Overrated classic episodes

Sam · Post by **Sam** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 8:08 am

Timeless A-Peel wrote:
kim wrote:
Timeless A-Peel wrote: Andrew's book is fabulous. He deserves an award for exceptional service to Avengerdom.

In his defense, there really isn't very much written on Tara to flesh out her background. You can feel the editors of Featuring The New Avengers casting around for something to put in her bio. "Yeah, she used to be an, uh...an actress! Yes, that's it. An actress. Of course it was mentioned in an episode. Which one? Er, well...biscuit?"
If he had consulted me, I could have given her a much better background story. But did he do it? Noooo. Never mind he didn't even know of my existence at the time, he should do a re-write now. So come on Pixley, you need to re-write Tara's bio. *hides under table to avoid Andrew's missiles*
What you really need is time-travel so you could hitch a ride back 1967 and give her a proper writer's brief (I think she's the only Avengers character not to have one. Venus got one, but Tara never really did). Unfortunately, time travel seems to involve getting hit by a car while listening to David Bowie. So you might have to live with it.

I want time-travel so I can go back to Britain in 1961 and watch the first season of a certain TV show.

Dandy Forsdyke · Post by **Dandy Forsdyke** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 8:19 am

Sam wrote: I want time-travel so I can go back to Britain in 1961 and watch the first season of a certain TV show.

Mr. Ed?

Mona · Post by **Mona** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 5:30 pm

Hello, again, Timeless,

Yes, I own and read Heald's Biography of Steed and mostly disliked it, at some points, greatly. I appreciated his desire to create a background for Steed, but really, a monk! I found it to be completely against the background I have, I think, much more "realistically" created in my own head. At least, that is, my mind like's my own creation better!

What was your opinion of the book and his imaginary history of Steed?

Mona

Timeless A-Peel · Post by **Timeless A-Peel** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 5:59 pm

Mona wrote:Hello, again, Timeless,

Yes, I own and read Heald's Biography of Steed and mostly disliked it, at some points, greatly. I appreciated his desire to create a background for Steed, but really, a monk! I found it to be completely against the background I have, I think, much more "realistically" created in my own head. At least, that is, my mind like's my own creation better!

What was your opinion of the book and his imaginary history of Steed?

Mona

I thought it was reaching in quite a few places. I think of it as some kind of strange AU experiment. It's fun in places--the idea of Steed being childhood friends with a certain Daniel Patrick Macnee and getting into schoolyard scuffles with one James Bond make you grin. I think I might have choked on something when he added Steed to the widow's club (Deceased, evil, and missing other halves--an Avengerland tradition since 1961!), which was at least an interesting idea. Ultimately, I saw it as friendly attempt to flesh out his background, but no, I don't give much creedence to what he wrote. But I'm glad I have it--it was the only shot we had until Andrew Pixley went and did all the research to give us a comprehensive tome of the canon. Oh, other than a little mini-history of Steed's past in On Target, but I don't know how that one was put together at all.

Mona · Post by **Mona** » Fri Jun 04, 2010 1:44 am

Of course, various episodes gives us some info as to Steed's remarkable past, such as his apparent time at Nee Sang (Room Without A View), his being a brief prisoner around 1958 (Man With Two Shadows) , his being shot three times and having a fractured thigh going over the Berlin wall the first time (Obsession), his help escaping Hungary with two agents (Get-A-Way), his past childhood and history with Mark Crayford (Dead Men Are Dangerous), his having at least one niece (Love All), and one nephew (Forget the episode--playing with the boy's flying airplane gift in his flat). He probably was in Africa and met Nsonga before (Have Guns..Will Haggle)--at least, they know each other. Did he once see a ghost?--we are lead to believe so with his dancing around the issue with Mrs. Peel (The Living Dead). Of course he was in WWII and afterwards helped bag war profiteers (Game).

The cattle drive when he was 20 (Hostage) we just have to realize was a big fat lie to poor Susie, who know doubt he dropped as a girlfriend, as per his habit, no doubt soon after.

Those are just off the top of my head. Probably other episodes give us more info, but it's been a long work day for me and I'm hungry!

Mona

Frankymole · Post by **Frankymole** » Fri Jun 04, 2010 2:39 am

Wasn't it Mr Heald's biography that gave us all those middle names for Steed? And didn't it say that his real name is Jonathan!! (argh).

Timeless A-Peel · Post by **Timeless A-Peel** » Fri Jun 04, 2010 2:58 am

Frankymole wrote:Wasn't it Mr Heald's biography that gave us all those middle names for Steed? And didn't it say that his real name is Jonathan!! (argh).

No, the middle names came from the stage play, along with the little tidbit about him being the youngest of eight, the older seven all being sisters!

Dandy Forsdyke · Post by **Dandy Forsdyke** » Fri Jun 04, 2010 7:25 am

In the series Steed gives lots of questionable family history about aunts, nephews etc. Hard to believe what was 'real' or was 'romancing' (as my mother used to say). I assume the John Berresford High Wycombe Fred John Paul George and Ringo (or whatever those names were) were the latter - even though it seems to have found it's way on wiki etc.

Glad I'm not the only one that hates 'Jonathan' Steed.

Timeless A-Peel · Post by **Timeless A-Peel** » Fri Jun 04, 2010 3:05 pm

Dandy Forsdyke wrote:In the series Steed gives lots of questionable family history about aunts, nephews etc. Hard to believe what was 'real' or was 'romancing' (as my mother used to say). I assume the John Berresford High Wycombe Fred John Paul George and Ringo (or whatever those names were) were the latter - even though it seems to have found it's way on wiki etc.

Glad I'm not the only one that hates 'Jonathan' Steed.

Well, again, the middle names (Wickham Gascoine Berresford) were created for the Avengers stage play, so their place in the canon is questionable.

I can't abide it when they call him "Jonathan" either. I have no idea why they dragged that out for The Quick-Quick-Slow Death--comes completely out of left field.

Mona · Post by **Mona** » Fri Jun 04, 2010 4:19 pm

Gotta agree that "Jonathan" is not part of canon. Nor any of his awful middle names!

I think it's probably likely that Steed did have a lot of aunts, that his parents had numerous female siblings. Probably one or several were eccentric, to some degree. His natural wit just took off and has no doubt spent some years talking about real aunts and their escapades, and probably making up a few aunts and their imaginary aunt activities. I found that a very pleasant recurrent aspect of The Avengers.