"The Gilded Cage" could almost be a dry run for "Goldfinger" (some five months before the James Bond feature began production), with Honor Blackman's Cathy Gale leading a group of professional criminals on a gold heist. Steed believes that wheelchair-bound mastermind John P. Spagge (Patrick Magee) will eventually take the bait, but is surprised when Cathy is promptly arrested for Spagge's murder. Previously seen in "Killer Whale," the dependable, eccentric Patrick Magee makes a fine, bitter villain, with Norman Chappell another standout as his snobbish butler, who admires Steed's exquisite taste in clothes (Chappell appeared in five other episodes, "Dance with Death," "Dead of Winter," "Dial a Deadly Number," "Murdersville," and "Fog"). Other series veterans include Neil Wilson (previously seen in "The Frighteners"), Fredric Abbot (previously seen in "Killer Whale"), Alan Haywood (previously seen in "A Chorus of Frogs"), Geoff L'Cise (previously seen in "Death Dispatch"), Martin Friend (later seen in "The White Elephant"), and Douglas Cummings (later seen in "The Wringer"). This marks the fifth and final appearance of Steed's dog Sheba, although its name is never mentioned (no more dogs would appear for the remainder of the series).
Review of The Gilded Cage
