The Avengers Forever: Rodney's Reviews

	Rodney's Reviews Page 14 of 42

Too Many Christmas Trees
By Rodney Marshall

If points were awarded for style then this would undoubtedly be the best ever Avengers episode. From the opening dream sequence to the mistletoe tag at the end, the hour is a visual delight. It is an understandable choice as our webmaster's favourite.

The dreams are particularly effective and any criticism of them as being too "cardboard cut-out" is ridiculous, IMHO. The fact that the trees look like those in The Magic Roundabout is part and parcel—no pun intended—of the surreal Sixties atmosphere. The episode contains two of my favourite Avengers moments: Jeremy Wade's cobwebbed body at Miss Haversham's wedding table is chilling; the close-up of Diana Rigg's face as Mrs. Peel discovers the corpse of her friend demonstrates what a fine actress Rigg is. The scene in the mirror room is one of the very best in the series; combining humour and suspense, it is beautifully directed.

The identity of Father Christmas is only revealed at the very end and comes as a genuine shock; Storey seems such a genuine, jovial host. There are some clever, lighter touches too, such as Mrs. Gale's Christmas card from Fort Knox and plenty of witty repartee between Steed and Emma. My only complaint is that the plot involves seriously cheating the audience—as well as Mrs. Peel—into believing that it is Steed who has been the sole victim of the secret-sapping mind-reading. In every other respect "Too Many Christmas Trees" is perfection personified.