The Avengers Forever: Visitor Review

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Wish You Were Here
by David Willingham

It's probably good Diana Rigg wasn't in this episode. Mrs. Peel would have punched and kicked her way out of the minimum-security Elizabethan Hotel in less than 10 minutes, leaving us staring at a blank TV screen for the rest of the hour.

Happily, the less-feisty Tara King had the starring role, resulting in a delightful comic episode.

At first I had trouble getting into the spirit of this one. After all, how could anyone manage to be held captive at a hotel? (Unless it was the Bates Motel.) In particular, how could a trained agent like Tara allow herself to be imprisoned by bellhops and chambermaids?

Then I suspended disbelief and was soon captivated by the goofy plot. Mrs. Peel would have seemed totally out of place here; Tara was perfect for the part.

And credit Tara for again subduing the bad guys without help from Steed. (Did he ever work after Mrs. Peel left?) Though she let herself be stymied at first, she more than made up for her slow start by taking charge of the situation and turning the tables on her would-be captors.

Besides a fine comic performance from Tara, I especially liked:

Basil, Tara's none-too-skilled rescuer. Basil was more help than Tara's bumbling assistant in "All Done with Mirrors," but he'll never be a threat to Steed.
The truckload of luggage Basil somehow crammed into his tiny car. It was reassuring to know my daughter isn't the only person on earth who needs a moving van to go on a weekend vacation.
Mother's irritation at having to put up with nephew Basil. Apparently, even master spies can be nagged into taking incompetent relatives into the family business.

4.5 bowlers out of 5.0 for this fun episode.

Wish You Were Here
by Mikie5o

A light episode played for laughs... only one problem, there were none. I caught no sight gags, heard no lines worth bringing back, and was but mildly entertained through the first 35 minutes. The kitchen scene was the highlight of humor. The music score, or lack thereof, was very disappointing, although I thought I heard some Pink Panther as Basil arrived with all his gear. The gem of the episode was the tag. Catch this one once and forget it.

One cork.

Wish You Were Here
by Eli Mansour

"Wish You Were Here" is one of my favorite Tara King episodes. I like it because Basil is slightly dumb, which adds humor to the episode (such as when he hits his golf ball into Mother's drink). Basil is also Mother's nephew. I think this episode has a great storyline and a great cast. Steed was very worried about Tara in this episode (what a surprise), and Tara had a good plan when she signaled (using the lights) Morse Code to see if the villains could leave, so they had an escape route. "Wish You Were Here" is a great title for the episode.

I give "Wish You Were Here" 5 Bowlers.

Wish You Were Here
by Simon D

Say what you like about some of the Emma Peel episodes being pretty weak, you could always rely on getting a few witty remarks from Emma. The Tara King episode "Wish You Were Here" had the potential to make for an amusing send up of The Prisoner, but it quickly becomes rather laboured. Rather than the wit of the Peel era, we get the slapstick that passes for humour in much of the 1968 series. Tara is forced to be particularly dim and bad at escaping for most of the episode in order to spin out the hour. Presumably so as to show her in a better light by comparison, Mother's utterly incompetent idiot nephew Basil is dragged into the story. He's supposed to be comic, but I didn't find him amusing. Tara's eventual scheme to escape is the best part and partially redeems the episode for me, but I'd still only give it two bowlers.