I love so many "Avengers" episodes, but a favourite is 'A Chorus of Frogs,' that has a little flavour of post-WWII, decolonising England television that so fascinates me (and Simon Winder, author of the highly entertaining 'The Man Who Saved Britain'). The blurred monochrome lighting and awkward, often silent filming echoes the timed staging of other BBC fantasy/sci-fi series like Hartnell-era Who, but it already has the exotic quirkiness of the series later on, and the same odd, ambiguous charm of John Steed. The episode opens with a scene introducing the 'frogs,' a tight-knit group of divers working aboard a luxury yacht belonging to a villainous millionaire (played by the delightful Eric Pohlmann), part of an experiment working on illegal Cold-War submarine technology. The frogs are of unsure heritage, products of a changing modern landscape, but for now they work for money, just like the scientist aboard (Frank Gatliff), not knowing just how they are wading into dangerous waters. All this before they are discovered by innocent Venus (Julie Stevens) and the watchful, cunning Steed.
The plot is a little flimsy in places, standard for a second series episode (actually, for the show as a whole), but you don't mind so much, and it's an essential part of the charm of the entire series, throwing out a little (or a lot of) logic through the window for a little flash of mystery or effect, and often it's a memorable swap. I especially love the strong female characters played by Colette Wilde and Yvonne Shima, and the charismatic John Carson in a brief but touching performance as one of the 'frogs,' all on the quite exciting setting of a glittering yacht on Mediterranean waters Xo
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