Halloween theme, part 2 - Creepy Killers.
Posted: Sun Oct 11, 2020 3:08 pm
The diabolical masterminds are such a part of the Avengers magic. Some are serious and some are a bit goofy and all are certainly diabolical and willing to kill. But being masterminds, they have plans and therefore motives to kill. They do it as a means to attain their diabolical ends. But occasionally a killer pops up in an episode–always one of the mastermind’s henchmen–who kills for the sheer enjoyment of it or without the slightest twinge of feeling. Were your life in their hands, there would be no reasoning with them. They’d kill you either because they’d enjoy it or because it meant nothing to them. They aren’t masterminds; they’re psychopaths. For me, these characters add a slightly jarring, chilling note of realism to a show that is usually tongue-in-cheek fantasy. I’m wondering if others find them as chilling.
Here’s my list of “evil henchmen” from the Emma Peel series, beginning with those I find most disturbed (and disturbing).
1. Robin (Clive Colin-Bolwer) in The Bird Who Knew Too Much.
Robin, asking Verret if he’d killed Mark Pearson: “You do it?”
Verret, visiblly upset: “Yea.”
Robin, sighing, clearly disappointed: “You have all the fun.”
2. The Groom (Drewe Henley) in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Station.
He kills with a gleeful smile, whether shooting Salt in the back or machine gunning the railroad signal box.
3. Duboys (Patrick Mower) in A Sense of History.
He takes great pleasure in tormenting people.
3. First Assistant (Eric Woolfe) in The 50,000 Breakfast.
Unlike the preceding three, I find him disturbing not because of the joy he expresses in killing but because he expresses nothing. He’s an emotional void, a feelingless machine just doing a job. (Although he seemed to find the crushing of the car very entertaining.)
4. Vincent (Roland Curram) in Honey For the Prince.
5. Mickle (Colin Blakely) and Hubert (John Ronane) in Murdersville.
They come across more as thugs than psychopaths but I wouldn’t want to put my life in their hands.
6. Max Prendergast (Peter Jeffrey) in The Joker.
Strictly speaking, I shouldn’t include Max on this list because he was a mastermind with a clear motive for wanting to kill Emma: revenge. While it’s true that he enjoys terrifying Emma, I put on the list because of the casual way he brushes off killing the “strange young man” (Ronald Lacey). His response to Emma’s comment is positively chilling: “Man? Oh yes, yes, I had to kill him.” (A beautifully delivered line from Peter Jeffrey)
7. Simon Trent (James Villiers) in Small Game for Big Hunters.
Although he kills no one in the episode, like the First Assistant (Eric Woolfe) Simon comes across as an emotional void and conveys the impression that he would kill as casually and thoughtlessly as he would brush his teeth.
“This time of day, if I see something moving, it’s all I can do to stop myself from shooting it.”
8. Fitch (John Carson) in Dial A Deadly Number.
Fitch would be at or near the top of the list were it not for his having a reason (if you can call it that) to kill: his philosophical obsession with time. He kills without any compunction but has an ulterior motive of sorts. (Carson plays the role brilliantly.)
Are there any others I’ve missed? And how about the Cathy Gale and Tara King episodes? I don’t know either of those series nearly as well as the Emma Peel episodes, although I did find The Wringer (Terrance Lodge) in “The Wringer” a rather creepy character. He seemed to find a perverse enjoyment in his work.
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Here’s my list of “evil henchmen” from the Emma Peel series, beginning with those I find most disturbed (and disturbing).
1. Robin (Clive Colin-Bolwer) in The Bird Who Knew Too Much.
Robin, asking Verret if he’d killed Mark Pearson: “You do it?”
Verret, visiblly upset: “Yea.”
Robin, sighing, clearly disappointed: “You have all the fun.”
2. The Groom (Drewe Henley) in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Station.
He kills with a gleeful smile, whether shooting Salt in the back or machine gunning the railroad signal box.
3. Duboys (Patrick Mower) in A Sense of History.
He takes great pleasure in tormenting people.
3. First Assistant (Eric Woolfe) in The 50,000 Breakfast.
Unlike the preceding three, I find him disturbing not because of the joy he expresses in killing but because he expresses nothing. He’s an emotional void, a feelingless machine just doing a job. (Although he seemed to find the crushing of the car very entertaining.)
4. Vincent (Roland Curram) in Honey For the Prince.
5. Mickle (Colin Blakely) and Hubert (John Ronane) in Murdersville.
They come across more as thugs than psychopaths but I wouldn’t want to put my life in their hands.
6. Max Prendergast (Peter Jeffrey) in The Joker.
Strictly speaking, I shouldn’t include Max on this list because he was a mastermind with a clear motive for wanting to kill Emma: revenge. While it’s true that he enjoys terrifying Emma, I put on the list because of the casual way he brushes off killing the “strange young man” (Ronald Lacey). His response to Emma’s comment is positively chilling: “Man? Oh yes, yes, I had to kill him.” (A beautifully delivered line from Peter Jeffrey)
7. Simon Trent (James Villiers) in Small Game for Big Hunters.
Although he kills no one in the episode, like the First Assistant (Eric Woolfe) Simon comes across as an emotional void and conveys the impression that he would kill as casually and thoughtlessly as he would brush his teeth.
“This time of day, if I see something moving, it’s all I can do to stop myself from shooting it.”
8. Fitch (John Carson) in Dial A Deadly Number.
Fitch would be at or near the top of the list were it not for his having a reason (if you can call it that) to kill: his philosophical obsession with time. He kills without any compunction but has an ulterior motive of sorts. (Carson plays the role brilliantly.)
Are there any others I’ve missed? And how about the Cathy Gale and Tara King episodes? I don’t know either of those series nearly as well as the Emma Peel episodes, although I did find The Wringer (Terrance Lodge) in “The Wringer” a rather creepy character. He seemed to find a perverse enjoyment in his work.
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