. But overall, I like the story. It has enough intrigue that I was kept in the dark during most of the first part—it's been so long since seeing it that I'd forgotten all the finer details. The good performances are enough to make up for some of its shortcomings. 2.5 bowlers. Room Without a View We can find anything from a Manchuria camp to a jungle (next episode: "Small Game for Big Hunters") in London and its surroundings! Though this episode has many drawbacks, it is quite enjoyable to watch. The plot is original. Seven scientists have disappeared for a couple of years; one of them tries to escape and brings the Avengers on the track in a London hotel. Let's start with the drawbacks: The teaser is not impressive; Max Chessman is quite boring and the food taste scene (to the music of "Two's a Crowd") could have been left out; the stunt double for Patrick Macee in the final fight is too obvious. Video recorders didn't exist in the sixties! On the other hand, we have very good moments in this episode. Carter, the hotel manager, is quite enjoyable: "Mrs Peel. Right away, if you please!"; the tag is one of the best of the series; Mrs Peel's good lines: "I want to change rooms, there is a honeymoon couple next door!" Last but not least, Steed as Mr Gourmet is "un régal"! (a treat). He speaks French without any accent ("C'est moi", "et un peu déçu", "quel dommage") and he makes jokes in French as well when he speaks about the cigar: "rolled against the thigh d'une jeune fille!" He enjoys himself being Mr Gourmet. Overall, this episode is not one of the best of the fourth season, but we spend an enjoyable hour watching it! Room Without a View I believe this is a rather under-rated episode. The premise, dodgy hotel room leads to fake interrogation camp, is a classic of the genre, and rather well done. And to everyone who complains about the bad Chinese make-up: they're not meant to be real Chinese people, are they? The prison camp isn't real either, is it? The whole Chinese thing is fake! Having said that, there is what appears to be a real Chinese fellow who threatens Mrs. Peel in quite a kinky manner, making for a memorable scene. The fake prison camp reminds me of how often The Avengers seems to be playing with, or "deconstructing," the illusionist techniques of television. There is a fake jungle in "Small Game for Big Hunters," a fake train journey in "The Gravediggers", fake mountain climbing in "The Winged Avenger," Steed ducks fake gunfire in "From Venus With Love," and so on. This play with the boundaries of reality and representation is one of the things that make The Avengers such classic television. This is one of those episodes that emphasize the earlier, more independent Mrs. Peel, before she settled into the jolly double-act of the colour season, further emphasised by that most unusual hair-do. Of course, as others have noted, Steed is hilarious as Monsieur Gourmet, there are some great lines, and the tag is one of the best ever. Three bowlers, I think! Room Without a View Plot: Good. Selling information to build hotels, only an Avengers diabolical mastermind could be devious enough to do that. Wonder if Mr. Hilton ever tried this? Humour: Very good. I loved the line "I want to change my room. There is a honeymoon couple next door." Varnals had an excellent comic performance as an overweening spy. Steeds line to Varnals about Mrs. Peel is great, "I've checked her for deadly weapons." Steeds being Mr. Gourmet is funny. Direction: Good. Nice shots looking up at the prison warder from Mrs. Peel's point of view. Acting: Excellent. Peter Madden's performance is wonderful. I am used to watching him as Hobbs in Danger Man who is a cold, ruthless, and humourless man. He is quite different here. Peter Jeffrey does an excellent portrayal as an overweening spy. Paul Whitsun-Jones plays Chessman very well, although Chessman is not very satisfying as a diabolical mastermind Paul does his best. Philip Latham puts in a wonderful job as Carter. I was pleasantly surprised to see Peter Arne in this who I know from Danger Man. He gave a chilling performance as always, I think I would have liked it better if he had turned out to be the villain. Tag: Good. Steed can run very fast! Miscellaneous: When Anna Wadkin brought out the tea Steed tasted it and remarked, "It's most refreshing, Formosa tea, excellent." I am a big fan of tea so this made me happy to see Steed knows his teas. David, that stuntman's makeup was horrible. Overall Rating: 8/10 |
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