The Avengers Forever: The Young Avenger

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The Golden Eggs
By Joseph A.P. Lloyd

Direction: Five out of five (100%). This was what put Peter Hammond at the top of my directors list. The most interesting camera work in the entire series, and it does not seem particularly affected by the production. You will not get better anywhere.

Plot: Three out of five. Although it can get a little confusing at times, the plot holds water, and is suitably gritty for this season. However, it is not very clear just how Steed manages to hold on to the eggs.

Music: Three out of five. Nothing actually new here, but it is extremely well-chosen. Only "Don't Look Behind You" passes it in this respect.

Wittiness: Two out of five. The subject matter is so grim that there is hardly any wit to go round. Breakfast for two is quite funny, though.

Action: Three out of five. Although there are only about two fights in the entire thing, the direction is so good, that it is worth giving it such a high score.

Cars/Sets/Locations: Three out of five. This episode was visibly filmed in the winter of 1962/63 and there is a great scene where the fake ambulance containing Deleon crashes and bursts into flames. This is about as good a score as it can expect to get, as one of the best location episodes of the series.

Introduction/Tag: Three out of five. Here we have a very immediate introduction, again with Hammond's excellent direction, which really puts us directly into the story. The breakfast scene is priceless, but the end tag is a bit grim.

Overall Impression: A very interesting episode, made by Hammond's superb direction, a good amount of location filming, and the contrast between Redfern the eccentric villain and Deleon the real, working-class thief. But it would only score about four if it had a normal director, for the pacing is very slow, a common feature of Woodhouse scripts, and the plot is a little complicated.

Rating: Seven out of ten.