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CS
Weekly Archive > DVD
of the Day > 06/02/06
Getting Girl Power
by jason davis
The Avengers ‘62: The Complete Set
Brandon Brady, Terrance Dicks, Leonard Fincham, John Gilbert, Malcolm Hulke, Roger Marshall, Eric Paice, Lester Powell, Jeremy Scott, Anthony Terpiloff, John Manchip White, and Martin Woodhouse
 
 
In the wake of their supplement-augmented re-release of The Complete Emma Peel Megaset, A&E Home Video has filled the last gap in their Avengers DVD catalog with the first 14 episodes of season two. Introducing Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale, the stories illustrate the first major amendment to the series’ format as first-season lead Dr. David Keel (Ian Hendry) is replaced by his former sidekick, secret agent John Steed (Patrick Macnee). With missions ranging from thwarting assassinations to investigating murders, the plots resemble the earlier season, but surreal elements (i.e. Mr. Teddy Bear’s talking bear) begin to appear presaging later, more eccentric, adventures. Though Steed still exhibits the amoral mentality of his earlier appearances, the character’s genteel image (perfected in later seasons opposite Diana Rigg’s Emma Peel) begin to appear. As his cohort, Cathy Gale, a character essentially written as a man due to the show’s previous requirements, offers an early glimpse at a TV heroine of equal stature to her male co-star. The gender-swapped dialogue ignores the sexist condescension of a primarily male-written medium to afford a female material in terms of action and narrative importance. Though later stories would add a more feminine dimension to Mrs. Gale, these early installments represent an unintentional turning point for women on TV.
The Avengers ‘62: The Complete Set
A&E Home Video
Not rated; 728 min.
$59.95
Buy it now
At the age of 21, Jason Davis was hit in the face with a car. He has since devoted his life to writing. His words have appeared on TBS, MSN.com, and CS Weekly, where he serves as DVD Coordinator. He lives in Burbank.
The Avengers ‘62: The Complete Set courtesy A&E Home Video
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