The Avengers International Fan Forum

It now stands at 22 to 2, favor of year 4. Not at all surprising but I bet that if you polled the Avengers fans under the age of 13, year 5 would win. They seem to prefer the colors and the simpler story lines.

George wrote:In terms of Series 4, am I right in saying that the only fault with the DVD boxset, is that there is freezing on The Gravediggers Episode? Would love to watch The Cybernauts again, I find them to be quite scary.

I forget how it happens but just before the fight on the miniature railway, the sound goes out of sync.

In terms of the opening title sequence, I do prefer the Series 5 one to the Series 4 one.

Eh...
That's difficult.
I think both of them are really great.
If I had to decide, I would choose.... oh! I don't know.

Sincerely yours,
Sinus1994

For me, Season 5 almost concentrates too much on its colourful new world, often descending in to a cartoonish, self-referential Avengersland. Some of the episodes were excellent, but quite a few were remakes, others were derivative and many relied on special effects. In Season 4, when some of the top directors were still there (e.g. Don Leaver) there is more emphasis on strong plots and a greater mixture of storylines, from my father's real world settings (military, banking etc.), through Levene's sci-fi, the wonderfully warped Clemens (at his best) and Williamson's atmospheric, less plotted episodes. I also feel that monchrome suited the show, adding an atmosphere which is lost in 'glorious technicolor'.

The character of Steed is also, arguably, at his best in this season. As the Avengers Dossier puts it:
"The Steed of the fourth season is a schoolboy, eager to play a game or run his umbrella down railings, but equally capable of showing a sudden dangerous edge."

In deciding which of these seasons you prefer, Epic is a good one to watch. Do you find it wonderfully clever and subversive, or far too artificial and Batmanesque?

Season 5 is wonderful. Breezy and fun and admittedly not to be taken too seriously. The very essence of the swinging 60s.
BUT Season 4 just happens to be the best season of television ever made. Try following that. Season 5 does so admirably, but how can you compete with perfection. Sadly, season 5 comes in for a lot of criticism. I just love it for the colourful fun season it is. Terrific episodes like Escape in time, Hidden tiger, Joker, Murdersville, Funny thing..., Venus, and so many others. Episodes I love to return to.
BUT The Cybernauts, Hour that never was, Town of no return, Xmas trees, Bargain prices, Castle and countless others, just happen to be the best hours of television ever made. Wonderfully inventive, iconic episodes, in glorious monochrome. Full of atmosphere, shadows, witticisms, and not a wasted frame of film. Rich.

cyberrich wrote:Season 5 is wonderful. Breezy and fun and admittedly not to be taken too seriously. The very essence of the swinging 60s.
BUT Season 4 just happens to be the best season of television ever made. Try following that. Season 5 does so admirably, but how can you compete with perfection. Sadly, season 5 comes in for a lot of criticism. I just love it for the colourful fun season it is. Terrific episodes like Escape in time, Hidden tiger, Joker, Murdersville, Funny thing..., Venus, and so many others. Episodes I love to return to.
BUT The Cybernauts, Hour that never was, Town of no return, Xmas trees, Bargain prices, Castle and countless others, just happen to be the best hours of television ever made. Wonderfully inventive, iconic episodes, in glorious monochrome. Full of atmosphere, shadows, witticisms, and not a wasted frame of film. Rich.

And what are you going to vote for?
It's difficult, isn't it?

Sincerely yours,
Sinus1994

Rodney wrote:In deciding which of these seasons you prefer, Epic is a good one to watch. Do you find it wonderfully clever and subversive, or far too artificial and Batmanesque?

Definitely among the 'campiest' of the bunch for series 5. Emma meets The Three Stooges.