A toast to A&E Home Video for releasing this three-volume boxed set of vintage episodes from the fourth season of The Avengers. The Avengers debuted in Great Britain in 1961 (predating the James Bond films), but it was not until the late 1960s that it found a welcome home in the United States. Unlike other baby-boomer-era series, The Avengers was not widely syndicated nor officially released on videocassette. This may be one reason why these rarely seen episodes seem as cool as when they first aired. Another reason, of course, is Diana Rigg in her signature role as the ravishing Emma Peel, partner to Patrick Macnee's urbane, umbrella-toting spy John Steed who is every bit his equal in dispatching villains or engaging in provocative banter. What makes this collection of particular interest is that these episodes introduced Mrs. Peel. Steed and Mrs. Peel were the Mulder and Scully of their time; they investigated extraordinary goings-on in the most ordinary locales, such as a seaside town populated by sinister imposters, in "The Town of No Return" (included on volume 1), or a department store that has been rigged with a nuclear bomb, in "Death at Bargain Prices" (volume 2). The second volume also contains "The Cybernauts," which was the first Avengers episode to be broadcast in America. It is representative of the series' best with its automated assassins and a colorful madman who plots to install an electronic dictatorship. Volume 3 contains the haunting "Castle De'ath" and "The Master Minds." All are in glorious black and white and highly recommended. Each volume is also available separately. --Donald Liebenson
Trustpilot
1 month ago
1 week ago