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Rating: 
Summary: A best of `The Avengers'
Review: For anyone unfamiliar with the stylish, tongue-in-cheek 1960s spy series, `The Avengers,' these episodes make the best introduction to the show's Diana Rigg years. As Emma Peel, the tall, lithe Rigg made a strong female partner for Patrick Macnee's suave, polite agent John Steed, the lifeblood of the series. Macnee provided brilliant support for all his leading ladies, and crisp, buxom Honor Blackman originated the role of leather-clad, judo-chopping woman warrior. But those show were not originally broadcast in the US, where viewers first tuned in and were turned on by Macnee's sparkling chemistry with the modelish Rigg. A few caveats: this never more than a cult show in the U.S., and the shortcomings of its shoestring budgets are sometimes obvious. The writing varies in tone from intense action to silly comedy. The quality of the disks is generally quite good, but not always great. The A&E disks have few extras compared to the Contender series available in the UK. American fans: the checkerboard intro is missing, because these disks were made from UK masters, where the lead-in wasn't used. That said, these episodes present several high points for the series in writing and direction, and also several of Rigg's more notorious costumes. All that applies to the atmospheric historical thriller, `A Touch of Brimstone.' Diana Rigg is poured, padded and pushed up into black dominatrix gear, with boots, corset and snake. But the plot is ingenious, and Pat Macnee holds his end up, outwitting as well as outfighting particularly nasty villians.
Perhaps the best episode, though, has Peel trapped in a computerized house, trying to `reason her way out' of the predicament. Compared to the typical damsel-in-distress plots of other TV shows of the time, `The Avengers' women were decades ahead of their time. `The Dangermakers' is another thriller, as the heroes infiltrate a group of thrill-seekers, military men who don't get enough buzz from civilian life. `Honey for the Prince' presents nefarious goings-on with a lighter touch, and includes sterling performances by the best gallery of eccentric supporting characters ever assembled. Still, some fans fast-forward to Emma's dance of six veils. Her unpadded bustier does nothing for Diana Rigg's waifish bust _ think Kate Moss, not Pam Anderson. But her Emma Peel character does does think, and Rigg also shows endearing spunk in something as simple as tugging on her Turkish trousers. Scantily clad, she still takes out the bad guy.
In a fashion sense, the boyish Rigg does better dressed as Robin Hood in `A Sense of History.' Diana still saves the day in a costume that flatters her thin figure and shows off her legs. The plot is not quite as sharp as `Brimstone,' but there's another off-beat villain to provide a surprise. `What the Butler Saw' is a bit fluffy, but gives Patrick Macnee a chance to have some fun in various undercover guises, including, of course, a true gentleman's gentleman.
The only real clunker in the lot is `How to Succeed.. at Murder,' a tiresome and condescending take on feminism that is even more dated now. Six out of seven isn't bad, especially as part of a charming series that greatly influenced the `X-Files,' `Dark Angel,' `Alias,' `Charlie's Angels,' maybe even `Ed.' If you're curious about `The Avengers,' this is the place to start.
Rating:
Summary: The Show At Its Peak
Review: For my money, this set represents The Avengers at its peak. They did terrific shows before and after these last seven episodes of '66, but they never had another such sustained streak of brilliance as this here. The set includes "The House That Jack Built," my favorite episode of the Diana Rigg series. I love it because it's such a great showcase for Diana as an actress, but also that we can see a strong, intelligent female character saving her own skin (rather than being rescued by a dashing hero) by *reasoning* her way out of the problem. I also think the house itself is just an ingenious idea: what would you do if you were stuck in a house designed as a machine to trap you inside? Apparently the producers were so intrigued by the idea, they gave Mrs. Peel a similar problem in the '67 episode, "The Joker." I also see the influence of the episode pop up in other series from time to time. Some writers have noted the debt that the X-Files owes to the Avengers. Look for the X-Files episode called "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" (w/ Ed Asner & Lily Tomlin) playing on FX during the holidays, and see if you don't think it's Chris Carter's homage to "The House That Jack Built." Anyway, every episode in this set is just as inspired and witty in its own way, most of them variations on secret societies and assassination conspiracies. We also get some of Diana Rigg's most notorious costumes here: the Queen of Sin in "A Touch of Brimstone," a harem girl in "Honey for the Prince," and Robin Hood in "A Sense of History." My only complaint: where is the chessboard introduction to the episodes? I realize that the intro was created only for the American audience, but for Americans who saw the program on TV it's become part of the show! Every US fan who knows the show from TV can recite the narration from memory: "Extraordinary crimes against the people and the state have to be avenged by agents extraordinary... two such people are John Steed, top professional, and his partner Emma Peel, talented amateur... otherwise known as... THE AVENGERS!" Come on, you hear the burst of bongos, you see the guy fall onto the chessboard with a knife in his back, there's the narration, Emma steps forward in her catsuit, Steed breaks out the champagne... and you're primed to go. How could they take that out? It's classic! So classic, the definitive book on The Avengers, THE COMPLETE AVENGERS by Dave Rogers, has a cover photo of Steed & Mrs. Peel standing on the set. I just don't understand what A&E was thinking. If you're new to the show, you won't miss what you never knew, and nobody should let that omission deter them from getting the set, anyway. It's just a small frustration for me because I like the intro so much. Apart from that, five stars for the set. The stories are as clever as the series ever got, Rigg has really found herself in the role by now and the chemistry between her and Patrick MacNee is electric, and the b&w film looks incredible after the restoration. If you're buying your first Avengers set, start here.
Rating:
Summary: Quite, Quite Fantastic!
Review: If you've been thinking of getting one of the A&E DVD re-issues of the original 'Avengers', start with this one. The stand-out episode here is 'Honey For The Prince', which is imaginative, funny, and extremely eccentric (a cricket match breaks out during one scene). There is also the infamous 'Touch of Brimstone' -- notable for its bawdy content and Diana Rigg's 'Queen of Sin' costume. Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg's chemistry as a team was never stronger than in the episodes on this disc (and you get a bonus seventh episode with this set, instead of the standard six).
Rating:
Summary: second set of '66 series
Review: Seconds series 1966, still B & W has some really great episodes with Steed and Mrs. Peel. The gelling of Rigg's and Macnee's characters were well onto making
screen history, and with cause. Both of these fine actors brought these characters alive. Seven episodes this time.
1) "The Danger Makers" sees a high-ranking ex-serviceman seeking to feed their high threshold for adventure. The banter between Steel and Mrs. Peel sharpens to double entendres that trademarks their pairing.
2) "A Touch of Brimstone" lets Mrs. Peel take down her hair, or rather put it up, as Emma and John investigate a group resurrecting the infamous Hellfire Club. Mrs. Peel shows she looks just as stunning in corset, high-lace boots and spiked dog-collar, which she wears as the "Queen of Sin". The look was designed by Rigg, and ridiculously, because of her costume, the episode was banned from airing in the US!
3) "What the Butler Saw" has our pair of Britain's best out in search for missing defense plans.
4) "The House that Jack Built" has Emma receiving news her uncle has died and left her his country estate. When she gets to the manor, she soon finds herself drugged and trapped inside a house that is far from your normal house, as designed to end Emma's life.
5) "A Sense of History" Have Emma donning a merry man's costume in this Robin Hood adventure. A modern day Robin is found with an arrow in the back, pushing Steed and Emma to stop the neo-fascist Merry Men from achieving their devilish plans.
6) "How to Succeed at Murder" puts Emma and John on the trail of executives being executed, in a posh perfumerie where a woman "nose" best.
7) "Honey for the Prince" when a resort where you live out your fantasies turns deadly, our pair are sent to stop the evil doings. Emma goes harem girl! to save the day and up the ratings!
Many were written by Brian Clements with a variety of directors such as James Hill, Don Leaver, Peter Graham Scott and Charles Crichton.
Rating:
Summary: New partner for Steed
Review: These DVD's from A&E represent the best known and certainly the most popular era of the long running British TV fantasy-adventure series "The Avengers." Made between 1965 and 1966, all 26 episodes of the fourth season of the show are available here on four discs. When Honor Blackman (Mrs. Cathy Gale) left the series after season 3 to take up the lead role in the Bond movie "Goldfinger," the producers had already made the decision to start filming the series, moving it out of the TV studio and giving it a much glossier and dynamic feel. John Steed (Patrick MacNee), the debonair British government agent stayed on and his new partner was devised by the production team to be another tough, all-action girl with "Man Appeal." M-Appeal (geddit?) Elizabeth Shepherd was cast as Mrs. Emma Peel and two episodes were filmed before it was mutually agreed that she didn't meet the expectations of the production team. A quick replacement was sought and in stepped Diana Rigg. A TV legend was born. The relationship between Steed and Mrs. Gale had always been haughty to say the least. With the introduction of the widowed (or seemingly) Mrs. Peel, the relationship between the two leads became much closer. Mrs. Peel was as intelligent, quick thinking and emasculated as her predecessor, and initially at least shared her penchant for leather outfits, but she was also certainly softer and more readily prepared to act as Steed's partner in their adventures. The stories were certainly becoming much more fantasy bound, and the use of diabolical masterminds and organizations with bizarre acronyms became the norm for the stories from this series on. The fantasy and sci-fi elements of the show were highlighted more than before and the fashions and design of the show took on a much more stylish and indeed 'stylized' look. The success of these elements was immediate, and huge ratings in the UK followed, plus overseas transmissions of the show followed for the first time. Such was their success indeed that another 26 episodes were soon commissioned, this time to be made in color. The stories have supposedly been digitally re-mastered for these DVD releases, and indeed the picture quality is pretty impressive, but there is still sparkle and dirt on the prints that may detract from the quality for some viewers. The 26 episodes are presented in the same order of their original UK transmission. This for me is the very best season of the show, with great style and wit accompanying the excellent scripts, direction and production values. I'd certainly recommend this release to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: New partner for Steed
Review: These DVD's from A&E represent the best known and certainly the most popular era of the long running British TV fantasy-adventure series "The Avengers." Made between 1965 and 1966, all 26 episodes of the fourth season of the show are available here on four discs. When Honor Blackman (Mrs. Cathy Gale) left the series after season 3 to take up the lead role in the Bond movie "Goldfinger," the producers had already made the decision to start filming the series, moving it out of the TV studio and giving it a much glossier and dynamic feel. John Steed (Patrick MacNee), the debonair British government agent stayed on and his new partner was devised by the production team to be another tough, all-action girl with "Man Appeal." M-Appeal (geddit?) Elizabeth Shepherd was cast as Mrs. Emma Peel and two episodes were filmed before it was mutually agreed that she didn't meet the expectations of the production team. A quick replacement was sought and in stepped Diana Rigg. A TV legend was born. The relationship between Steed and Mrs. Gale had always been haughty to say the least. With the introduction of the widowed (or seemingly) Mrs. Peel, the relationship between the two leads became much closer. Mrs. Peel was as intelligent, quick thinking and emasculated as her predecessor, and initially at least shared her penchant for leather outfits, but she was also certainly softer and more readily prepared to act as Steed's partner in their adventures. The stories were certainly becoming much more fantasy bound, and the use of diabolical masterminds and organizations with bizarre acronyms became the norm for the stories from this series on. The fantasy and sci-fi elements of the show were highlighted more than before and the fashions and design of the show took on a much more stylish and indeed 'stylized' look. The success of these elements was immediate, and huge ratings in the UK followed, plus overseas transmissions of the show followed for the first time. Such was their success indeed that another 26 episodes were soon commissioned, this time to be made in color. The stories have supposedly been digitally re-mastered for these DVD releases, and indeed the picture quality is pretty impressive, but there is still sparkle and dirt on the prints that may detract from the quality for some viewers. The 26 episodes are presented in the same order of their original UK transmission. This for me is the very best season of the show, with great style and wit accompanying the excellent scripts, direction and production values. I'd certainly recommend this release to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Avengers EVER!
Review: This set is a classic! This has some of my favorites on it. Patrick Macnee as John Steed and Diana Rigg as Emma Peel are my favorite duo from the Avengers. This set includes The Danger Makers, A Touch of Brimstone, What The Butler Saw, The House That Jack Built, A Sense of History, How To Succeed at Murder, and Honey For the Prince. These are some of the all time best episodes.
Rating:
Summary: This Is the House that Steed Built
Review: What a provocative cover! If you fondly remember that great British import that we watched on TV way back in the 60s then you no doubt know about the content of what you are getting. You are more likely concerned about the quality of the product. Like John might say to Emma, "You scratch my back and I'll scratch your back. Just watch the hat please." John and Emma are back and are here to stay. Being on DVD, the aesthetics about the actual episodes are not in question here. More appropriately one may ask how they look. They look good, very good, excellent in fact. Still can't get that great theme out of my head. You get seven on this one.
Rating:
Summary: No Mission Impossible for John Steed & Emma Peel!
Review: When I was 8 years old I begged to be allowed to stay up to see "The Avengers". From the teasing opening scene to the hip theme music, all the way through the show I always thought to myself how exciting it would be to be a part of this weekly good vs. evil fight with license to kill. They sure knew how to give an audience a 45 minute thrill on a shoe string budget. This original b&w show was fantastic compared to the lame big budget 90s Hollywood version. I still get a kick from just playing the theme music, imagining Emma Peel flip-flopping across the room administering some of her famous Karate chops. This show rules!
Rating:
Summary: No Mission Impossible for John Steed & Emma Peel!
Review: When I was 8 years old I begged to be allowed to stay up to see "The Avengers". From the teasing opening scene to the hip theme music, all the way through the show I always thought to myself how exciting it would be to be a part of this weekly good vs. evil fight with license to kill. They sure knew how to give an audience a 45 minute thrill on a shoe string budget. This original b&w show was fantastic compared to the lame big budget 90s Hollywood version. I still get a kick from just playing the theme music, imagining Emma Peel flip-flopping across the room administering some of her famous Karate chops. This show rules!
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