Episode 104: Emma Peel Era
Page 104 of 192
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Stats ?
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A.K.A.
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On the Radio |
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Other Viewpoints
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Du miel pour le prince
Honig für den Prinzen
Miele per il principe
Miel Para El Príncipe
Honing voor de prins
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Produced: mid-February to 4 March 1966
UK Premiere (London, Season 4): 22 March 1966
US Premiere: Not included in original Season 1 lineup
It's all quite, quite fantastic as
Steed and Emma romp through other people's fantasies to thwart a plot to assassinate the
cricket-playing prince of an obscure, oil-laden country. While Steed gets chummy with the
prince, Emma is "sold" into his harem to flush out the assassins, who are using
the QQF, a "fantasy fulfillment" service, to devise the assassination plot for them.
IMHO |
Terrific characters across the board. Arkadi is a particularly sleazy baddie, with some delightfully original music cues accompanying his appearances. For the benefit of male viewers, the dance of the seven veils (which had only six, owing to her being "retarded") and the subsequent fight in the harem make this the second-best Emma-watching episode. And it all starts off on an interesting note with Steed and Emma returning to his flat in a very merry mood.
Trivia |
The producers insisted that Diana Rigg wear a jewel in her navel so that the program would pass the American censors, but it kept falling out on the set! (Contributed by Ayn Rand Embar Seddon) Pity they bothered, since the episode was not included in the original lineup.
It is worth pointing out that this episode is an exception to one of the more controversial "rules" of the show regarding race. Another more notable exception is "Small Game for Big Hunters," in which a black has a significant speaking role. The blacks in this episode, as they are in "The £50,000 Breakfast," are simply background characters. But I'd still like to know if one of them here is Yaphet Koto, before he moved on to James Bond, Alien, etc.
Odd that Reg Pritchard gets billing as the Postman, with an appearance barely ten seconds long, whereas other more involved roles with considerable dialog (Tina Packer as Suzanne in "Dial a Deadly Number" comes to mind) go unbilled. Ah, the politics of production...
The set was used for a color US trailer entitled, "The Strange Case of the Missing Corpse."
Acronym Alert: QQF is Quite Quite Fantastic.
On Location |
As Steed and Emma return from a party, they cross the bridge is at Tyke's Water Lake, Elstree—On Location provides a present-day view.
Best Scene |
Steed explains to the prince that Emma is retarded, eliciting some wonderful reactions from Emma.
A close second would have be the very first scene, as Steed and Emma return from a party. Using visuals alone (no dialog), we get a rare and delightful glimpse of their closeness.
Best Line |
Setting Emma up for her role as a member of the prince's harem, Steed asks, "What size do you take in Turkish trousers?"
Essential Reading |
- Mrs. Peel... We're Needed by Piers Johnson