The Avengers Forever: Rodney's Reviews

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Epic
By Rodney Marshall

"Epic," perhaps more than any other episode, divides opinion among true Avengers fans. Like Marmite, you either love it or hate it. Our webmaster sees it as a four bowler, while The Avengers Dossier describes it as "horrid... awful... an attempt to do an iconic Avengers episode, one that Clemens could point to and say: now that's how it should be done... vacuous and soulless, without heart or individuality."

As it happens, I do not agree with this latter assessment even though I do not like "Epic." I am not always a fan of Clemens' scripts but it is surely ludicrous to suggest that he saw this as the way to make the series. You can only make this sort of hour once, a fact which Clemens was clearly aware of. This is not, in effect, an Avengers episode so much as a parody of an episode, a tongue-in-cheek glance at the tongue-in-cheek Rigg era. We are invited to watch Clemens and Hill making a film about a self-confessed archfiend who in turn is making a film about a deadly archfiend (himself). You either find this metafictional idea clever or tedious.

There are certainly some memorable moments in "Epic." I think that both the taxi scene and the wedding/funeral one are effectively disturbing and chilling; Wyngarde's corpse-like face in the hearse is particularly frightening. In addition, David Lodge's performance as the acting policeman is absolutely hilarious. The tag scenes in the colour series are often disappointing but I enjoy this one as Steed and Mrs. Peel break through the studio set of Mrs. Peel's flat (which of course is a set in itself).

Despite the clever touches and moments of genuine humour, it is hard to generate any dramatic tension or unsettling backdrop in an episode which is constantly reveling in its own fictionality. This is probably why The Avengers Dossier describes "Epic" as "soulless" and lacking "heart." The self-referential approach is a popular one in post-war Western culture; nevertheless, what makes novels, films and television drama so enchanting is the "willing suspension of disbelief." Clemens denies us (as viewers) that luxury in this episode and while I can admire the intelligence of the concept, the result IMHO lacks the charm and warmth which are an integral part of the series.