The Avengers : Epic

Episode Rating

Subject	0-5	Subject	Subject	Subject
Direction		Music	Humour	Intro & tag
Mastermind		Plot	Emma	Set Design
Overall (0-10)	Joseph	Why did Brian Clemens bother with this? At its best, it is a weird, under-directed episode, and at its worst it is awful. Even Peter Wyngarde and Diana Rigg are both dreadful in it. K.J. Warren is just irritating. The best bit is with a fake policeman, which really sums it up. The worst series five episode.
Overall (0-10)	Piers	This is called the polarisation of your audience. I love this episode - maybe only The Hidden Tiger is better. The use of the same set for outside Emma's flat, and Schnerk's representation of outside her flat is inspired, and the symmetry doesn't stop there. Great acting, great clothes (well, mostly...), a fantastic score and wickedly funny lines. What more could you want?

A man resembling Steed is auditioned for a non-speaking part - a corpse.
Mrs Peel is already needed before Steed can get in the door, summoned to a remote country lane by an anonymous telephone call. Steed tags along, fearing a trap, but only an old priest on a bicycle disrupts the blustery calm of the country. The priest is in fact an old actor, who has just filmed Mrs Peel for a screen test as the star of a film, "The Destruction of Emma Peel". Mrs Peel is kidnapped by the villains, Von Schnerk, Syn and Kirby - played wonderfully by Peter Wyngarde, who was so excellent as the villain in A Touch of Brimstone. Chased around the set, shot at and attacked with swords and tomahawks, then finally tied to a circular saw, Mrs Peel looks set to have her dying moments filmed... Steed makes himself the understudy for the actor playing his corpse and finishes Von Schnerk's plans to make the epic of the century.
Emma decides she would rather not see an old Stuart Kirby film at the Plaza, and the Avengers decide to stay in for the night.

The Cars

Marque/Model	Colour	Number Plate
Lotus Elan S3	glacier blue	SJH 499D
old bicycle	black, wicker basket	-
Austin taxi	black	VGF 345
Rolls Royce limousine	black	EXY 689
Rolls Royce Hearse	black	MUL 296
policeman's bicycle	black	-
Bentley Speed Six 1926	British racing green	RX 6180

Who's Killing Whom?

Victim	Killer	Method	click a name to see the face
Actor	Stewart Kirby ^V*	Pistol
Policeman	Stewart Kirby ^V*	Tommy gun
Z.Z. von Schnerk ^V*	Steed & himself ^V*	Shot while struggling for pistol

The Fashions

Emma's Fashions	Steed's Fashions
lilac jacket, skirt & stockings with purple skivvy green jacket & trouser with white cotton skivvy & ankle boots lilac trousers, purple skivvy (jacket not being worn)	brown double-breasted overcoat, velvet collar, brown gloves & bowler, black umbrella, burgundy cravat (dark brown suit underneath) grey single-breasted 3 piece 3 button 2 vents flaps on pockets velvet collar suit, white shirt pale grey cravat with dark grey plaid, grey bowler & umbrella brown jacket, single-breasted 1 vent, beige shirt, bronze tie & handkerchief, tan trousers, light grey socks, tan shoes

Emma's Fashions

Steed's Fashions

brown double-breasted overcoat, velvet collar, brown gloves & bowler, black umbrella, burgundy cravat (dark brown suit underneath)
grey single-breasted 3 piece 3 button 2 vents flaps on pockets velvet collar suit, white shirt pale grey cravat with dark grey plaid, grey bowler & umbrella
brown jacket, single-breasted 1 vent, beige shirt, bronze tie & handkerchief, tan trousers, light grey socks, tan shoes

The Episode Guide to Season 5 (1967) of The Avengers

Episode 11 - Epic