646f9e108c A Middle eastern emir, Abdulla Akaba, comes to London as he does every year for his health check up by specialist doctor Spender. Steed believes that the emir will be killed by poisoning and poses as a chef at the hotel where he is staying.Poisoned mushrooms are detected but the emir actually dies of what appear to be natural causes. Has Dr. Spender engineered this ? Or a member of the emir's staff? And why? The Avengers investigate.
Here, Cathy & Steed are again undercover, posing as hotel staff to gain behind the scenes access to the visiting Emir Abdulla Akaba as he negotiates oil leases with Britain. An "ill-tempered" man with a heart condition, the Emir goes to great pains to make certain that he is not poisoned to death, however the audience knows from the first scenes shown that that fate is the main tension in this narrative.<br/><br/>Again, this story is told in medias res as were many tales during the Cathy Gale era. At first I thought it was a production technique (sorry writers, but, in the visual medium, in medias res is mostly accomplished in the direction, or post-production phase, versus on stage where it has to be written into form); but I'm beginning to suspect that it was a storytelling technique that was popular with mystery readers – an audience the producers wanted to gain as watchers. (It would definitely fit into Sydney Newman's plans for connecting with the broad English Public.)<br/><br/>But there was more to this story than that: It's obvious that Kim Mills and John Lucarotti were doing their best to ape on Alfred Hitchcock's style of storytelling. They were doing L'homage, as coined by Andre Bazin – a particular type of visual filmmaking that held sway over the artistic world from 1950's to way into the 1990's. Basically, they "replay" scenes or elements from other director's films in order to create a language of film.<br/><br/>Some of the climax is visually taken from Hitchcock's Vertigo, (which they basically announce, when Cathy asks Steed if he has vertigo before he apes a Jimmy Stewart scene.) And, by the way, that climax is well played! Other elements to note are Cathy Gale's icy blond hairdo, and her shapely professional uniform. Was she auditioning for a new Hitchcock film? Also the use of the MacGuffin mushrooms, and that wonderful balcony scene of greater London – a balcony that Hitchcock would never let go to waste– are distractions usually found in suspense films.<br/><br/>Don't dismiss this episode simply because the filmmakers pay their respects to Hitchcock. (American filmmakers such as Brian DePalma, Quintin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg and James Cameron used the l'homage technique in many of their films.) It would be a technique used again and again during the Mrs. Peel era. (Note the MacGuffin alligator in Escape in Time.) What's important is that The Avengers' production staff are developing a visual style, and still not abandoning a really good writing run.<br/><br/>Also, I have to give Lucarotti thumbs up for coming up with the most believable undercover assignment for Steed given in any episode of The Avengers that I watched. He cooked all the time, and went on and on about his palate, so of course his turn in the kitchen would be memorable. And all the battles that go on behind the scenes of a meal show why he probably preferred the quiet life of a spy.<br/><br/>I'm giving it a 9.5. They are reaching beyond their limitations, and coming up with strong situations.
A Middle Eastern emir has travelled to London for his annual medical examination. During his stay he is living in a hotel penthouse with his staff. His safety is in British national interest so Cathy Gale is posing as the hotel manager in charge of the penthouse and Steed is posing as one of his team of three chefs. It soon becomes apparent that there is a plot to kill the emir; somebody has smuggled some dubious mushrooms into the kitchen and switched them with the ones the emir is due to eat. Steed manages to stop him eating them once but it is inevitable that there will be further attempts. There is also the problem that the emir isn't in the best of health and doesn't enjoy following his doctor's instructions.<br/><br/>This was a fun episode despite the fact that the identity of the leading villains is hardly a surprise. There are other surprises though; the main one is too good to spoil here. Having Steed pose as a top chef was rather enjoyable; I was pleased that we didn't have the cliché of him providing the emir with a basic dish
that gag was saved for the 'Italian' chef who provides Steed and Cathy with a plate of fish and chips at the end. There are some tense moments including having Steed make his way along a ledge high above London. There are quite a few lighter moments as the French and Italian chefs constantly bicker. The cast does a solid job. Overall I'd say that while this episode isn't a classic it has enough good moments to make it memorable.
Comments