The Avengers International Fan Forum

As it's December I skipped a few episodes in my series 4 rewatch and chose this one. I'd forgotten what a sublime episode this one is. The creepiness factor is off the scale. Never have I seen such a horrifically grotesque and evil Father Christmas! Steed's nightmare is enough to give you nightmares . Mrs Peel's grim discovery is equally disturbing and so is the mind reading woman whose got sinister vibes emanating from her in waves. I cheered when Mrs Peel "dropped" her glass and broke the moment . Good on her although it's funny how every acquaintance of Emma's (except Steed) is a wrong'un .

Speaking of S&E, I love their scenes in this episode. Emma's cold frosty knickers approach towards Steed has finally thawed and instead of getting the impression that she's only there as she has to be, here you believe she's there because she wants to be and genuinely cares for Steed. This episode their relationship looks like the series 5 one in black & white. The tag is brilliant, one of my favourites - damn the camera pulling away at that point! Incidentally, in the bedroom scene why did Steed go "so have I, I mean, I have too'? Both sound grammatically correct if you are agreeing with someone.

QueenOfSin wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2023 8:52 pm Incidentally, in the bedroom scene why did Steed go "so have I, I mean, I have too'? Both sound grammatically correct if you are agreeing with someone.

He says "So have I", meaning he would quite fancy Mrs Peel in a four poster bed as well! when she quasi-innocently says Hmmm? he backtracks quickly to say he likes the beds as well.

dissolute wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2023 1:31 am

QueenOfSin wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2023 8:52 pm Incidentally, in the bedroom scene why did Steed go "so have I, I mean, I have too'? Both sound grammatically correct if you are agreeing with someone.

He says "So have I", meaning he would quite fancy Mrs Peel in a four poster bed as well! when she quasi-innocently says Hmmm? he backtracks quickly to say he likes the beds as well.

I thought it was something like that , but as it could easily be that he was just agreeing with her, it confused me why he backtracked. As an example:

Me and friend admiring a sports car. I say " do you know, I've always quite fancied myself in one of these". My friend replies "so have I". I would take that to mean that he agrees with my comment and also sees himself in the car not that he's agreeing that he'd like to see me in it!

QueenOfSin wrote: ↑Fri Dec 22, 2023 10:23 pm Me and friend admiring a sports car. I say " do you know, I've always quite fancied myself in one of these". My friend replies "so have I". I would take that to mean that he agrees with my comment and also sees himself in the car not that he's agreeing that he'd like to see me in it!

It depends if your friend fancies you. Steed obviously fancies Emma, hence why he is clearing up the ambiguity in case she thinks he is being too forward...

it's no secret, that Steed, did take a liking to Mrs. Peel...the witty word play, the overall caring...one of the saddest moments, when Steed had to say good bye to Emma, as she was leaving to re join her lost husband..you could feel the sadness...

mousemeat wrote: ↑Sat Dec 23, 2023 3:15 pm it's no secret, that Steed, did take a liking to Mrs. Peel...the witty word play, the overall caring...one of the saddest moments, when Steed had to say good bye to Emma, as she was leaving to re join her lost husband..you could feel the sadness...

Reading some of the contemporary remarks of Linda Thorson in Andrew's book with the new BluRays, she said she decided that Tara was madly in love with Steed because why else would someone accompany him through all the violent events of their adventures... and although Cathy Gale never seemed to succumb to his charms, I thought "well, Emma was clearly in love with him too". Maybe not all the time, but there was clearly a deep friendship there, at the very least, and maybe some sexual teasing, and that's as much as love gets to be (at best) for a lot of people. Clearly Emma and Steed didn't put anyone else foremost in their lives, only each other.

When Emma invites Steed to the Christmas party, Steed remarks: "Is he still after your first edition?"
I not only grin at this every time, I also wonder how that was allowed in.

Frankymole wrote: ↑Sat Dec 23, 2023 4:25 amIt depends if your friend fancies you. Steed obviously fancies Emma, hence why he is clearing up the ambiguity in case she thinks he is being too forward...

I suppose there is that! I think it's fairly obvious that Steed and Emma are more than just friends, certainly by the colour series where they're practically living together, constantly flirting and teasing, all touchy-feely and showing up with champagne in the midle of the night! She is so stand offish in early s4 then she suddenly changes and softens. This episode she's like s5, so my view is that following those initial cold episodes she succumbed to Steed's charms and after a few encounters her feelings for him grew and grew. They're clearly in love with each other, each knows it but both are afraid to say anything out loud for fear it will send the other running. She's very comfortable and concerned with him here though so they must have already got it on before this episode but not that long ago or Steed wouldn't be worried about seeming too forward.

Allard, thanks for sharing...after your first edition, indeed...too funny..and yeah, amazed it got past the censors....lol

Watched it for the eighth time on Christmas eve, it just doesn't age or tire.
This episode is glorious from beginning to end. Many great Steed/Emma moments, plenty full of small jokes and charming moments.
But above all so atmospheric, haunting and cosy-Christmasy at the same time, a brilliantly done episode.