Season Six: an apology

cyberrich · Post by **cyberrich** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 6:29 pm

Well mjhbuckeye, that must have taken you hours to write. Sorry to have to say though, that I disagreed with virtually everything! Season 6 is great fun and probably the most diverse season of television ever made. Like you though I was very sad when I first saw Forget me knot when Channel 4 aired it in the early 80s. As soon as Linda appeared I knew I wouldn't see Diana again. I was very disappointed for several weeks, but I did warm to Linda eventually. Out of the four leading ladies though, she would probably be 4th, behind Emma on top, and Purdey and Cathy battling it out for 2nd place. I never viewed Steed as a dirty old lecher and Linda as out of her depth though as has been suggested before, but then maybe I'm not as cynical as some. I just thought the whole season (with 6 bad exceptions -Earthmen, Thingymujig, George/XR40, Legacy of death, have guns...and Homicide) was faultless fun. The scripts were as interesting and diverse as preceding seasons, and the whole cycle of The Avengers would be poorer without this season.

kim · Post by **kim** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 6:44 pm

Have you watched the episodes in recent years? My own judgement of the TK era was very clouded when I first saw it many years ago. Tara King was not Emma Peel whom I adored, and since the first episode (in fact the only episode I saw at the time) was Look Stop Me, I despised the show without ever giving it a chance.

I was also deeply dissapointed in TNA when I first saw that also, since my beloved Emma Peel did not make an appearance, so my prejudices got in my way, delaying by many years a strong love for both Tara King and TNA.

Once I cleared my mind and was drawn in by the original board member's comments on David's site, I found a treasure trove of episodes that I had turned a blind eye to in the past. And since I've never seen the Cathy Gale episodes, once time and money are back on my side, I know I'll be discovering a whole new world in which to live.

If you haven't seen the TK episodes in forty years, take a look again with a new perspective. You may find yourself viewing it in a whole new light.

mjhbuckeye · Post by **mjhbuckeye** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 7:39 pm

I didn't say it's been forty years since I've seen the Thorson series, rather it has been forty years since I first saw the Thorson series. My initial impressions were comtemporaneous and from the gut as a fan. The more analytical observations were made from viewings of a more recent vintage with considerably more maturity (like I could put a finger on what was passsing for sexual tension when I was 12?). Like I have said, I really wanted to like the shows when they first aired and I wanted to believe that my initial impressions were wrong when I saw them again. I think all of us who are fans want the series to be a constant arc of top quality entertainment; to admit weaknesses or flaws seems like being disloyal to an old friend. However I have to be candid and for me, there is not a lot to like in the Thorson series. It was, IMO, the wrong actress, in the wrong premise with the wrong scripts. I'm sorry that I can't isolate the Linda Thorson's from the Diana Rigg's, they are part and parcel of one continous series (I made my peace long ago with TNA, it is a totally new show with only the barest of connections to the original and very much a product of its' time) and while the previous two series make up some of the best entertainment ever broadcast on televison, the same cannot be said of the Thorson series as a whole, nor any isolated episode of the Thorson series. Sorry, it is not an uneducated or uninformed opinion, its' just the way I feel.

kim · Post by **kim** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 7:48 pm

mjhbuckeye wrote:I didn't say it's been forty years since I've seen the Thorson series, rather it has been forty years since I first saw the Thorson series. My initial impressions were comtemporaneous and from the gut as a fan. The more analytical observations were made from viewings of a more recent vintage with considerably more maturity (like I could put a finger on what was passsing for sexual tension when I was 12?). Like I have said, I really wanted to like the shows when they first aired and I wanted to believe that my initial impressions were wrong when I saw them again. I think all of us who are fans want the series to be a constant arc of top quality entertainment; to admit weaknesses or flaws seems like being disloyal to an old friend. However I have to be candid and for me, there is not a lot to like in the Thorson series. It was, IMO, the wrong actress, in the wrong premise with the wrong scripts. I'm sorry that I can't isolate the Linda Thorson's from the Diana Rigg's, they are part and parcel of one continous series (I made my piece long ago with TNA, it is a totally new show with only the barest of connections to the original and very much a product of its' time) and while the previous two series make up some of the best entertainment ever broadcast on televison, the same cannot be said of the Thorson series as a whole, nor any isolated episode of the Thorson series. Sorry, it is not an uneducated or uninformed opinion, its' just the way I feel.

Ahh..I see now...sorry..I misinterpreted your first post.

Frankymole · Post by **Frankymole** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 8:33 pm

cyberrich wrote:I never viewed Steed as a dirty old lecher

In seasons 2 and 3 he did little else

Rodney · Post by **Rodney** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 11:39 pm

A little severe! Yes, Steed does plenty of flirting in Season 3 but he also has a genuine edge to him which becomes less apparent in later seasons. Macnee is arguably at his best in terms of performances in 63-65. Steed's paternal role in the Tara King season, telling Mother how 'vulnerable' Tara is and smacking her bottom is a disappointment after the war of words he often has with Cathy and Emma. I actually believe that one of the things which saves Season 6 is Mother whose ascerbic wit gives Steed the verbal jousting he so clearly thrives upon. I also love some of his hideaways such as the bus.

Artanis · Post by **Artanis** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 7:39 am

Rodney wrote:I actually believe that one of the things which saves Season 6 is Mother whose ascerbic wit gives Steed the verbal jousting he so clearly thrives upon. I also love some of his hideaways such as the bus.

I agree, Mother was a great addition and makes Season 6 even better. Him and Steed have some funny scenes together. And I like that he isn't in every episode, so Tara and Steed are on their own once in awhile.

Frankymole · Post by **Frankymole** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 2:57 pm

The steely Steed of Seasons 2-3 (and with glimpses in Season 4) is great fun. I love it when the veneer of civilisation slips and he threatens to break someone's arm. You can believe it!

The slightly seedy and down-at-heel raincoat-wearing 'tec of season 1, and the man-about-town to gentleman of later seasons, are all aspects of Steed but also show how there's a lot more to him than meets the eye - which many a diabolical mastermind has learnt too late!

Rodney · Post by **Rodney** » Wed Nov 05, 2008 11:30 pm

I just rewatched Stay Tuned - awful title, much better French one (The Face) - and it really is a fantastic episode. I still hate the rehashing of music from The Joker but in every other respect I think it typifies Season Six at its best.

frank · Post by **frank** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:45 am

Yes Stay Tuned is an excellent episode. they have a nice use of Roger Delgado and Kate O'Mara