The Avengers
4.3: The Master Minds
The Master Minds hitches
its wagon to the not uncommon Avengers
trope of dark deeds done under the veil of night. We previously encountered it
in The Town of No Return, but Robert
Banks Stewart (best known for Bergerac,
but best known genre-wise for his two Tom Baker Doctor Who stories; likewise, he also penned only two teleplays for
The Avengers) makes this episode more
distinctive, with its mind control and spycraft, while Peter Graham Scott, in
his third contribution to the show on the trot, pulls out all the stops,
particularly with a highly creative climactic fight sequence that avoids the usual
issue of overly-evident stunt doubles.
This was only the second Emma Peel episode filmed, but the
chemistry – and dialogue – between Steed and Mrs Peel is fully-formed. Picking
up a regular pattern, Emma works undercover while Steed assumes the role of the
outsider making inquiries. In this one, though, an added twist is that Emma
falls under the spell of the brainwashing techniques designed to make members
of RANSACK somnambulantly carry out thefts of top secret information (in this
case “The possible successor to Polaris.
Gone. Snatched. Just like that”). As the shallow like us blog notes, this makes for something of a
precursor, tonally, to Doctor Who’s Robot, but it also has something of a Prisoner vibe in the pop visuals staging
of the grand climax, the fight between Emma and the architect of the scheme
taking place in silhouette against footage of jet tests.
Steed: Behind them there must be a brilliant
planner at work.
Mrs Peel: A genius.
Steed: A diabolical mastermind.
The plot mixes elements both obvious and clever. It scores
when it’s going for the mysterious – what happened to Sir Clive Todd (Laurence
Hardy), with unsettling strings on the soundtrack resonant of Under the Skin as he tries and fails to
remember his actions, and Steed following the RANSACK members at night as attend
a briefing - less so when it comes to obfuscating the engineers of the plot.
There’s never any doubt that RANSACK is behind it all, particularly when Desmond
Leeming (Bernard Archard) rocks up conveniently and announces himself – it’s almost
as if they want to come under
suspicion.
Holly Trent’s identity as the ringleader works to the extent
that Patricia Haines plays up the oblivious, but much better in this regard is
Ian MacNaughton, giving off something of a ’60s Peter Capaldi vibe as Doctor
Fergus Campbell, instantly appearing dubious in manner, then proving to be dubious, then proving to have only
been dubious because he was under the influence.
Steed: By the way, what did you manage to
straighten out in the navy?
Dr Campbell: The seasick.
Steed: Traces of an incipient inferiority complex.
I should watch it.
The very best Avengers
are often ones where the guest cast are elevated to equal status with the
regulars, and I don’t think The Master
Minds, MacNaughton’s role in the first half aside, quite succeeds in that
regard. It has to be said, though, Steed and Emma are marvellously accounted
for here, and Steed’s verbal sparring with the truculent Campbell, brought in
to assess the mental status of Sir Clive (who has committed a robbery under the
influence and receive a gunshot to the head for his troubles), is great stuff.
Campbell launches into Steed’s levity (“Your
facetiousness, Mr Steed, covers an edgy temperament. In fact, I’d say your
nerves mostly jangle like a wire in the wind”) and receives a casually
effective putdown from the gentleman spy in response (above).
Steed: How was your intelligence quotient?
Mrs Peel: Well above average.
Steed: Better than mine?
Mrs Peel: Roughly the same. But that’s hardly
surprising since I also did your paper for you.
And Steed’s flippancy is in good evidence throughout, uncensored
in front of his superiors (“Caught with
his own portcullis down” he notes of Sir Clive’s predicament), who are
shocked to find Todd is a member of another gang, “besides your own gang”. One of the most enjoyable aspects, however,
is Steed falling into line as capable but inferior to Emma in many an
endeavour. The best instance being his blanching at the thought of taking the RANSACK
test, only for it to look as if he passed with flying colours and then the reveal
the only reason he did is because Mrs Peel did his test for him.
Mrs Peel: There’ll be another test paper tomorrow.
Steed: Oh dear.
Mrs Peel: Here are the answers.
Even with the answers scrawled on his cuff, Steed manages to
fail a later test (“I added sixty on, and
now you’re a genius”). Not that he isn’t as quick and sly as ever. His digs
at Emma’s Florence Nightingale routine, tending Sir Clive, elicits “I don’t think that should concern you, Mrs
Peel. You’re only the nurse here” when she asks about the clues he hopes to
find in the residence.
Davinia: I’m going to scream in a moment.
Steed: Oh dear, I hope not.
Elsewhere, he’s in full Leslie Phillips mode, right down to
the “Hello!” when confronted by
Georgina Ward’s Davinia Todd, arriving home in fur coat and bikini, or a bespectacled
boffin (Elizabeth Reber) making eyes at him during a test, or Holly asking him
out. His reaction to the sign saying “If
you can’t sleep ring for a mistress” needs no additional comment either
(RANSACK’s training operations are taking place at a girls’ boarding school),
while Emma’s “Here’s your cocoa, and if
you’re good, I’ll read you a bedtime story” is alive with playful innuendo.
There’s even room for the occasional slapstick moment, as Steed, distracted by Leeming,
accidentally shoots an arrow through a window.
The Master Minds
isn’t quite as brainy as its characters overall, however; the attempts at
discussions by members of RANSACK are a bit suss (“Take a word like yoghurt, for example”), and while the brainwashing
technique has the mechanism of substance (“We’re
all susceptible. It’s the approach which varies, that’s all”), there’s very
little to it when push comes to shove (all it takes is a message heard in one’s
sleep, and presto, it’s highly effective for all concerned), but it continues
the consistently confident quality of the fourth season with commendable flair.
Agree? Disagree? Mildly or vehemently? Let me know in the comments below.
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