Episode 113: Emma Peel Era
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Produced: January 1967
UK Premiere (London, Season 5): 10 March 1967
US Premiere (New York, Season 2): 17 March 1967
Enemy
agents are being picked off in rapid succession, and Steed is implicated. Convincing the
other side that a third party is responsible, Steed calls a truce and teams up with them,
invoking an impromptu agent exchange program so as to keep an eye on one another. While
Emma and partner hot-foot it to a chiropodist, Steed and Comrade Olga take the
"subtle approach" to sniff for clues at an umbrella shop. All
roads lead to
SNOB, a gentlemen's training school, where "we must always remember the motto of our
organization: Seek, hate, kill!"
IMHO |
This is actually a remake, with a few minor adjustments, of
the Cathy Gale episode "The Charmers." This version
goes the extra mile to poke fun at ultra-Anglicism, particularly when Steed and Co. arrive
at SNOB. Would be a four-bowler hit if not for Michael Gough's painfully
lame foreign
accent and Olga's occasional tendency to come off as a female counterpart of
Brodny. Olga does, however, provide some outstanding wide-eyed reactions to the goofy Brits.
Trivia |
Steven Capsuto of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania notes that Olga is a close variation on what was, at that time, one of the roles for which Anna Quayle was best known: Anya, an over-the-top, stereotyped Soviet cultural attaché and soccer player in the stage play Stop The World—I Want To Get Off. Even some of Olga's catch-phrases and jokes are close variations on ones from that "glow-rious Russian" Stop The World character. For some reason, Ms. Quayle was not cast in the film version of that play. However, portions of her Anya performance can be heard on both the original London and Broadway cast albums. By the way, Anya's big number is called, appropriately, "Glorious Russian."
The teaser looks as though it was shot on the village square set of "Escape in Time."
Jackie Greenberg of Pennsylvania wonders what Emma says to Steed when she leaves with Ivan, and the answer is: "Do svedanya, tovarishch," which means, "Good-bye, comrade." "Comrade" was a common form of address during the Soviet era and means, literally, "comrade." (Cf. "cityoen" ["citizen"], used by the revolutionaries in France.) This is why Steed chuckles "tovarishch" in response to Emma's little sarcastic barb. (With thanks to Francis Hui, Joseph Lloyd and Margaret Warren.)
Ms. Lee Bridges, a fencing instructor of 15 years' experience, remarks that "...as you probably know, most fencing or swordplay that is choreographed for television is perfectly dreadful. The usual reason is lack of time; fight choreographers are lucky to get an hour to rehearse with their actor combatants. I was amazed at the quality of the fencing in this episode! The Steed/villain duel is unremarkable—they use saber technique with foils, exposing vulnerable target area all the way—but the fencing scenes with the club members and the women are great! For the most part, they actually use proper technique! Arms first before lunging, lunging with speed while torso stays in upright position, lovely small circular parries, points aimed at their opponents instead of at the air, even a terrific redoubling sequence (when the women do multiple lunges across the floor). Someone commented that the sequence looked "balletic." Well, that's how fencing should look when it's done right. I am so impressed that the series took the time to get this down!"
Acronym Alert: SNOB
stands for Sociability, Nobility, Omnipotence, Breeding, Inc.
Best Scene |
The umbrella salesman proudly demonstrates the quality of his
goods in a shower stall. "Each and every one of these umbrellas has been rained on
from a great height."
Best Line |
Grotski: "What's the matter with him—is he dumb or
something?" Percy: "No, he's British."
We're Needed |
Emma discovers that the newspaper she just bought bears the
headline, "Mrs. Peel—We're Needed!"
Tag |
Emma finds Steed in his apartment wearing a hat given to him by his former comrade. "It keeps the brain at an even temperature. And an even brain is a cool brain."
