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John Steed certainly lived like a king in the hands of the regal Kathy Gale, Mrs. Emma Peel and Tara King. `The Avengers" was a popular 1960's British fantasy-adventure series that focused on the exploits of a male-female duo in the service of the British government. The series underwent several changes of its female lead but its one constant male lead was John Steed always portrayed by the debonair Patrick Macnee (Originally the John Steed had two male partners but that format eventually changed). Kathy Gale portrayed by Honor Blackman became Steed's first female partner. However, when Honor Blackman departed the series and Diana Rigg entered as Mrs. Emma Peel, the show became an international sensation. Rigg brought sophistication, wit, charm and beauty, which hid her lethal and highly visual judo and karate abilities. Macnee and Rigg complemented each other beautifully with their carefree witty and charming exchange of dialogue. The show distinguished itself with bizarre and futuristic villains and fantastic plots. Popular at the height of the James Bond craze, the show was able to distinguish itself with its simply over-the-top visual style. Laurie Johnson's catchy and sophisticated main title theme matched the visuals of the show and still conjures up an image of the series when listened to today. When Diana Rigg left the series, Linda Thorson entered as John Steed's new partner Tara King. The series soon went off the air in the United States. It was a shame because the episodes with Tara King were quite good. The King episodes seemed to be a little more down to earth and contained some very good writing and intricate plotting. In any event series definitely left its mark amongst the finest. These DVD copies are gorgeous and they sound great in Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono.
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John and Emma are back and are here to stay via DVD technology. 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. If you relish a series like "The Avengers" or "Twilight Zone" you no doubt know about the content of what you are getting. You are more likely concerned about the quality of what you are getting. Like Emma might say to John, "Can I borrow your umbrella just one more time? Thank You Mother.
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The Avengers '65 Sets 1 and 2 are a "must have" for any Avengers fan--especially fans, like me, who grew up in the 1960's while watching the series on ABC-TV. The '65 sets feature perhaps the most original, certainly the most British, episodes in the '65 - '67 series. "Too Many Christmas Trees" and "A Surfeit of H2O" are my personal favorites.
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