The Avengers 3.3 “Man with Two Shadows”

In this episode Steed has to impersonate…Steed. He doesn’t do the best job of it.

There isn’t often much truly SFnal in this show, but in this episode we are supposed to believe that perfect brainwashing exists, with personalities being replaced.

And despite that, they are busy making doppelgangers. Steed being one of the targets.

Shenanigans ensue. Cathy really isn’t convinced Steed isn’t a doppelganger. She’s a bit embarrassed by it in the end.

But come on, can anyone really impersonate Steed?

Possibly, but Steed can’t!

(This is one of the more overtly comedic episodes and definitely gave me some amusement).

The Avengers 3.4 “Death of a Batman”

Today we learn that Steed held enough rank during the war to warrant a batman. Which isn’t a surprise – could he be anything but an officer?

But suspicion abounds when the man dies and leaves a far larger estate than he should. I worked out pretty quickly that he was involved in insider trading.

This episode also features violence related to photography and a Great Dane.

It’s all about high tech electronics (for the time).

It’s an average episode (although there is a Great Dane). However, it finally had me looking up the etymology of “batman.”

A “bat” was apparently a pack saddle, so a “batman” was the guy who looked after the pack horse and, by extension, the kit it carried. Aha.

Cinema Disaster: Beyond the Mask (2015)

Actually, this one is not as disastrous as I feared and hoped. CW: horse death (strongly implied), also CW for sappy theology and really sappy romance. Apparently the leads got married in real life not long after the movie was released.

John Rhys-Davies chews the scenery as the villain of the piece and, unsurprisingly, carries the movie pretty well.

Our protagonist, William Reynolds, is a mercenary doing shady things for the East India Company. Until his boss, Charles Kemp (Rhys-Davies), decides to screw him out of his pay and then try to kill him. This is, needless to say, an unwise decision.

That said, Reynolds is too busy disguising himself as a vicar and seducing Kemp’s niece, Charlotte, to actually seek revenge until that blows up…and the action moves to America.

Where it goes full patriot…and we get some very sappy theology alongside lots of explosions as Reynolds works to foil Kemp’s plan to prevent the signing of the Declaration of Independence. USA!

But no, this movie is not that much of a disaster. The plot is tropey (and there’s one point where the hero discovers what the heroine told him five minutes before). But the acting is not terrible and the costuming is pretty good (although in this time, people would not have worn hats indoors, and there are a couple of other mild anachronisms).

The movie was made by Burns Family Studio, which specializes in Christian adventure movies…they’ve made three movies so far, all very low budget.

This one kind of is what it is. It has its moments in both directions, especially the overly complicated ending (but it gives us a wonderful villain monologue). They do appear to have spent a good chunk of their budget on Rhys-Davies, though…

The Avengers 3.6 “November Five”

Remember, Remember, the Fifth of November. This episode supercharges that plot when somebody steals a nuke.

It also involves “I hope you don’t think it was a political assassination. That doesn’t happen in this country.”
Yes, yes it does.

Cathy ends up running for Parliament (with no intention of winning). Steed deals with shady PR people.

But the main goal here is to prevent a truly earth shattering kaboom.

(Which one would expect from the title).

This episode is more thriller than mystery despite the apparent body count, but there is that line about assassination, which I rather liked.

Andor 1.8 "Narkina 5"

The Empire hunts Andor, not knowing they already have him, in the penal factory of Narkina 5. It's very unclear what they're making - looks kinda like starship engine parts, maybe? What is clear is that this is a prison that eventually instills despair...make the most for the day and your food is better, make the least and you're tortured.

At least one prisoner commits suicide.

This is juxtaposed with a fancy party on Coruscant, a brilliant decision that shows the starkness of oppression.

Cassian's mother is not doing well, so now his friends are looking for him too.

But they can't find him either...and the rebels are pulling out of Ferrix...