4.10 - Two's a Crowd

[peabody]

Discuss, review and rate Two's a Crowd, produced c. Wednesday 12th May 1965 to c. Friday 28th May 1965.

Teleplay by Philip Levene
Directed by Roy Baker

[Frankymole]

My review:

http://www.theavengers.tv/forever/peel1-12vr.htm#4

Brodny's relationship with Steed is more "natural" than some of Steed's supposed friends and fellow agents (usually previously-unseen); I quite like it, especially Brodny's touching 'puppyish' copying of Steed's bowler/umbrella look! But to my mind Julian Glover is too similar in each one of his roles (always typecast as an arrogant/military type).

Bizarrely, "Colonel Psev" manages to telephone the Russian quartet at one point, even though they are all his constituents and all in the room together! Why was this arranged, and how? Also, when Brodny is at the fashion show his (sensible) first action is to telephone Steed to see if he is at his apartment — Steed's dialogue in answering the phone shows he is genuinely puzzled by the silent caller; so this cannot be a tape. What if Brodny had spoken? Could the "Steed" tape operated by Major Carson have coped?

I think Brodny attending the fashion show was to be predicted: Psev buys lots of suits and follows fashion (revealed in Steed/Emma dialogue). So whilst Emma covers the aero-model shop (a Psev obsession), Steed/Webster covers another of Psev's interests. No doubt if these had failed, they would have tried another location.

Emma/Diana on a horse in a very "Theresa di Vincenza" riding outfit? Absolutely glorious.

Three bowlers out of four. 8/10.

[Topaze]

Patrick Mc Nee the wrong Steed at a fashion show, hilarious

[mariocki]

I've got a soft spot for this episode as it's one of the first I remember watching and was intrigued enough to keep watching.

[Lhbizness]

I love Brodny, so I'm always glad to see him hanging around, and there's lots of amusing repartee in this episode. I like the Webster (Bad Steed) character, which brings back shades of Cathy Gale-era Steed. The same goes for Emma's obvious but nicely underplayed distress at his death. However, I'm always uncomfortable with the way the episode is set up. It doesn't quite gel with the Steed/Peel relationship - he usually trusts her more than he does Cathy, the only other exception being where she's literally being "got at" in Too Many Christmas Trees. As such, his manipulation of her comes off as borderline cruel, especially as he allows her to be captured, teases her with the tie-pin, and then all but forces her to listen to him being killed. There are several opportunities for him to tell her what's going on, which he never does, and it nearly results in his own death. It seems out of keeping with the way their relationship has been developed and in some ways makes little sense. At the end of the day, I think the episode tries a bit too hard and comes off as manipulative.

[Frankymole]

There's a moment where Emma is quite prepared to shoot Webster in the head (when she thinks Steed has already been killed by Webster). Steed really was playing with fire by keeping her in the dark.

[Rhonda]

I gave 7

[Lee]

I clearly remember aspects of this story from its repeat on Channel 4 back in the mid 80s when I wa really discovering The Avenges for the first time. At the time, I didn't really see the humour, but some of the scarier, more outlandish elements stuck in my mind from this series - the remote controlled bombers trying to Target Steed and Emma at the end of the story being one of them.

This is quite an enjoyable story really, and it does leave some unanswered questions: was Gordon Webster a real character, or was it all part of the plot by Steed and Plessy to flush out Psev? If he was a real character and not Steed all along, when did the switch takes place? Must have been at the failed assassination attempt at Steed's apartment.

Mrs Peel seems to take more a background roll in this until the conclusion of the play, but there is still some great interaction between our leads. Brodney must have a popular character as he seems to be only one of two characters from this season to appear in the next ( if my memory serves me right - Benson from The Cybernauts being the other). It is a pit in a way that his character wasn't the same one from the Cathy Gale story The Charmers, as this would have provided some nice continuity between the eras of the show.

Again the direction is quite good, and I hadn't realised that music from here reappears in Return of the Cybernauts - in. The past I thought that score was more unique to that story.

Overall, I gave this an 8.

[Frankymole]

Webster was simply Steed in "disguise" not another person. Though the phone call does leave room for doubt.

Warren Mitchell is in an earlier Cathy Gale story too - The Golden Fleece. As yet another different character. He's very good in that.

[dissolute]

Yes, Gordon Webster is Steed. It was all a set-up, they knew Brodny would be at the fashion show and would ring to check so they had a recorded message ready and waiting. I think Ivenko had already been recruited as a double agent as he nudges Brodny to make sure he's watching the fashion show and sees that Webster looks like Steed.