Although a story about framing one of The Avengers as a traitor seems like old hat, after 128 episodes, I’m having trouble putting my figure on where it happened before… I’m probably thinking of They Keep Killing Steed, but it could be one of the doppelgänger stories, or another story involving elaborate set-ups (The Curious Case of the Countless Clues?).

Anyway, the foppish and narcissistic (yet curiously boring) mastermind declares “it’s a plan…of pure genius” which sounds like the writer being equally self-congratulatory (Jeremy Burnham, who has been responsible for several duds and never for anything more than acceptable).

Tara is reasonably resourceful and inventive in trying to break Steed’s security arrangements on the war room (blacked up, in khakis, with grenades on her belt) though it’s a far-fetched scenario in the sense that she may say she’s not war-gaming, but she’s certainly not willing to use the grenades to endanger life (as a real enemy agent might).

The death of the agent in the opening is on the same set as Fog. Another agent who so clueless he doesn’t even check the “corpse” is dead before turning his back. Where does Mother get them from? Tara ‘hides’ some photographs under a rug. We’ve seen her attending training. Is that what they teach them? It’s clearly only due to blind luck that Avengersland isn’t under Russian rule…

I did enjoy Tara turning the tables and framing Steed though. Neatly done.

Mother’s idiotic HQ of the week is a castle dungeon.

This is one of the Howard Blake scored episodes. Lots of flute and bongos… But not really to my taste. (Not up to the standard set in  Noon Doomsday).

Tara’s address is 19A. We get to see the corridors outside the lower door (the upper door is not used). Tara develops photos in her living room, which is quite impressive considering its size and how challenging it would be to light-proof a room of that size (with a large window and a glass panelled front/back door).