The Avengers Forever: Rodney's Reviews

	Rodney's Reviews Page 34 of 42

Something Nasty in the Nursery
By Rodney Marshall

The Emma Peel era includes a number of episodes where a disturbing, nightmarish atmosphere is created through surreal, childhood figures: the evil Father Christmas ("Too Many Christmas Trees") and the ventriloquist’s shop dummies ("The £50,000 Breakfast") are two of the most memorable. Here, toys create a menacing world in which even the wallpaper hints at violence.

The idea that British aristocratic politicians can be hypnotized by a fake nanny and her baby bouncers seems absurd. However, having met some real-life ones—nobility, not nannies—I'm not sure that the idea is so far-fetched. It is, though, a disturbing thought: that major political decisions are made by men who have never (mentally) left infancy behind. Perhaps the drudgery of endless cabinet committee meetings would be enough to send grown men yearning for the carefree childhood world of the nursery.

Each time I've re-watched this episode I'm more and more convinced that the script is basically a satirical send-up of English upper-class bureaucrats; that the deadly masterminds are just a sub-plot.

There are some wonderful sets, including the nursery, the toy shop, the nanny-training centre, and the lord's cellar. The final scene, in which Steed pretends to be brainwashed and holds the map in his mouth like a dog, is hilarious. For me, this is a four bowler; The Avengers at its eccentric, stylish best.