The Avengers
2.24: A
Chorus of Frogs
What
appears to be an absurdly complex plot (a scientist experimenting on a luxury
yacht, which features a team of deep sea divers – and at least one smuggler – who keep getting bumped off) rather fails to
catch fire, despite a memorable performance from Eric Pohlman as the yacht’s
host Mason (“Perhaps you’d like to look
in a few cupboards” he offers, when Steed bursts in demanding to know
Venus’ whereabouts).
Steed: My name
is John Steed, and I’m a stowaway, and I’m very sorry… It’s the most
comfortable ship I’ve ever stowed away in, also the most interesting.
This has
Venus on swansong duties (it’s also One-Six’s second and last appearance),
aboard in an official chanteuse capacity while Steed stows away to do some
detective work on the quiet. Among the divers are gun-wielding, over-expressive
(because she’s “Greek”) Helena (Colette Wilde) and amenable, jocular Greek Ariston
(John Carson, Ambril in Snakedance),
who, of course, has the hots for Venus. Steed makes his disarming of Helena a
rather amusing running gag (“If you’re a
very good girl and put that away I’ll buy you one” – a drink – “But if you get in my way, I’ll tan your
hides, both of you” he promises the duo).
The true
criminal master schemer is Anna (Yvonne Shima), flinty and formidable, while
Mason is more an impartial observer, as long as the money is good (he’s only
clearing about 4%). Frank Gatliff is scientist
Pitt-Norton (Ortron in The Monster of
Peladon, Dastor in Blake’s 7’s Harvest
of Kairos), but exactly what he was up to and why rather escaped me (it turns
out it was mixture decompression research – thanks to dissolute.com – and Mason
wanted it for a miniature submarine). It’s one of those episodes where the
machinations aren’t sufficiently engaging to command keen attention.
As a final
Venus outing, she makes a fairly good showing, plucky and undaunted by having
guns and threats pointed at her. Her presence is all at Steed’s doing,
naturally, and she threatens to dob him in when he first arrives; he’s also
responsible for her sending a coded letter (to his aunt in Rottingdene), which incurs
the interrogatory opprobrium of Anna. Disappointingly, the episode features no
references to Aristophanes; the Frogs are merely the self-monikered name of the
band of divers.
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