A man dies in a car accident and 50,000 pounds worth of diamonds are found in his stomach. It's Steed's and Mrs. Peel's job to find out where they came from and where they were headed. The story involves a couple of Russian wolf hounds, a cigar-aficionado club, something about a high-end necktie shop, a financier who has been murdered and buried in a pet cemetery and assorted villains, all of them colorful.
The usual sly wit is always there. When the diamonds are discovered in the dead man's gut, the radiologist remarks that the breakfast was "high in carats, low in calories." Steed informs Mrs. Peel that the victim's father had been a sword swallower and fire eater in the circus and that "obviously he inherited the talent." Mrs. Peel: "Perhaps he just enjoyed a rich diet."
In the tie shop, the sales girl shows Mrs. Peel about and describes the various items of neckwear. "This tie is for the Anonyon Club." Expatiate, please? Well, there are "old boy" ties for Etonians and Harrovians and this tie is for those who have never attended public school -- the anonymous.
One of the heavies, a super-polite butler and dog-walker, is played deliciously by Cecil Parker. When his participation in the smuggling scheme is uncovered, Parker reveals that blackmail wouldn't work against him because the dead financier's will had left him eleven million pounds. An astonished Steed asks why, then, did he do it? He did it because he wanted the power. He wanted a chance to be rude, especially to women. "In fact, sir, I expect to be RUDE to a considerable number of HANDSOME WOMEN."
If you haven't seen any episodes of the series yet, you must understand that the delivery of lines like these is entirely serious. There's no laugh track and no one chuckles at anyone else's gags. Ditto for the action sequences, which tend to be fast and animated but perfunctory. A good, solid backhand from Mrs. Peel will knock a man out. But the combat scenes aren't presented as amusing. A good deal of furniture is smashed but no one slips on a banana peel.
The usual sly wit is always there. When the diamonds are discovered in the dead man's gut, the radiologist remarks that the breakfast was "high in carats, low in calories." Steed informs Mrs. Peel that the victim's father had been a sword swallower and fire eater in the circus and that "obviously he inherited the talent." Mrs. Peel: "Perhaps he just enjoyed a rich diet."
In the tie shop, the sales girl shows Mrs. Peel about and describes the various items of neckwear. "This tie is for the Anonyon Club." Expatiate, please? Well, there are "old boy" ties for Etonians and Harrovians and this tie is for those who have never attended public school -- the anonymous.
One of the heavies, a super-polite butler and dog-walker, is played deliciously by Cecil Parker. When his participation in the smuggling scheme is uncovered, Parker reveals that blackmail wouldn't work against him because the dead financier's will had left him eleven million pounds. An astonished Steed asks why, then, did he do it? He did it because he wanted the power. He wanted a chance to be rude, especially to women. "In fact, sir, I expect to be RUDE to a considerable number of HANDSOME WOMEN."
If you haven't seen any episodes of the series yet, you must understand that the delivery of lines like these is entirely serious. There's no laugh track and no one chuckles at anyone else's gags. Ditto for the action sequences, which tend to be fast and animated but perfunctory. A good, solid backhand from Mrs. Peel will knock a man out. But the combat scenes aren't presented as amusing. A good deal of furniture is smashed but no one slips on a banana peel.