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Reviews
The X Files: John Doe (2002)
Dead on arrival
For me this episode is a chore from it's very opening moments, which is ironic, because the whole thing is beautifully filmed. I think it's the setting that I struggle with - a Mexican town (or Mexican film set) featuring only John Doggett – minus his memory. To me it just feels wrong – I almost feel it's going to turn into a trad. western or something. Once the rest of the team appear and we learn of Doggett's disappearance it starts to hot up. Scully makes a couple of brief appearances – she arrives at the FBI office in Mexico, but I'm not sure why, because she isn't seen again and doesn't even make an appearance at the climax shoot-out when a much under-used AD Skinner rolls in with the cavalry. What a guy! We learn a bit more about Doggett's back story, his missing son and how he and Monica met. The shoot-out is impressive, but then the episode ends and there has been no explanation as to what has actually gone on. This has been the only season 9 episode that I've struggled to sit through – and although it gets there, the pacing is slow. 7/10.
The X Files: Jump the Shark (2002)
R.I.P. Lone Gunmen
If I'd written this as soon as I'd finished watching this episode I'd have marked it 10 out of 10 – it was gripping, it held my attention so thoroughly and it was exciting. As I'm writing several hours later, unfortunately several things have sunk in – the episode is what in the UK would be called "fan-wank" – if you don't know it means an episode gratuitously designed to thrill fans with little consideration for the casual viewer. I didn't watch any of the Lone Gunmen series, so I wasn't really up to speed on who was who and what was going on, but that didn't actually detract from my enjoyment, so all well and good. Like they did with Millennium, this can be seen as an episode – the final episode of the lone gunmen – their swan song. I found the story exciting enough, but their deaths were so needless – they could have trapped the baddie and escaped themselves – they didn't make any attempt to duck under the closing door, it was so pointless, so it robbed their noble act of most of the nobility it deserved. Also, the white out at the end of what should have been their death scene left me dissatisfied and it seemed clumsy and dissipated my growing tension and emotion. I was surprised our agent heroes hadn't rushed in at the end to witness their demise. Oh, and Scully's token appearance was a few seconds at the graveside when she delivers another unrealistic and over-sentimental and totally insincere line of purple prose. And just for the record, love, you didn't like them at all! That's SO unrealistic! All these complaints aside I'm still giving the episode 9 out of 10, because most of it was just thoroughly enjoyable.
The X Files: Trust No 1 (2002)
A roller-coaster ride
I'm a fan of series 9 – I might be in the minority, but I think it's considerably better than many seasons that have gone before. This is a rare series 9 Scully episode.
Fans seem to detest Monica Reyes – I don't know why, I find her character warm and genuine and just
totally likable and credible. Scully on the other hand is getting on my nerves. OK, Mulder's disappeared and she's been left alone blah blah
but I'm sick of her constant hostility to the three people who continually keep bouncing back to help and support her. Anyway, that aside, this episode had me hooked from the first moment – there are some beautifully filmic sequences in the intro, ruined only by a really syrupy and laboured narrative by Scully – people just don't talk like that – it's SO UNREALISTIC and the X Files is continually guilty of these ridiculous purple passages as voice-overs – they are vacuous and pretentious and so un-necessary. It's ham TV at its very worst, but once that's out of the way the story truly begins. For me it was an edge of seat roller-coaster ride. We're teased with an email from Mulder – we're coaxed into believing that he may reappear, though we know he won't. I love the surveillance as a motif,
My DVD is damaged and skipped a lot towards the end, so I'm not 100% sure I understand what happened, but the punch line is that Mulder is whisked past Scully on a train that doesn't stop. Ahhh
the frustration!
More cheesy narration at the end, for which it should lose a point, but – and I know I shouldn't - the good bits were so good I'm going all out 10 out of 10. Brilliant viewing. For me season 9 is an under-rated masterpiece. (So far)
The Avengers: The Master Minds (1965)
Diabolical!
I didn't much enjoy this the first few times I watched it years ago, but now re-watching my new digitally re-mastered box set I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's classic Avengers; the plot is sound and intelligent and there are eccentrics and a diabolical mastermind, plus a memorable and original fight scene at the climax played over a projected scene in reverse – totally bizarre, but it makes what is already a well-orchestrated fight sequence into something even more memorable; I think this is where the Avengers excels – they take the ordinary and always try to approach from a different angle or turn it on its head or play with your perceptions somehow.
Here Mrs Peel seems to be more the Mrs Peel we know and love, less caustic and arrogant towards Steed – she retains all those qualities, but in moderation, and there is an underlying warmth. I was surprised to read that others found this episode lacking in certain areas, for me this is absolutely first rate entertainment. Sorry, I'm trying to be critical, but there wasn't a moment I didn't thoroughly enjoy – maybe my shiny new box set has gone to my head after years of suffering with a sub-standard French import with loads of faults. A classic instalment in the classic Avengers series - easily worth a 10/10 of anyone's money.
NB. As I don't work for a tabloid newspaper like The Sun (in Britain) coming up with a pun for the title is the most difficult part for me, Diabolical! Refers to the mastermind, not my opinion of this episode. "Diabolical mastermind" becomes something of a catchphrase between Steed and Emma and is used in their final heartbreaking scene in "The Forget-me-not."
Adam Adamant Lives!: Black Echo (1967)
Black magic
This has everything. From the first scene I knew this was going to develop into something special and it didn't disappoint. The sound and in some cases picture quality are fairly poor on my DVD, which is a great shame – I couldn't tell what The Face was actually saying, and as I don't speak Dutch the subtitles on my disc didn't help. I'm not sure why such an easy and obviously pantomime villain should be so effective; The Face is such a lazy excuse for a diabolic mastermind really but he's genuinely creepy. Shame we never get to find out what's under the mask or his raison d'etre.
This story had me on the edge of my seat. Thoroughly enjoyable, tragic, tense – the perfect way to spend a nostalgic 50 minutes. This has to be one of the best. 10/10, despite the poor quality – and a true rival to the Avengers magic.
Adam Adamant Lives!: A Sinister Sort of Service (1967)
A sinister sort of let down
This was the finale of series 2, which ended up being the final episode ever. Sadly - after I'd enjoyed the preceding episodes so much - this came as a bit of a let down, and I'd foolishly saved this final treat for a special night. There's nothing all that wrong with it really, it's just that I found the first half a bit slow and if I'm honest a bit dull - about some blokes doing a bit of robbery. Then the pace begins to quicken when there seem to be SS overtones and finally The Face is revealed as the diabolical mastermind behind the whole caper. The climax is also
not really a climax at all; it's the opposite of a climax. Our hero defeats the ruthless SS-style officers by
spraying a fire extinguisher at them. Come on, there needs to be a battle of some sort where Adam really struggles to triumph, instead it's all a bit lame, a bit too easy. I feel the previous surviving episode, Black Echo, would have made a much more appropriate final instalment. Nevertheless, it's still very watchable – I think I probably built it up in my own mind too much – it's escapist fun and it's harmless. I was really sorry the series is all over, but what a find! At least we have 17 surviving episodes of Adam Adamant, and who knows – maybe there are more out there.
The cancellation seemed to come at a ridiculous time. Generally the series seemed to be getting better and (from the little we have available to watch) seemed to be comfortable with itself. I'm sure there were a lot more great adventures to come. Shame.
The Avengers: Dial a Deadly Number (1965)
What the bleep!?!
The plot revolves around "bleepers" given to top businessmen, which kill them when they're dialled; it's a plausible plot and I think the story holds together well. My only problem is that it starts off a bit stuffily, a business background, lots of suits and talking – like a dry old Cathy Gale episode, (not that all Cathy Gale episodes are dry by any means) then something happens and several intriguing elements come in and transform the whole story. There's a dinner party with the baddies – Peter Bowles is his usual suave and unsettling self, turning in an excellent performance – and the party is so tense – you just don't know where it's going. Then there's the (now famous) wine tasting duel, which is also tense for some reason, but is so transfixing, so Avengers. There is the introduction of the unhinged clock collecting killer who stops a clock at the time of death for everyone he kills – this bit of characterisation isn't needed, but we get it anyway and it adds a new unsettling dimension to the character and lifts the story yet further. I found it particularly interesting as I'm fascinated by clocks and time – though I don't kill people. After the Avengers setting up the baddies there is a fight scene in the wine cellar – it's not the best fight scene, but it does the job. The end tag in a London taxi doing a bit of wine tasting is simple but rounds off this episode perfectly. I would suggest this was a Cathy Gale script which was polished up and given a bit of extra quirk and it's all the better for it. It almost deserves a ten, but there's a bit too much business chat near the beginning. 9 ½ out of a possible ten.
The Avengers: The Town of No Return (1965)
Town Of Many Returns - it gets better with each viewing
I'd never realised before, but watching The Town Of No Return this time I found Diana Rigg's portrayal of Emma Peel not quite as rounded as it will become; it's slightly too acidic – she always retains a trace of acid of course, along with her famous "Chelsea wit", but here she seems to be reading the lines as Cathy Gale - with a grudging resentment towards Steed, rather than a smouldering sexuality and feline superiority that she later possesses; it's not a complaint, just an observation. This episode has an intro sequence, or as much of an intro as we've ever had in the Avengers thus far – basically Steed and Mrs Peel have a fencing match – both physically and verbally – which allows a few small insights into their characters, mainly that Steed is more than happy to play dirty to win when necessary.
The classic scene on the train with Steed's tea things in the carpet bag is priceless and just typifies the Avengers as we now think of it; this scene wouldn't have fitted well into the earlier seasons, but the Avengers is now a different show with more emphasis on light entertainment and humour; it seldom relies on anything from the real world.
The two leads are amazing in this story and their relationship – although fledgling – is one that is a pleasure to watch. The supporting cast are all excellent, including a brief appearance from Patrick Newell, later to become Steeds superior "Mother" – and Juliet Harmer, who must have been filming Adam Adamant Lives! around this time. Terence Alexander and Jeremy Burnham are brilliantly cast and turn in memorable performances.
The setting of Little Bazeley is atmospheric and the mystery builds nicely. Some of the shots of sand dunes, graveyard and abandoned military base are so filmic and well-composed that I had to keep pausing to admire the frames. The plot – when fully revealed - is outlandish, but hey, this is Emma Peel Avengers, and outlandish and somewhat surreal is exactly what we want.
I can't praise this episode highly enough. For me the pacing is just right, the humour's spot on and everything comes together perfectly. This is Avengers-gold – one of the very, very best of the series. 10/10.
Adam Adamant Lives!: The Village of Evil (1966)
Village of...The Avengers
This one almost out-Avengers the Avengers. It's SO Avengers I kept expecting Steed to appear in shot. All the Avengers key ingredients are there - the setting, the mood, the imaginative direction, the music
Not that it directly copies any Avengers episode in particular, though it's reminiscent of a good few.
For me this gets it just right; I enjoyed it from beginning to end. I love the setting, the characters, the plot; I love the acting and the characters and the spooky subject matter. I can't be any more constructive in my review - I just loved everything about it.
I am really sorry that I only have a few episodes to go – IMHO Adam Adamant Lives! is an under-rated masterpiece of light entertainment.
The Avengers: The Golden Eggs (1963)
This episode is pure gold – not the turkey it might have been
The Golden Eggs has a lot going for it. The plot is gritty, realistic and disturbing - revolving around germ warfare - therefore it's pretty thin on laughs. However, all scenes with Steed and Cathy together are a pure delight, though there are few of them as this is a "Steed-lite" story, but that's OK as Honour Blackman is always captivating in any scene. The direction of The Golden Eggs is... adventurous; it's trying something different and fresh and exciting - because of the "filmed live" nature of the show it doesn't always work, but this is the possibly the start of the Avengers as an art form.
The villain of the piece - underplayed brilliantly by Peter Arne – is one of the few examples this early on of a "diabolical mastermind" – his almost quiet delivery and his obsession with clockwork make him unsettling and sinister, as does the way he's actually filmed, usually playing with a clockwork toy and completely ignoring the people he shares the scene with. Arne appeared in the title roll of the episode Warlock a few stories ago, though here he is a totally different character and completely unrecognisable. (That's acting for you.) My few criticisms – the story could be better paced – most viewers today would switch off before half way, but with patience the characters unfold and the atmosphere builds. The pay-off scene with Cathy seemingly risking the lives of everyone while chucking the (false) bacteria-filled eggs across the room had me on the edge of my seat. Redfern's lackey Elizabeth changes her allegiance a little too easily and too suddenly, but that aside this episode is solid quality entertainment and in my opinion one of the better shows of this season.