I’m still on track, with another 13 episodes (half a season) under my belt. But with the clocks having gone back, and the evenings very much lighter, will I be able to keep up all this TV watching? I don’t think I’ve squirrelled away enough! Not that this bunch of episodes has been anything but a pleasure to watch. I saw the last five episodes of series 2 – brand new episodes to me have been such a treat – which were interesting and continued to vary wildly in tone and production quality. By contrast, the first 9 episodes of series 3 – all with Cathy Gale as the companion now – have been much more confident in tone, especially the first 5. They’re more whimsical, there’s an establishment focus that has made them feel more ‘British’ and while Steed and Cathy continue to have a prickly relationship, there’s a much stronger intimacy, and a more often now the antagonism in their exchanges is tempered with wit.
Series 3 also gets a crisp new set of titles. No stills of the leads anymore (which is a shame) but no lampposts and trench coats either, reflecting the changing focus. An anonymous agent is silhouetted as the screen is dramatically splits and forms the title letters – although for some reason, the most striking few seconds before the lettering appears is snipped from some episodes.
From series 2 I’ve watched:
From series 3 I’ve watched:
- Brief for Murder
- The Undertakers
- The Man With Two Shadows
- Nutshell
- Death of a Batman
- November Five
- The Gilded Cage
- Second Sight
- The Medicine Men
Pick of March: Picking the standout from this lot is quite hard. The series 3 episodes have generally been pretty good but I’d say Death of a Batman was the one I enjoyed most. I’m really enjoying the Steed/Cathy dynamic that runs through all of them. But, slightly to my surprise, I think I’m going to go for Venus’ last appearance, which, along with Six Hands Across a Table stands out among the closing episodes of series 2. So, my pick of March is A Chorus of Frogs.
