My review:
http://www.theavengers.tv/forever/gale1-1vr.htm#2
"Perhaps you've noticed: I'm not a gentleman." Cathy dons her leather 'action suit' for the first time. She doesn't get a fight this week, but she does grapple playfully with Steed (he moves as if to kiss her and gets pushed to the floor for his pains). In story production order, Cathy is by now really getting into her stride (before taking a break for Venus Smith!).
The praise this story receives is deserved, but it's true that it is best watched after some of Cathy's others. Between the hard-nosed crime stories before it, and the more fanciful tales to come in the third and fourth seasons, only at this point in the series could a scene like Cathy's final confrontation with the 'superb technician' assassin have such an edge of uncertainty as to its outcome. Gripping! She's used a gun before and looks prepared to kill, resolute in the face of the threat of sudden death from an expert in its techniques.
Cathy is abrupt with Steed; "I've already thanked you" when he reminds her that he saved her life, and "not on the furniture!" when he brings his dog around to her flat. He holds his ground when she says he should go to the bottom of the class: "Well, you should be caned in front of the class!" Kinky. We also see Steed's home for the first time — it comes with en-suite atropine antidote!
The Avenged?: A long line of victims, the last of which is Michael Robbins' hapless biker, discovered in a scene that made me jump! Steed revels in the ageing biker's misery: "I see here it says you've been driving trucks for years. But I suppose it's a bit too difficult to follow anyone in a truck!"
Diabolical Masterminds?: Why did Mr Teddy Bear swallow the pill? He could just have given up. But he probably had pride of some sort, and couldn't face losing and a probable hanging for murder. He apologises for lying to Cathy. One almost feels sorry for the downfall of this complex man, although his charm hides ruthless professionalism (as does Steed's). The scene-setting of One-Ten explaining Mr TB's wartime resistance background is time well spent. His mistake of returning to the scene of an earlier crime is an apparent plot hole.
The Avengers?: Cathy is clever, witty and charming. She gives as good as she gets with Steed, though. The famous "why aren't you dead" is delivered with real venom, hinting at a real sense of loss when she thought he'd died, and also anger at his casual lack of reassurance. Watch her seething as he discusses the photogenic quality of his corpse.
Umbrella, Charm and a Bowler Hat?: Steed strips (not all at once) for a booby-trap check. However it seems "you can leave your hat on" as that doesn't seem to get checked — odd when Mr TB reminded Steed to take it with him. He's gangsterish with Cathy: "So forget about concealing six-shooters in your stocking-tops, baby blue eyes!" And Cathy doesn't do 'charm'. She does something far better: directness. Oh, and what a gorgeous Chinese silk jacket.
Bizarre?: For all its reliance on high-tech gadgetry and long-distance assassination, this episode works as a brilliant character piece. Don't let the awkward intro scene put you off, they are the only unconvincing performances in the piece. It twists and turns and raises a smile. Even One-Ten seems a bit more lively than usual. Fun scenes include Steed carrying on a conversation with his unseen foe while whacking merry hell out of a gadget-laden room with his umbrella, Cathy's clever exchanges with Mr Teddy Bear, and Steed's teasing of the trucker/biker.
On Target? (Score): 8/10 (Three bowlers out of four).