The Young Avenger
Page 46 of 110

The Danger Makers
By Joseph A.P. Lloyd

Direction: Four out of five. After "Death at Bargain Prices," his spectacular debut, Charles Crichton gets down to working with Roger Marshall's penultimate script. He gives us some really exciting action sequences, particularly the the see-saw and the driving scenes with Robertson. Then, there is the piece de resistance, the two around a table with a gun. Jolly good show, old boy!

Plot: Three out of five. The idea of danger really interests me, as I have done real research into this kind of field, and, even in 1965, it seems that Roger Marshall got the idea of some people needing danger absolutely right. Some are natural risk takers, whereas others cannot even do their shopping, they are too scared that something might happen to them. Therefore, this episode really is very interesting for me, in this respect, but it is a bit too awfully horrific for The Avengers, hence the low score.

Music: Four out of five. This is another one of those episodes which oozes with little bits that one hears repeated time and time again throughout the series. Here, this is true of the music where Lamble climbs out onto the window ledge of the hospital. How many times do you hear that repeated?

Wittiness: Four and a half out of five. Marshall's last great script gets a very unfair rating in The Avengers Dossier. It is just so full of little exchanges, and suggestive remarks. Listen to these four great examples.

Robertson comes up to the grenade bay and sees Stanhope with Steed.
"I hate to cramp your social life, Stanhope, but you are wanted at the 'B' company range at 1100 hours."

"Whatever you do, don't touch the wrapped ones."
"Why not?"
"'Cos I like them."

"How did you get out?" Steed looking over towards Emma coming through the door as if she was expected.
"I just tied the sheets together and climbed out the window."
"Oh, that old thing."
"Originality did not seem very important at the time."

"I am going to kill you!" Robertson to Steed, very insistent.
"Oh my goodness me, British tin down another point." Steed reads the paper again.

Action: Four out of five. This episode is packed full of action towards the end. There is the machine gunning of Stanhope, the tense fight at the table, and then the sword fight at the end. Emma then gets pushed under the table. Hmmm, hmmmm!

Cars/Sets/Locations: Three out of five. Despite location filming that it about as good as you can get for that time of year, the sets do leave rather a lot to be desired. They are not bad, just a bit dull when you compare it with something like Death's Door. Robertson does have a Sunbeam Alpine, though, Sean Connery's car in Doctor No. Reasonable.

Introduction/Tag: Four out of five. That tag with the go-karts is just great for someone who loves go-karting (like me), and they fit in well with the danger aspect as well, as they are constantly undergoing safety reviews nowadays. The introduction is very exciting as well, especially when Grove actually hits the lorry! It does not get much better than this.

Overall Impression: Despite some lacklustre sets, and a plot that is interesting, but little too grim for the series, Nigel Davenport delivers a four star performance here, in a role which was very much the same as his one in "Split!" There is some great S/E interplay, an appropriate codename for Steed and Emma "will make a nice Diana"! Then there is the hilarious chocolate scene, the tense initiation test, that battle for the gun over the table and the end fight! Shame the pacing could not have been sorted out.

Rating: Eight out of ten.

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Page last modified: 5 May 2017.

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