Best scene from "The Living dead"

[Frankymole]

All of it.

Might as well post my review:

"It's far too elaborate for a private fantasy."

After a lovely "We're needed" scene, the first half of the story is very atmospheric, directed and lit almost as well as a monochrome Emma episode. The chapel, graveyard, and pub sets are small but employed extremely well. The mystery of the Duke's malevolent staff, lurking observers, hidden solarium, and top-secret cellar are set up suspensefully—much of the fun being due to Steed's heavy-handed investigation (his comments on how well-painted he considers the flouted "Keep Out" sign are hilarious). He approaches "flushing out" spies with all the subtlety a game hunt beater uses to put pheasants to flight—and it works!

The cast: Julian Glover again plays an arrogant militaristic heavy. Why does he never get cast as eccentric villains, the way other recurring actors such as Peter Bowles did? A waste. Kermit the Hermit is a babbling annoyance, and both Dukes are non-entities. But the competing SMOG and FOG investigators (Pamela Ann Davy and Vernon Dobtcheff) provide some fun, and Jack Watson's former miner/landlord is a great ally for steed. Emma's finding of the SMOG man's corpse is particularly well done (swinging on a church bell rope, impaled by a crusader effigy's sword). Best of all is the diffident firing squad commander, who is more nervous than his intended target!

Steed shows his steel... I enjoy the rare occasions when the coldly determined "no-nonsense" agent briefly emerges from the urbane-debonair gent. Teasing Masgard on his transparent "Englishness," repeatedly gripping Kermit's arm to prevent the alcoholic tramp from taking a sip until he's coughed up the information, and impassively polite and patient when faced with execution.

Was Diana on another holiday? Emma gets little to do, but her final scenes are fun and we rarely get to see her using a sub-machinegun in anger! Cyd Child mentions that her own "guard-spinning" fight in the cell caused worries among the production team because her face was fully visible, but no viewers noticed on transmission. Well, I may not have noticed originally, but watching this scene proves what a magnificent woman Ms Child is, effortlessly manhandling the guard in true Emma tradition and in the process looking just as lovely in an "Emmapeeler" as Ms Rigg.

The music seemed unusually limp... perhaps I'm spoilt by the preceding season and Tara soundtracks. Writing? It's hard to believe this story was plotted by the chap who wrote No Sex Please, We're British (a long-running stage farce); Brian Clemens does his best but it lacks the usual wit and charm.

Finally, I'm starting to get a bit disturbed by the way every bar set in The Avengers looks very very similar — having just watched "The Living Dead", the pub "The Duke of Benedict" bears striking similarities to the jolly old Gremlin in "The Town of No Return," and also the pub interiors in "Silent Dust" and "Man-Eater of Surrey Green." Sadly Emma doesn't sip a pint of ale in this one. It felt especially odd seeing Emma-horsewhipping Juggins (Jack Watson) return from "Silent Dust" as the friendly landlord in this episode. Maybe his "scrumpy" ran out!

"That isn't the cold. It's the vibration." Better than I remembered—I can almost forgive the retread of the "The Town of No Return" plot. Three out of five bowlers. There's better to come!

[hkjohn]

I love the fight between Emma and Mandy and the way poor Mandy looks so helpless when Emma pinches off the nerve. I also love the way Mandy's pretty eyes flicker shut as she slides to the ground still clinging to the pillar

[Mona]

I find it interesting Emma's prodding of Steed as to his history of having ever seen a ghost. Steed is definitely ignoring the answer, and in a strange TV way, never does do so. There's no specific closure for viewers, so we are left believing that Steed may indeed have seen a ghost in his past life but doesn't wish to share what he saw, or not. For me, this was a lovely germ of an idea to daydream an appropriate historical escapade to fit Steed's "haunted" past.

Anyone else wonder about Steed never actually admitting he did or did not see a ghost to Emma?

Has he, do you think, but it's too disturbing to share, or has he not, and he's just playing with Emma?

[JohnSteedFr]

I've always liked the storyline. My favourite scene is the moment when Mandy is in high spirits because she's just seen her first ghost ! ("I've seen my first ghost"), then she becomes repetitive...What the hell is that ? Hasn't she heard about Casper ?

[oneknightsteed]

I rather like the scene where Steed, ignoring the 'Keep Out' sign and getting shot at remarks -' Lucky I was flying high!"
And as Masgard grabs his lapel, Steed says, "You're in danger of ruffling my feathers!"

Also the scene in the pub with Steed and Mrs. Peel discussing what they have found out so far. Steed mentions the gamekeeper shooting at things out of season -
Emma: "What's out of season?"
Steed: "ME!"