Original Avengers return on video

Courtesy of BBC "The Avengers" are back, on video.

By Adlin Rosli
Daily Arts Writer

A pair of co-ed government agents, strictly on plutonic terms, solve strange and mysterious crimes together on an internationally famous and popular television show. Does this premise sound familiar to you? Though "Mulder and Scully" begs to be dropped off the tip of the tongue, the answer comes from thirty years earlier in the form of "The Avengers." A&E recently released the complete '67 season - the first season broadcasted in America - as "The Original Avengers," no doubt to avoid association with the recent box office turkey "The Avengers" movie based on this series.

Though most Americans know the Avengers only through its reputation and the summer disaster flick, the show was a successful series in Europe and Asia.

Watching the show again after quite a lapse of time, one finds that the video still possesses all the wit and charm. The show also eerily parallels many of the enduring qualities that makes "The X-files" a hit today.

Long before Mulder and Scully took us on adventures with eccentric characters and strange plots, Steed and Mrs.Peel were dealing with strange secret societies and seemingly paranormal villains. One main distinction between the two is that in the original Avengers, there were no mysterious endings at the end of each show and what seemed paranormal was usually explained scientifically. Another differentiating feature was the fact that "The Avengers" was a light hearted and "tongue in cheek" show that never took itself too seriously.

The strange "X-Files" parallels play out further watching "The Avengers" series. Each episode begins with a cryptic beginning sequence that perks your appetite for an explanation and the heroes handle the bad guys with plenty of witty lines and Angela Lansbury-worthy mystery solving skills.

Again, similar to "The X-Files," "The Avengers" was also a character-driven show. The chemistry between Steed and Mrs. Peel was magnetic and the supporting cast in each episode was never short of an assortment of oddballs and eccentric characters. It is a quality that keeps the show enduring to this day.

Relative to other '60s action shows, there were very few strong independent women characters portrayed on TV. While most of the Avenger's contemporaries were content with the generic recurring "lady in distress" characters, Mrs. Peel was a gutsy and fearless leading character who was the equal of her counterpart, John Steed.

Even in the face of danger, Mrs. Peel never lost her cool or confidence. In the episode titled, "From Venus With Love," a captive and bound Mrs. Peel is mortally threatened and asked by villains if, "she is now feeling cooperative." To this, Mrs. Peel replied, " Actually, I feel positively stubborn now!" She was well ahead of the women's liberation movement that was to come a decade later.

"The Original Avengers" video collection is a terrific introduction for the uninitiated and is a well packaged set for the converted. Those who had the misfortune of watching the recent movie adaptation of the show should take the time to check out the original series.

11-12-98