"The Avengers" The Cybernauts (1965)

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Director:

Sidney Hayers

Writer:

Philip Levene (teleplay)

TV Series:

"The Avengers" (1961)

Original Air Date:

16 October 1965 (Season 4, Episode 3)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

The Avengers investigate a series of murders of Corporate men, who have all been bidding on a new circuit element...

Plot Keywords:

Sexual Tension | Agent | John Steed | British | Partner

Cast

Patrick Macnee	...	John Steed
Diana Rigg	...	Emma Peel
Michael Gough	...	Dr. Clement Armstrong
Frederick Jaeger	...	Benson
Bernard Horsfall	...	Jephcott
Burt Kwouk	...	Tusamo (as Bert Kwouk)
John Hollis	...	Sensai
Ronald Leigh-Hunt	...	Lambert (as Ronald Leigh Hunt)
Gordon Whiting	...	Hammond

Runtime:

UK:52 min

Trivia:

The first appearance of The Cybernauts.

Quotes:

Sensai: Please state your business, Mrs. Peel.
Emma Peel: I am interested in Karate.
Sensai: Interest is for the onlooker. From students we require dedication, nightly attendance for practice and demonstration. We never tolerate absentees.
Emma Peel: I appreciate that.
Sensai: Then appreciate too, Mrs. Peel, that Karate, unlike Judo, is not a sport. It is a science, an art, a discipline. The word Karate...
Emma Peel: [interrupting] Means empy hand.
Sensai: But the hands, though empty, can become more deadly than any weapon. It is the combination of force and a development of courage.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Avengers: Return of the Cybernauts (#6.1)" (1967)

One of the series' best

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

A series of otherwise unrelated murders have a few things in common. Namely, the perpetrator in each instance appears to be unstoppable. Neither bullets nor doors slow him down. Steed and Mrs. Peel are called in to investigate and soon find the genius behind a technology company is central to all the murders. But he's wheelchair-bound. He couldn't be responsible for the killings. Or could he?

"The Cybernauts" has to be one of my all-time favorite episodes of The Avengers that I've seen. The mix of sci-fi, espionage, horror, and that touch of humor ever present in the show make this one near perfect. The tension gets turned up a notch as Mrs. Peel becomes the mistaken target of an unstoppable killer. The finale is more than satisfying. The special effects may be laughable when compared to what we have today, but to me that's part of the shows charm. Diana Rigg and Patrick Macnee are wonderful. In just a few episodes, the two work together as if they had done so forever. They are joined in "The Cybernauts" by the very capable Michael Gough. Even though he's in a wheelchair the entire episode, he's an actor quite capable of dominating any scene he's in. Nicely done by everyone involved!

If you've never seen The Avengers and are curious about the fuss, "The Cybernauts" would be a good one to start with.