The Young Avenger
Page 52 of 110

Honey for the Prince
By Joseph A.P. Lloyd

Direction: Three and a half out of five. James Hill can do better than this. It just does not seem to have a particular feel to it. The direction is neither dark, as "Too Many Christmas Trees" and "A Touch of Brimstone" are, or very jolly and happy like "The Gravediggers." It just seems a little circumstantial.

Plot: Three and a half out of five. Again, the plot is all right, very eccentric, but I fear a little too foreign influenced. It is not usual to have such a thorough examination of foreign people and culture in an episode of this season, and this is where I think it fails. There is no central theme of discovery to be explored as there are in so many others. Saying that, though, it is tremendous fun!

Music: Four out of five. Although by no means Laurie Johnson's best score for the series, the Arabian parts of it really are very good, and they do make the dance of the six veils worth watching for more than one reason (Ahem!). There is also some good action music to complement the fights.

Wittiness: Three out of five. There are good moments in this episode, especially when a large number of bodies suddenly appear in Steed's flat, and he telephones Colonel Robertson to find out how they are supposed to be disposed of. But then there is Vincent's pay off. "Half now. Half later," Arkadi says, handing him a pile of banknotes, split in half down the middle.

Action: Three out of five. There is Steed versus Vincent in a flat, where Steed knocks the knife out of his hand, but then hurls him through a window, which would usually kill someone, I would have thought, but he lands on a Mini, and runs away. However, better than this is the fight between Emma and Vincent, when Emma is wearing less than she should have...

Cars/Sets/Locations: Three out of five. Just the vast expanse of the QQF is enough to make one want to own a place like that. The great variety of objects there make it obvious that it is not a normal place. Then there is the happy scene on the Bridge, worth watching for its own sake. The rest of it is not particularly interesting, however, and the honey shop is a bit terrible.

Introduction/Tag: Four out of five. We are treated to a very strange introduction, which seems to involve the breaking and entering in of somewhere with a fetish for teasels and stuffed bears, and the cool blonde killer as well. Their deaths are not the most humorous we have ever seen, either. The tag is very funny, just right for the time and the series, especially with the content of the episode.

Overall Impression: Although Diana Rigg really surpasses herself in this episode, showing that she has beauty and brains (as if we did not know already). That bit at the beginning when they are returning from the party is reminiscent of "The Hidden Tiger" tag, so this makes sure that it gets extra points for this. Unfortunately, this has a tendency to drag a bit for me, with contents that do not interest me, and seem a little over the top in some areas. The direction, script and plot are merely average, although Steed does get to play cricket!

Rating: Seven out of ten.

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