The Avengers (TV Series) Death on the Rocks (1962) User Reviews

Somebody is trying to break the diamond monopoly

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 21 April 2017]

As this episode opens a woman is enjoying a surprise beauty treatment that was apparently booked by her husband. Then it is time for the mudpack and it sets leaving her unable to breathe. It turns out that her husband is in the diamond trading business; a business that Steed is investigating because somebody is smuggling uncut diamonds into the country. Steed goes into partnership with the dead woman's husband and buys his house; he then gets Cathy to move in and poses as his wife. It soon becomes apparent that there is a crime syndicate trying to undermine the current monopoly in the trade of uncut diamonds and is threatening those close to honest dealers to pressure them to buy stones. If Steed and Cathy are to uncover who is behind the crimes they will have to figure out how they are getting the stones into the country in large quantities.

This episode gets off to an intriguing start; and a slightly dark one given that the victim is not directly connected to the business… she is killed to scare her husband. Since he also has a daughter there is a sense that she is in danger too. This feeling only increases when it emerges that her fiancé is involved with the smugglers. There were some decent enough fight scenes featuring Cathy Gale; it was nice to see such a strong female character in a series this old; Honor Blackman does a fine job in the role. Guest star Meier Tzelniker impresses as Steed's new business partner; nicely portraying his desire to be honest but also his fear for his daughter. The rest of the cast are pretty solid too. Overall this is a pretty solid episode.

Death on the Rocks

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 27 April 2019]

A crime syndicate wants to get the monopoly in the diamond trade market in Britain.

They are using fear and intimidation to force buyers to purchase their uncut diamonds that have been illegally smuggled in to the country.

The episode opens with a lady having a surprise mud facial, it ends with her death.

Steed and Mrs Gayle pose as a married couple and he becomes a partner of the dead woman's husband. They want to find out just how are this diamonds entering the country and who is behind it.

A darker, grittier episode. Steed shows steel along with his suaveness. Cathy Gayle shows the villains that she is no damsel in distress.

Steed and Cathy are married

[kevinolzak · 7/10 · 7 January 2011]

"Death on the Rocks" is an improvement on "Death of a Great Dane," but was never granted a remake, although it's perhaps even more technically sloppy. This time, illegal stones are being smuggled into Britain, and buyers are being forced to pay against their will. Steed calls upon Cathy to pose as 'Mrs. Steed,' as the crooks have a track record of murdering the loved ones of uncooperative clients. The villains are an interesting bunch, but Meier Tzelniker takes top honors with a convincing portrayal of fear and regret. Among the series veterans are Hamilton Dyce ("Death on the Slipway" and "You'll Catch Your Death"), Naomi Chance ("The Murder Market"), David Sumner ("The Interrogators"), and Toni Gilpin ("The Rotters").

A Diamond In The Rough

[create · 9/10 · 1 October 2015]

A jeweler's wife (Annete Kerr as Mrs. Ross) gets a facial that turns deadly, prompting John Steed (Patrick Macnee) and Mrs. Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman) to investigate what looks to be the beginnings of a new crime syndicate.

Steed goes undercover as a green jeweler after the death, buying the Ross family home. He asks Cathy to pose as his wife for the investigation, peaking her interest by implicating the syndicate in smuggling and selling conflict diamonds. It's revealed early in dialogue exchanges, however, that Steed believes the syndicate keeps its members in line by threatening their wives.

Although earlier scripts of the Steed/Gale alliance were re-written replacing Ian Hendry's David Keel before production began; this teleplay by Eric Paice was conceived only with Mrs. Gale in mind. (I seriously doubt that British television would have had an open mind to a Keel/Steed marriage in 1962.) You can tell that Paice ran as much as he could with the assignment.

It's a piece that examines the cultural role of woman in the 1960's. A strong supporting character is Jackie Ross (Toni Gilpin), who is moaning her mother's death, but more concerned about her ailing father, and her upcoming nuptials. She is just as gifted a jeweler as her father – Samual Ross (Meier Tzelniker) – or her fiancé – Nicky (David Sumner) – but she's kept in the dark about the behind the scenes drama, and pushed into the role of a subservient by both fearful men.

Much of the story contrasts the bored upper-class housewife and their helplessness with Cathy Gale. Firstly, she finds it difficult to believe that Steed thinks she could pose as a housewife. Secondly, she finds it difficult to understand that someone would actually believe that she was a helpless housewife. In one magnificent scene, goons come to threaten the helpless Mrs. Cathy "Steed", and get the surprise of their lives.

What's really impressive about the episode is that fifty years after it was written, it seems as refreshing today as it must have been then. Or maybe that's something to pause at.

Great episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 13 December 2023]

Steed tries to uncover a diamond snuffling ring, for credibility Cathy poses as his wife.

There are flashes of real brilliance in this second series, and this is another example.

It's a great episode, it really does have a bit of everything, it's a perfectly conceivable and possible storyline, there are some great characters, Steed and Cathy make a wonderful duo, and if features some really good action sequences.

I loved that opening sequence with the beauty treatment, that was wonderfully macabre, that's a very twisted opening, it sets the tone.

I enjoyed all of the performances, David Sumner and Ellen McIntosh were great, Gerald Cross stole it for me, what a lovely actor.

Great episode.

9/10.

The Illegal Diamond Racket

[profh-1 · 5/10 · 31 August 2022]

A criminal gang attempts to overthrow the diamond monopoly by murdering the wife of a dealer and then threatening the families of other dealers so they're forced to buy from them. To counter this, Steed goes into business with the man whose wife was murdered, and has Cathy pose as HIS wife, to be "a clay pidgeon" as she puts it once she figures out his scheme.

Gerald Cross plays one of the most cold-blooded, ruthless murderers I've ever seen on this show, casually telling his partners "Many monopolies have formed over a few dead bodies." He really made an impression on me here, considering the only other things I've seen him in were 2 "Miss Marple" films and an episode of "UFO".

Meier Tzelniker, an actor born in Romania, also steals the episode as the murdered woman's husband, who's now worried about his daughter-- who's engaged to a young man being blackmailed by the gang into working for them.

As usual, Cathy's not too happy with Steed's working methods, but becomes more enthusiastic the deeper into the plot she gets.

Once again, I wish the sound on some of these now 60-year-old videotaped episodes was better. Also, at the climax, the exciting music got so loud it completely blotted out what seemed an important bit of dramatic dialogue! Oh well.