4.01 - The Murder Market

[Allard]

Patrick Macnee must have the shortest hair here in any of the Avengers episodes. Does make him look a bit younger.

[QueenOfSin]

I've just watched The Murder Market. I'd forgotten the plot of this one apart from the coffin scene so it was a joy to rewatch it again. It's a great episode with some super dialogue but there's a couple of things puzzling me.

Firstly I'm sure the actor playing Lovejoy has been the villain in either another episode or a James Bond film (he sounds exactly like the villain in Octopussy!)?

Second, how did Emma get out of that coffin without being seen? She obviously slipped through a moveable panel but how and when could she have done that without being spotted by the men carrying it? If it was put in a car and she climbed out she couldn't hide herself there either as they'd have been in there too.

Speaking of Emma, why has she suddenly reverted to being rather stand offish and blasé like she was in Town Of No Return? She had warmed up to Steed in the last few episodes but here she seems to have a 'only there because she's been told to be not because she wants to be' presence and gone all cold fish towards him again. Though they still have amazing chemistry.

[Frankymole]

Because it was filmed second (well, first really, as the original The Town of No Return was made with Liz Shepherd playing Emma and it had to be remounted later down the line). At that point they were still writing Emma like Cathy Gale, who had a healthy mistrust of Steed and his deviousness.

I always assumed she slipped out of the flap soon after they fixed down the lid, while it was still in the funeral parlour, perhaps when they were getting the hearse ready and left it alone for a few minutes.

You'd think someone would've checked the corpse was actually dead, though...

Emma was protected by the power of champagne...

[dissolute]

That's right, production order was quite different to the various broadcast orders.
My website lets you sort how you want, and there's a spreadsheet you can download as well.

https://www.dissolute.com.au/the-avenge ... /series-4/

[Allard]

Steven Berkoff who played Orlov in Octopussy had a part in THE GRAVEDIGGERS, if that is who you are thinking of.

Didn't Steed and Emma mention a trapdoor or false bottom after Mrs Peels lucky escape?

[Frankymole]

Didn't Steed and Emma mention a trapdoor or false bottom after Mrs Peels lucky escape?

Yes, I thought so - that's what I meant by "the flap".

[dissolute]

Firstly I'm sure the actor playing Lovejoy has been the villain in either another episode or a James Bond film (he sounds exactly like the villain in Octopussy!)?

Yes, he was the diabolical mastermind in "The Fear Merchants" and one of the Number Twos in "The Prisoner"

[mousemeat]

I would concur ...on the way it was done...damn, seems like eons ago...I'll have to drag that episode out..and re fresh it....

[QueenOfSin]

Steven Berkoff who played Orlov in Octopussy had a part in THE GRAVEDIGGERS, if that is who you are thinking of.

Didn't Steed and Emma mention a trapdoor or false bottom after Mrs Peels lucky escape?

Yes but even if it had a false bottom she still couldn't have slipped out when the lid was closed because it was on a table. Unless that also had a false base too .

No that's not who I'm thinking of, I mean the main villain in Octopussy. He sounds exactly like Lovejoy in tone, voice and manner.

[Frankymole]

Yes but even if it had a false bottom she still couldn't have slipped out when the lid was closed because it was on a table. Unless that also had a false base too .

It was a hinged side.