As I was warned, this is a remake of Dressed to Kill, and while it has its good points, I'd much rather watch the original.
Utterly ludicrous opening and closing sequences. Funny yes, but you couldn't take them seriously however hard you tried. There seemed to be a glitch in the opening - Mrs Peel tells Steed he's needed, but then seems surprised when she reads the party invitation. (Later we're told Steed thought it was 'suspicious' - well he would, wouldn't he, after DtK?)
Get to the point, Shallow... well, the train is replaced by a plane, and instead of holding vital parcels of land, the party guests all excel in physical pursuits - fencing, shooting, feats of strength, bullfighting... Kanwitch - John 'Sondergaard' Hollis (third appearance) - and Jessel (Donald Sutherland) intend to utilise them in a test of Jessel's unbeatable fighting technique.
The flight to a remote island in an unmanned aircraft is good, very unsettling. And on the island we have another of The Avengers' superficially hospitable houses which are actually sinister traps. Empty houses are to The Avengers what bad fathers were to Buffy.
With seven characters and six empty coffins we know what to expect; eventually just Steed and sharpshooting Hana Wilde (Charlotte Rampling) are left. Mrs Peel arrives to save the day, but Mrs Wilde is equally handy in keeping Jessel at bay until Steed can knock him out. I'm liking these increased roles for supporting characters in recent episodes.
It was also good to be shown how Kanwitch and Jessel's secret room actually connected to the rest of the house.
Also seen: Brian 'Yrcanos' Blessed; Leon Greene, who was the intimidating chef in the union-baiting Carry On At Your Convenience, and may be the man who says 'Fire capacitators!' in Flash Gordon.
Previously seen: Hugh Manning (The Thirteenth Hole), James Maxwell (The Outside-in Man), Gary Hope (November Five).
(Thanks to dcampbell for pointing out Brian Blessed)
