I know I will probably be burned at the stake for pursuing this, but when you look at 'Two's A Crowd', you see that Steed is totally capable of putting Emma in harms way, as well as showing little regard for her feelings! He let her be taken hostage and allowed her to believe he'd been killed! These episodes were still early days in their partnership/relationship. Steed was still a bit of a scamp. Therefore I say it was Emma not a mannequin. But I truely respect your opinion and can see there is cause for confusion.
Of course this is my most humble opinion. Don't hurt me!
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I'm not going to burn you at the stake, OneKnight, but I do find it odd that you only have one episode to judge Steed by negatively in the Emma series, when there are a LOT of episodes, a huge amount, whereby he is anxious to save her when she is captured, at risk, etc, and indeed does do so. We start in that mode in the "Town of No Return" and continue on throughout the black and white and color series. So, the proof of him caring for her entirely outweighs his one negative action in "Two's a Crowd".
I have to say it does really incredibly amaze me that people think Steed would pour the toxic material on Emma--which, if he DID, and the plant died, how is she waking up all healthy and fine? I understand he had some edges to his personality, but I'll go to my grave believing that if it was absolutely necessary for a human to be killed to stop the outer space plant, he'd have poured the herbicide on himself. But, what we see most of all in ALL the Avenger series, from Hot Snow to Emily, is how quick minded, and how cunning Steed was--his mind would instantly see the mannequin, use Emma's jacket as "scent" and then pour on the herbicide. THAT is the action of our Steed most of all.
I also stand by my statement that TV shows do not uselessly add such things as mannequins into the set pieces. The idea that they do, for no reason, is something I must seriously disagree with.
I actually sent Patrick Macnee a letter explaining this conundrum to him, asking him to simply return a postage paid enclosed postcard, marking one of two options--Mannequin or Emma--but unfortunately at this time in his life, Pat is really not answering fan email anymore. That's too bad.
I do cherish the one letter I received from him back in, gosh, 1992 or so. You can't hardly read it as his handwriting is SO bad, but of course, he had to discuss Diana Rigg, (favorite topic of his all the time in real life) and include one of his "bits"--a positive review of a play she was just in.
HEY! Anyone know the fan email address of Diana Rigg? We can ask HER! Or is the writer of that show still alive; any know and know of his address? I'm happy to write him, too!
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