Remington Steele (TV Series) Elegy in Steele (1984) User Reviews

Elegy in Steele

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 14 December 2018]

Elegy in Steele is audacious and fun.

Arriving by helicopter, Major Descoine blames Laura and Remington Steele for catching him, putting him to jail and the suicide of his wife.

Descoine promises them that both will be dead by a certain date and time. He then vanishes in a puff of smoke.

From then on it is a theatrical cat and mouse game as Descoine uses cunning, hoaxes and lethal gimmicks to keep Laura and Remington Steele on edge. Even Descoine's daughter joins in the fun. The Harley Quinn to her father's Joker.

The ending was a bit ridiculous with Laura and Remington donning unconvincing disguises at the mail depot.

Lame 10 minute plot stretched into 60

[uber_geek · 4/10 · 18 May 2014]

I'm a big fan of the show, but they sure missed on this one! Major Descoine spent time in jail because of the Remington Steele detective agency, while his wife committed suicide rather than do jail time and wants revenge. While Mildred is on an early lunch date, Descoine shows up and tells them they will be dead by noon. He then pitches a smoke bomb and runs out the office. They see him in the elevator as the elevator doors close, but instead of one taking to the staircase, while the other calls the police (as anyone sensible would do). They spend time analyzing the scarf that he left behind as a clue and that leads to a country club.

From then on, the show becomes an unexciting game of cat and mouse with Descoine being aided by his daughter, Minor. Descoine is always one step ahead and has, even more unbelievably, managed to steal one of Laura's childhood diaries. This gives him the location to a childhood hideout, a drainage area that seems unlikely for Laura to have played in considering her reaction to the rats they find. They also seem to have the idea that if they just make it to noon and stay alive, they will somehow be free and clear. It's all very contrived and not remotely believable, even for this show.

Return of the Major

[aramis-112-804880 · 24 March 2024]

Major Descoine and his daughter "Minor' threaten to kill Remington and Laura. So the investigators go proactive and try to stop the Major first, leading to all sorts of trouble. They should have stayed home.

As MacGiver had his Murdoc so the Remington Steele Agency had its Major. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, this is the last lap for the Major and the Minor.

This is an exciting episode of constant movement. It's sometimes a bit shy on sense, but it's a fun roller coaster ride.

The ending has a nice trick. The Major apparently has an unlimited income.

I'd like to have seen further episodes involving the Major. Perhaps he ran out of ideas.