The Top Five Episodes
of Seasons 4 & 5 (1967-8)

of

The Avengers

Season 4

Rank	Episode	Score
	A Touch of Brimstone Fantastically wicked John Cartney (Peter Wyngarde) delivers a debauched performance, culminating in Mrs Peel being forcibly garbed as the Queen of Sin. Cracking plot delivered at a whip-snap pace, with great sets and music. It doesn't get better than this..
	The House That Jack Built A tour de force from Diana Rigg, most of this episode focused on her, with no other characters on screen. Admirably supporting performances from Patrick Macnee, Michael Goodliffe and Griffith Davies, but Rigg and the superb sets are the stars, the plot an elegantly crafted posthumous revenge. Eerie, menacing and troubling, this episode raises the bar for television drama.
	The Cybernauts The episode that created an enduring legend. The robots might be cruder here than in the sequels, but the performances of the villainous doctor and his sidekick Benson (Michael Gough and Frederick Jaeger) are fantastic. Red herrings strewn across the Avengers' path and a furious culmination to the episode make this a true classic.
	A Sense of History Not one usually singled out by critics, but this episode has it all for me. The villainous, lantern-jawed Patrick Mower in probably one of his best performances, a funny and witty script woven around a plausible and engrossing plot, with fantastically underplayed perofrmances form the principals. Add to that a fine bit of fancy dress and a dash of innuendo and you're hard pressed to do better.
	Too Many Christhmas Trees An implausible plot and set of villains, perhaps, but the psycho-drama of Steed's nightmares is genuinely enthralling, even to an unabashed sceptic like myself. Jeanette Sterke and Alex Scott are excellent villains, their brooding good looks confirmation of their evil. A slow, dream-like build up delivers a nightmarish finish while along the way we have dancing music and great costumes.

	The Town of No Return, The Hour That Never Was, The Girl from Auntie, Quick-Quick Slow Death, Honey for the Prince

Season 5

Joseph's picks			Piers' picks
Rank	Episode	Score	Rank	Episode	Score
	The Hidden Tiger *The* Avengers episode... a bizarre plot, an inexplicable death, a wonderful eccentric, great interplay between the leads, and an inexplicable feel good factor about it. That black catsuit does it to me every time.			The Hidden Tiger Elegant, ludicrous, eccentric and just plain joyous. Great clothes, inspired guest performances and an attention to detail make this the episode par excellence. "Pussies Galore!" indeed.

	Escape in Time A great script from Philip Levene, the best of the series. ...the performance from Peter Bowles and the great silent 10 minute sequence with the exchange of stuffed animals...			Murdersville The counterpoint between the implicit threat of men and the modern, independent woman out of her element in a rustic backwater makes some of the best viewing of the season.

	Death's Door We see Hayers' best direction for the series here. Wonderfully atmospheric, portraying all the psychological horror one would expect from dream fixing and making the best of some truly great Steed & Emma lines.			The Winged Avenger A blend of pure genius, obtuse wit and homage to the TV show that may have most influenced the colour season of Mrs Peel... Oodles of wit and style combined with great direction and props make this a real viewing pleasure. Make sure you see it!

	Dead Man's Treasure A fantastic, plot free episode. I really like this one, and it is my personal favourite. Three great fights and loads of car chases. If you want action, then this is the episode for you!			Epic The use of the same set for Emma's street and Schnerk's set of it 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 Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Station Superb camera angles, a good sense of pace and a good claustrophobic feel to the whole thing combine to make this [Krish's] series best...a very funny episode.			The Joker The Avengers do film noir. A moody, difficult psychological thriller - a remake of a Cathy Gale script - some of the most atmospheric and disturbing camera work of the series.

	From Venus With Love, The Bird Who Knew Too Much, The Correct Way to Kill, Never, Never Say Die, The Superlative Seven, Something Nasty in the Nursery, The Joker, Return of the Cybernauts, Murdersville			Escape in Time, The Bird Who Knew Too Much, Never, Never Say Die, The Superlative Seven, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Station, Who's Who???, Return of the Cybernauts, Death's Door, Dead Man's Treasure, You Have Just Been Murdered, Mission: Highly Improbable

* You may notice more than five episodes under the & rankings. These episodes were so close in standard that they are impossible to separate. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. The wooden spoons, in case you're interested go to Epic from Joseph, and The See-Through Man from Piers, although I originally gave the award to The Forget-Me-Knot.