Written by Roger Marshall
Directed by Kim Mills
Production completed: 14 August 1963
3.10 - Death of a Batman
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Frankymole
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This is awkward. The villain's plot is the same as in Six Hands Across a Table, except in this case they're going to "save" British industry in the electronics field instead of shipbuilding.
I would hardly have noticed except having Philip Madoc in both, playing a very similar type of calculating, business-genius character, makes it more obvious.
Here we get André Morell in the Guy Doleman part, so it's no big surprise when he turns out to be the baddie and Madoc (again) is just made to look like one. It makes one worry that The Avengers is already running out of plot ideas.
However, Roger Marshall does take things in a different direction, and his characters are generally just as good as the very good cast. David Burke especially as the widow's son "on the make" is cheering and charming in equal measure, despite the sombre beginning with his father's death.
It seems strange that a small flower shop (that is not a cover for anything) has a huge night-watchman called Goliath prepared to duff up any burglars every night. You'd think some steel shutters might be cheaper. But this is The Avengers so you have to get a fight in somewhere. I'm amazed the actor/stuntman has not been identified, he looks very distinctive.
Roger Marshall has an ear for a nice sounding name so I wonder if the "Teale / Van Doren" company became an earworm for a young Chris Boucher who wrote and script-edited Blakes 7 some 15 years later, using it for the nearly identically-pronounced "Teal / Vandor Convention" in the episode "Death-Watch".
I would hardly have noticed except having Philip Madoc in both, playing a very similar type of calculating, business-genius character, makes it more obvious.
Here we get André Morell in the Guy Doleman part, so it's no big surprise when he turns out to be the baddie and Madoc (again) is just made to look like one. It makes one worry that The Avengers is already running out of plot ideas.
However, Roger Marshall does take things in a different direction, and his characters are generally just as good as the very good cast. David Burke especially as the widow's son "on the make" is cheering and charming in equal measure, despite the sombre beginning with his father's death.
It seems strange that a small flower shop (that is not a cover for anything) has a huge night-watchman called Goliath prepared to duff up any burglars every night. You'd think some steel shutters might be cheaper. But this is The Avengers so you have to get a fight in somewhere. I'm amazed the actor/stuntman has not been identified, he looks very distinctive.
Roger Marshall has an ear for a nice sounding name so I wonder if the "Teale / Van Doren" company became an earworm for a young Chris Boucher who wrote and script-edited Blakes 7 some 15 years later, using it for the nearly identically-pronounced "Teal / Vandor Convention" in the episode "Death-Watch".
Last watched: "Mandrake"
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Frankymole
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mousemeat
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certain episodes, you can almost tell who directed it....and there are a few episodes, that would have benefitted from a different director..rather the original one...Frankymole wrote:Yes, 6/10 sounds about right. I don't know quite what's not top-notch about it, it may be Kim Mills' direction feels a bit flat. It's not the worst, it's not the best.
I liked Steed's mucking-about with the polo mallet.
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Frankymole
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