Quintessential poll - series 6 the Tara King episodes

[frank]

another tough choice. I was waffling between All Done with Mirrors or Take Me To Your Leader and ultimately went with the former.

My fave is Two Fellers but it's much more like an Emma Peel than a definitive Tara King

[darren]

It's great how there is more of an acceptance of the Tara King episodes now. I remember back in the early days of the fan forum in the early 2000s (maybe before) and deigning to mention liking Tara King marked you for death! You got besieged by those telling you how awful she was and that she killed the show etc.

[Frankymole]

Yes, many of those myths have been exploded now that more factual sources have been published. E.g. the rubbish about John Bryce appointing Linda Thorson, and dispelling the notions the series died in the ratings in the UK - it was Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In in the US that took viewers and lost them the US funding.

The availability on DVD of the pre-Emma seasons, and information about them, means few viewers now see the series as starting with Emma Peel and going downhill with Tara, indeed they see that the B&W Emmas were superior and the rot set in with a repetitive formula in the color season (but luckily it got its inventiveness back in the season 5b/season 6 block, with more wild episodes which resulted in the production team being sacked as too "way out" and a return to reality sought... a silly idea which luckily got rejected after 3 or 4 aborted episodes into season 7.

With more of Season 1 being discovered, and reconstructions (including the great Big Finish remakes) we get a more balanced view than we did in the 1980s/90s Channel 4 repeats (and satellite channels subsequently) which only ever seem to show to colour Emma and Tara episodes, leading many to think those were the only two Avengers besides Steed. Even The New Avengers has been re-evaluated.

[mousemeat]

Yes, many of those myths have been exploded now that more factual sources have been published. E.g. the rubbish about John Bryce appointing Linda Thorson, and dispelling the notions the series died in the ratings in the UK - it was Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In in the US that took viewers and lost them the US funding.

The availability on DVD of the pre-Emma seasons, and information about them, means few viewers now see the series as starting with Emma Peel and going downhill with Tara, indeed they see that the B&W Emmas were superior and the rot set in with a repetitive formula in the color season (but luckily it got its inventiveness back in the season 5b/season 6 block, with more wild episodes which resulted in the production team being sacked as too "way out" and a return to reality sought... a silly idea which luckily got rejected after 3 or 4 aborted episodes into season 7.




With more of Season 1 being discovered, and reconstructions (including the great Big Finish remakes) we get a more balanced view than we did in the 1980s/90s Channel 4 repeats (and satellite channels subsequently) which only ever seem to show to colour Emma and Tara episodes, leading many to think those were the only two Avengers besides Steed. Even The New Avengers has been re-evaluated.

in regards to the series demise, due to the cancellation in the states, it wasn't so much Rowan and Martin's laugh in, that did 'em in, it was the sheer incompetence of Programmers at ABC that helped kill the series...moving it around day/time slots...not doing much promotion on the series ,especially after the departure of Mrs.Peel, and the arrival of Tara...which is odd, because the Network from what I've read, had a hand in selecting Diana's replacement..and of course, final nail in the coffin, going up against the then number one show in the U.S.A. Laugh in, which I actually hated..and in my opinion, it sucked. of course, others will beg to differ....

and the ratings were pretty good...and in retrospect, ABC could have moved the series to another night and time...but we'll never know for sure..

perhaps in an alternative universe.....

[dissolute]

To me, the essence of series 6 is a wildly spy-fi plot with Tara and Steed going separate paths, so it's hard to choose one.
Mirrors I love but it's pretty much a solo Tara. I ended up voting for They Keep Killing Steed because that's an episode that elevates the sci-fi element and has the principals crossing paths and heading down different tracks.

[Frankymole]

To me, the essence of series 6 is a wildly spy-fi plot with Tara and Steed going separate paths, so it's hard to choose one.
Mirrors I love but it's pretty much a solo Tara. I ended up voting for They Keep Killing Steed because that's an episode that elevates the sci-fi element and has the principals crossing paths and heading down different tracks.

I can get behind that. Ian Ogilvy is very engaging, a proto-Gambit (with Tara being a proto-Purdey in her interactions and fending off his advances) and Ogilvy might even be trying out for "The Son of the Saint" here (later to become "Return of the Saint" -at which he excelled).

Oh yeah and also Ray McAnally as Arco. One of the best opponents ever.

[mousemeat]

To me, the essence of series 6 is a wildly spy-fi plot with Tara and Steed going separate paths, so it's hard to choose one.
Mirrors I love but it's pretty much a solo Tara. I ended up voting for They Keep Killing Steed because that's an episode that elevates the sci-fi element and has the principals crossing paths and heading down different tracks.

I can get behind that. Ian Ogilvy is very engaging, a proto-Gambit (with Tara being a proto-Purdey in her interactions and fending off his advances) and Ogilvy might even be trying out for "The Son of the Saint" here (later to become "Return of the Saint" -at which he excelled).

Oh yeah and also Ray McAnally as Arco. One of the best opponents ever.

good points..but they had a missed opportunity by not having Tara guest on the series, tying up loose ends with Steed and / or the ' service'....and dealing with Gambit and Purdey, etc....It certainly would have raised the new series imprint ..as the solo tara could wind it down, etc

[Frankymole]

good points..but they had a missed opportunity by not having Tara guest on the series, tying up loose ends with Steed and / or the ' service'....and dealing with Gambit and Purdey, etc....It certainly would have raised the new series imprint ..as the solo tara could wind it down, etc

It would've been interesting to have Tara in the flashbacks to 1970 in Obsession, maybe; however by then they were struggling with the budget, and Linda Thorson might not have been available (see also Diana Rigg in K is for Kill)... she wasn't interested in a regular role, I gather (from what I remember of her interview reprinted in the recent Stay Tuned book).

[mousemeat]

good points..but they had a missed opportunity by not having Tara guest on the series, tying up loose ends with Steed and / or the ' service'....and dealing with Gambit and Purdey, etc....It certainly would have raised the new series imprint ..as the solo tara could wind it down, etc

It would've been interesting to have Tara in the flashbacks to 1970 in Obsession, maybe; however by then they were struggling with the budget, and Linda Thorson might not have been available (see also Diana Rigg in K is for Kill)... she wasn't interested in a regular role, I gather (from what I remember of her interview reprinted in the recent Stay Tuned book).

YOU'RE right...one of the major problems of TNA, was budget. money always seemed to be in short supply..so that could have strongly influenced that mind set. Then again, perhaps Thorson wasn't available...or she simply did not want to reprise her role as Tara...but still, it's a shame, the series couldn't get Thorson to return for ONE episode...

[Frankymole]

We'll always have the champagne commercial In a way, I guess we have Thorson to thank for triggering the idea of bringing the series back as TNA.

I like the scene in House of Cards when Steed is talking about the framed portraits of his ex-partners. Well, he's talking about horses, but his lady friend thinks he means the ex-partners