Rating: 
Summary: Holds Its Own in Relation to the Mrs. Peel Set.
Review: As some of you who have read other reviews that I have done for The Avengers series and I'll say it again... Being a new fan in terms of seeing the movie, see my review, I became interested in the show.Now granted Mrs. Peel was beautiful and had class and brains, and Blackman had curves and brains also, yet most people over look Tara King. She did have very good wits and great intellect. When I first bought this set I thought I was wasting my money, but I was wrong. This volume is pretty good. The firt two episodes are hard to get use to the idea of Steed working with someone else other than Peel, yet after that you warm up to the idea nicely. She adds a new spark to the show and a something... I don't know what, as the French would say. The transfer of the shows is not bad although A&E should have made another master copy and given some better color job or sharpened the picture. Yet those are just small complaints. Steed and King do work well together and they do have chemistry which does make watching the show more enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Superb episodes but...
Review: For those new to The Avengers, ignore all the bad press that the delectable Tara King gets. Sure Emma Peel was sublime, and Cathy Gale was right on. But Tara King was also top notch, as were most of her episodes. Wherever you go on the web you will find Tara's episodes variously panned. Tish and pish! They are some of the most interesting, quirky and truly '60's' episodes of ANY television show ever. Let me first state that the high rating of five stars relates to the greatness of the episodes, which is mainly the point of these reviews. Sadly the quality of these so-called 'digitally remastered' episodes by A&E is worse than bad. Unfortunately the picture quality of my A&E DVD release of these magnificent episodes is passable at best. Now given the mass production method used in manufacturing these things I do not accept that only my copy is dodgy and I assume that the VHS releases are similarly affected. In particular, the episode on vol 1 of this set, "You'll Catch Your Death" is so poorly remastered as to be distracting. The brightness is shocking and the screen flickers with the old stains and blemishes I can only assume remain on the original film stock. Why haven't they been removed? Come on A&E (and Canal+ in France) get it together! There are many fans out there that expect better and will pay for it. Don't sell us short. If you want truly good remastered episodes, I suggest you try and find the (now deleted) 1990's Lumiere releases on VHS. I know its an increasingly unpopular format, but faced with the abysmal quality of the A&E releases, it's worth the hunt believe me. I have several and they are excellent. Sorry A&E but you should know better than that.
Rating:
Summary: Superb episodes but...
Review: For those new to The Avengers, ignore all the bad press that the delectable Tara King gets. Sure Emma Peel was sublime, and Cathy Gale was right on. But Tara King was also top notch, as were most of her episodes. Wherever you go on the web you will find Tara's episodes variously panned. Tish and pish! They are some of the most interesting, quirky and truly '60's' episodes of ANY television show ever. Let me first state that the high rating of five stars relates to the greatness of the episodes, which is mainly the point of these reviews. Sadly the quality of these so-called 'digitally remastered' episodes by A&E is worse than bad. Unfortunately the picture quality of my A&E DVD release of these magnificent episodes is passable at best. Now given the mass production method used in manufacturing these things I do not accept that only my copy is dodgy and I assume that the VHS releases are similarly affected. In particular, the episode on vol 1 of this set, "You'll Catch Your Death" is so poorly remastered as to be distracting. The brightness is shocking and the screen flickers with the old stains and blemishes I can only assume remain on the original film stock. Why haven't they been removed? Come on A&E (and Canal+ in France) get it together! There are many fans out there that expect better and will pay for it. Don't sell us short. If you want truly good remastered episodes, I suggest you try and find the (now deleted) 1990's Lumiere releases on VHS. I know its an increasingly unpopular format, but faced with the abysmal quality of the A&E releases, it's worth the hunt believe me. I have several and they are excellent. Sorry A&E but you should know better than that.
Rating: 
Summary: Great episodes but diabolical quality
Review: How can I have a better copy recorded off live TV than this shambles that A&E has seen fit to release? The quality of the prints makes this the worst DVD I have ever seen from a company like A&E whose previous Avengers releases have been outstanding. Game and The Super Secret Cypher Snatch are just about OK even though there are scratches on the print and some of the cuts not quite right. You'll Catch Your Death is unbelieveably bad with splodges, scratches, lines wobbling all over the picture making it almost unwatcheable. I would give the content of the DVD 4 stars but the quality makes this really 0 stars. Watching these episodes is definitely not time well spent!
Rating:
Summary: Tara Gets Here Due
Review: 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 know you are getting the best in that department. You are more likely concerned about the quality of the product. Like John might say to Tara, "You scratch my back and I'll scratch your back. Just watch the hat please." At last now, John and Tara are back and are here to stay on DVD. The Tara King episodes were excellent, being well scripted, thought out and well acted. More appropriately one may ask how they look. They look good, very good, excellent in fact. Tara would have it no other way.
Rating: 
Summary: Tara King comes to DVD
Review: In the first episodes of 1968, Steed's new partner Tara King is introduced. Beautiful and athletic, yet less able than her predecessors, Tara is nonetheless a suitable replacement. But, let's face it, no one will ever be able to replace Emma Peel. Any way, Steed and King are a delightful pair, sharing a closer relationship than the others, battling masterminds and supervillians, doing it in style, and always being fashionable. These six episodes are good, four being average, and only two being truly great, in my opinion. In volume one we have the delightful escapade that is "Game", and the outdorsey caper "Super Secret Cypher Snatch". Both of these episodes are winners, for me anyway. In "Game", an escaped lunatic seeks revenge on the men who put him away, one of them being Steed. It's one of my favorite Tara King episodes. The delightfully, if not disturbingly, inexplicable deaths, the wonderful Steed/Tara interplay, that wonderful end battle, and the ever diabolical Peter Jeffrey as Bristow. While it's a bit predictable, and slightly unoriginal, "Game" remains a dear favorite. "Super Secret Cypher Snatch" in which window cleaners are involved in the leaking of secrets, is not as good as "Game", but I still like it. Marvelously directed and acted, it has all the elements needed to make a great episode, with the added affect of some truly wonderful sets. Both are highly reccomended and are worth the price alone of this set. In volume two, we have "You'll Catch Your Death" and "Split!". In "You'll Catch Your Death", doctors are being killed by a madman who's created the ultimate in cold viruses, to be sold to the highest bidder (naturally). It's just an average episode; not bad, but not great either. It has its fair share of continuity errors (all the victim's sneezes are the same) and not everything makes sense. It's actually rather straigtforward, but the premise is interesting and Mother has a wonderful set. "Split" is better, but not much, as ministry agents find that they have a murderous split personaltiy. I rather like it. While it's rather dark, towards the end its almost outrageous, as the baddies attempt to inject part of a madman's mind into Tara's. Predictable, but still enjoyable with alot of familiar faces. Save for a wonderful scene where Steed puts "away" a hospital receptionist and enjoys himself doing it. Also, look for Christopher Benjamin, who gives a delightfully "Wemarkable" performance. And last but not least, there's "Whoever Shot Poor George Oblique Stroke XR40" and "False Witness" in volume three. Their titles might be misleading, as you might think "Woever..." would be delighfully over-the-top, but it's actually a bit more stupid than funny. "False Witness" is much better, and alot funnier, even though it may not sound like it. In "Whoever...", a super computer is actually shot, and then operated on, as things get a little to silly. It's nonetheless enjoyable, and Linda Thorson is great as Pelly's niece, pulling off a fine American accent . In the hilarious "False Witness", agents are drugged and say the exact opposite of eveything, without knowing they're doing it. It may not sound interesting, but trust me, the whole thing is side-spltting. Leads to a wonderful scene where Steed drugs all the baddies with humorous results, then rescues a drugged Tara who lovingly admitts "I really do hate you Steed." All in all, these episodes are all good, and none of them are really bad. But you may no think so, as I happpen to like Tara King. But, I'll admit, she does lack Emma's panache, but makes up for it with her wackiness. So if you don't like Tara King, don't bother. But if your in the mood for some good, light, fantsy land sluething, these episodes are just the ticket!
Rating:
Summary: Steeds breaks in a new partner - Tara makes her debut
Review: In the first episodes of 1968, Steed's new partner Tara King is introduced. Beautiful and athletic, yet less able than her predecessors, Tara is nonetheless a suitable replacement. But, let's face it, no one will ever be able to replace Emma Peel. Any way, Steed and King are a delightful pair, sharing a closer relationship than the others, battling masterminds and supervillians, doing it in style, and always being fashionable. These six episodes are good, four being average, and only two being truly great, in my opinion. In volume one we have the delightful escapade that is "Game", and the outdorsey caper "Super Secret Cypher Snatch". Both of these episodes are winners, for me anyway. In "Game", an escaped lunatic seeks revenge on the men who put him away, one of them being Steed. It's one of my favorite Tara King episodes. The delightfully, if not disturbingly, inexplicable deaths, the wonderful Steed/Tara interplay, that wonderful end battle, and the ever diabolical Peter Jeffrey as Bristow. While it's a bit predictable, and slightly unoriginal, "Game" remains a dear favorite. "Super Secret Cypher Snatch" in which window cleaners are involved in the leaking of secrets, is not as good as "Game", but I still like it. Marvelously directed and acted, it has all the elements needed to make a great episode, with the added affect of some truly wonderful sets. Both are highly reccomended and are worth the price alone of this set. In volume two, we have "You'll Catch Your Death" and "Split!". In "You'll Catch Your Death", doctors are being killed by a madman who's created the ultimate in cold viruses, to be sold to the highest bidder (naturally). It's just an average episode; not bad, but not great either. It has its fair share of continuity errors (all the victim's sneezes are the same) and not everything makes sense. It's actually rather straigtforward, but the premise is interesting and Mother has a wonderful set. "Split" is better, but not much, as ministry agents find that they have a murderous split personaltiy. I rather like it. While it's rather dark, towards the end its almost outrageous, as the baddies attempt to inject part of a madman's mind into Tara's. Predictable, but still enjoyable with alot of familiar faces. Save for a wonderful scene where Steed puts "away" a hospital receptionist and enjoys himself doing it. Also, look for Christopher Benjamin, who gives a delightfully "Wemarkable" performance. And last but not least, there's "Whoever Shot Poor George Oblique Stroke XR40" and "False Witness" in volume three. Their titles might be misleading, as you might think "Woever..." would be delighfully over-the-top, but it's actually a bit more stupid than funny. "False Witness" is much better, and alot funnier, even though it may not sound like it. In "Whoever...", a super computer is actually shot, and then operated on, as things get a little to silly. It's nonetheless enjoyable, and Linda Thorson is great as Pelly's niece, pulling off a fine American accent . In the hilarious "False Witness", agents are drugged and say the exact opposite of eveything, without knowing they're doing it. It may not sound interesting, but trust me, the whole thing is side-spltting. Leads to a wonderful scene where Steed drugs all the baddies with humorous results, then rescues a drugged Tara who lovingly admitts "I really do hate you Steed." All in all, these episodes are all good, and none of them are really bad. But you may no think so, as I happpen to like Tara King. But, I'll admit, she does lack Emma's panache, but makes up for it with her wackiness. So if you don't like Tara King, don't bother. But if your in the mood for some good, light, fantsy land sluething, these episodes are just the ticket!
Rating:
Summary: Tara King provided a spark we all knew would flame
Review: Let's be honest. It was a little frustrating watching the playful antics of Steed and Mrs Peel, knowing that all that would ever happen would be a respectful peck on the cheek or a cordial hug. Enter Tara King, Steed's last partner. She is a Peel-in-training, only a little younger and a lot more in love with John Steed. Of course we know that nothing overt would ever happen between the two. It's just nice to know that when the credits roll the two might actually kiss on the lips. Linda Thorson is absolutely terrific as Steed's sidekick. She is athletic, fearless and determined. The '68 episodes were constructed with the same care and attention as the Rigg episodes and they are a pleasure to watch. If you think Mrs Peel was the only game in town, check out Tara King. She is a gas.
Rating:
Summary: Tara King provided a spark we all knew would flame
Review: Let's be honest. It was a little frustrating watching the playful antics of Steed and Mrs Peel, knowing that all that would ever happen would be a respectful peck on the cheek or a cordial hug. Enter Tara King, Steed's last partner. She is a Peel-in-training, only a little younger and a lot more in love with John Steed. Of course we know that nothing overt would ever happen between the two. It's just nice to know that when the credits roll the two might actually kiss on the lips. Linda Thorson is absolutely terrific as Steed's sidekick. She is athletic, fearless and determined. The '68 episodes were constructed with the same care and attention as the Rigg episodes and they are a pleasure to watch. If you think Mrs Peel was the only game in town, check out Tara King. She is a gas.
Rating:
Summary: Episode List
Review: The description of this DVD lacks an episode list of these Tara King episodes. They are presented in UK viewing order and not the preferred production order. The episodes are: 1) Game 2) The Super Secret Cypher Snatch 3) You'll Catch Your Death 4) Split 5) Whoever Shot Poor George Oblique Stroke XR40 6) False Witness.
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