The Avengers Forever: The Young Avenger

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Super Secret Cypher Snatch
By Joseph A.P. Lloyd

Direction: Five out of five. John Hough's directorial debut, after years of being in the second unit. He is utterly superb at his job, and produces some of the most inspired camera angles ever seen. Just watch Peters' car as it arrives back at the Ministry!

Plot: Four out of five. This plot could well have got a five, had it not been for the fact that hypnotic gas could not spread around a room so quickly. Williamson, a hypnotist himself, does not have any other faults though. The use of MI12 is a very fresh idea.

Original Music: Four out of ten. Again, a great original score, and music from "You Have Just Been Murdered" blending nicely in, especially in the fight scene in the wood. A good score for my favourite Tara episode.

With Music From: "You Have Just Been Murdered," "Something Nasty in the Nursery," "Death's Door," "The See-Through Man," "A Sense of History."

Wittiness: Three out of ten. "Air conditioning! At last." "Complements of classy glass, the people who really care about windows." "The sight of all those boarded windows. Men have cracked under less!" A great script from Tony Williamson, with all the old style marks.

Action: Three out of five. Hough gives us a new perspective on fights, as he shows us first, how it is like being whirled around by Steed, then his assailant in the woods. Great stuff! Also a very stupid, slapstick fight at the end with tea trolleys, ladders, buckets and all sorts of other stuff.

Cars/Sets/Locations: Four out of five. A good, summer-time feel to this episode, coupled with the reappearance of the Rolls-Royce make this one for the classic car fan out there. The location filming is a refreshing touch, as more than half of it is done outside the studio. The sets are also very realistic, particularly the Class Glass headquarters.

Introduction/Tag: Four out of five. Five for the initial sequence, where an agent, who only appears in that scene, fights an enemy agent, dressed as an old woman, and then shoots a helicopter. Absolutely unrelated, but the camera coming from the helicopter and the excellent direction make it seem a bit like From Russia With Love. The tag is not so inspiring, however, which is a real shame. Would Emma hit Steed with her handbag? I don't think so.

Overall Impression: Very Bondian in style, execution, and even in the gadgets, John Hough complements this with the best directorial debut I think I have ever seen. The plot is very good, as well, and the whole thing seems to be very good fun. Well done everyone, on the strength of these two episodes, the season might just work. But, no.

Rating: Nine and a half out of ten.