Well, Dandy, if Purdey's near confession of love to Steed in "Angels of Death" when they decided to position their bodies facing each other to be crushed to death, (instead of the more logical side by side, giving themselves a few more seconds before feeling the crush), can be--as you wrote--considered a "blip", then we can certainly consider Purdey's concern for Gambit's date book a "blip" as well. I also enjoy Steed and Purdey dashing off together after being saved, leaving Gambit alone in the maze. But, that could be a "blip" as well. There are so many Steed/Purdey blips!
It is the fan's right to decide on any whim what she wishes to ignore that the writers so obviously put up there for her to watch. It is also the fan's right to see into any scene what she wishes to see into. That is the fun of being a fan!
I've heard it said that Steed, Purdey and Gambit were "equals" but they weren't equal in any way shape or form. Steed was in charge. Purdey and Gambit worked with him, but also, for him, and he directed how their investigation went and he had the influence and authority to make command decisions. Forward Base, at the near end of the series, is the epitome of their relationship in that regard. It's clear Steed is running the show, and Gambit and Purdey are following his directions, and even being nervous about reporting to him. On the other hand, both Gambit and Purdey are good, solid agents, capable and talented and we are righteously supposed to respect them as such.
So, I find it somewhat insulting to Purdey to state she had a "crush" on Steed--is Purdey really a character similar to Tara? Tara is young, fresh out of spy school, where Steed was highly studied and acknowledged to be, very likely, the best spy Britain ever produced, and her first partner is that John Steed. No wonder she was in a bit of a crush--I can guarantee that every time I've met Patrick Macnee, I was dizzy due to my having a crush on him!
However, that is a far different from Purdey, an older woman, a self-made ballet star, a woman who has experienced both the joys of love and the agony of its implosion, who had the resolve and fortitude to become a spy, and excel as one. I respect Purdey highly, and also do not mind any age difference between lovers. Steed did not chase after her like some perverted old lewd guy--he was the recipient of Purdey's gentle persistence. And, he was handsome, charming, noble, wise, experienced, generous, cultured, highly respected, rich, athletic, a perfect gentleman, can cook, has horses to ride, loves to travel...--yeah, it makes sense Purdey would be attracted to him!
On the other hand, Gambit is the one openly trying to get into her trousers all the time; is that okay because he is her age?
I can see how Timeless thought Purdey and Gambit were "back together" (although of course I never see them together in the first place), in Forward Base, which is not, overall, a very pro-Gambit episode. We have Gambit being fairly stupid in that moment when Steed tells him to "lean" on the Russian, and Gambit doesn't get what that means at first. I thought that was odd, making Gambit seem somewhat slow. It was awkward, if nothing else, and I'm not sure why the dialogue was there. We then have Gambit having no idea what is going on in Canada, while Steed has, through the mental ingestion of multiple disparate clues, figured everything out in his head. If Gambit had not been directly told by the fellow Steed beat in the shop, he would not know the Russian submarine type vessel was acting as a coastline now and then. Meanwhile, Steed is arresting all the Russians. So, not the best Gambit episode, overall. On the other hand, yeah, Gambit does force Purdey into his armpit on the bridge, which she resists, but then seems okay with for a few seconds. I see that point of view, but find it to be very minor.
So, we are back where we started--fans coming at The Avengers from all different attitudes, beliefs and biases, and seeing what they wish to see in the episodes, and disregarding what they don't wish to acknowledge.
Such is life in general on planet Earth! And it certainly makes this Forum a lively place to visit!
Mona