The 'Avengers '67: Set 2

Does this give you an idea of the style, quirkiness, and love for the unexpected and slightly outrageous that was the trademark of this series? Steed and Peel were agents were British Intelligence, and each episode dealt with some threat to British national security and/or the keepers thereof. The writers had a penchant for outlandish and just-beyond-credible stories. No matter how outrageous, Steed and Peel were seldom taken off-guard, never flustered, and, of course, always able to somehow overcome the obstacles presented to them.

In this particular set of three tapes (six episodes), Steed and Peel (it's Mrs. Peel, but I don't think we ever see or hear mention of Mr. Peel) deal with a group of spies, living underground, using slave labor, and training an army of infiltrators in "The Living Dead"; there is a very big and very mean cat prowling, and killing intelligence agents in "The Hidden Tiger"; when foreign spies start getting killed, Steed and Peel team up with their foreign (Soviet?) counterparts to identify and stop the third party in the game, in "The Correct Way to Kill"; there is a problem with disappearing corpses and an unkillable super-spy-gone-rogue in "Never, Never Say Die"; Emma gets kidnapped and unwillingly cast in a maniacal directors very lethal movie, with Steed eventually joining in to help out, in "Epic"; Steed is invited to a strange party that is really a try-out for a genetically-enhanced superhuman killing machine, up for sale, in "The Superlative Seven", with Emma joining the party, to help save the day, near the end.

So often when one sees a show again, after years of fond memories, the actual show is a letdown, if not an absolute disappointment. So few shows, after all, hold up after thirty-odd years! And though these shows are undoubtedly "Sixties" in look and feel, it doesn't date them, but adds to their allure. And that allure is still as potent as ever. It shows what high production values, intelligent, witty, literate scripts, fine acting, and above all the superb lead pair of Patrick MacNee and Diana Rigg, and their inimitable chemistry, can accomplish. Each is like a mini-feature film. If the plots sometimes are a bit far-out and far-fetched, if some of the special effects or gadgetry wouldn't pass muster today, nevertheless these films haven't lost a whit of their enjoyability or appeal. And they defined stylishness then, and still are unsurpassed in stylishness now! The unflappable urbanity and resourcefulness of Steed, and the wry wit and smouldering yet utterly controlled sexuality (and intellect!) of Mrs Peel, are a combination that has never been bettered. And the lackluster recent filmization of the series shows how much credit has to go to the original series' two stars and production/writing team, because the series outdoes the film by a parsec. Kudos to those responsible for releasing these gems on video! Now a whole new generation can discover them!