The Avengers (TV Series) The Murder Market (1965) User Reviews

Steed kills Mrs Peel!

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 13 April 2015]

People are being murdered but those with the greatest motive always seem to have a perfect alibi. There aren't many clues but each of the victims had recently been photographed by the same man and he points Steed in the direction of an elite matchmaking agency. He poses as a client with almost the perfect pedigree; he claims his cousin inherited the family millions leaving him with just enough to live on… it isn't long before the agency are suggesting a solution; if he kills somebody for them his cousin will be killed while he is far from the scene. The problem is they want Mrs Peel killed because they have learnt that she is investigating them. If Steed is to find out who is running the show he'll just have to kill Emma!

This early Mrs Peel episode is a nice take on the 'Strangers on a Train' method of murder only this time there is an organisation acting as a go-between so the people swapping murders won't even meet. The question of who is behind the agency is interesting but the real fun is watching the investigation and the interaction between Steed and Mrs Peel. The scene where Mrs Peel plays the tuba while Steed knocks a golf ball round is a lot of fun. Unusually we also see the pair genuinely arguing when Steed's warning comes too late to save one of the groups victims. Not all the good scenes involve both protagonists; there is also an enjoyable scene where Steed interrupts a photographer as he takes pictures of an attractive model and a delightful moment where a slightly tipsy Mrs Peel dances when she is meant to be playing dead! Overall a fine episode.

Diana Rigg's first episode

[kevinolzak · 9/10 · 18 February 2011]

"The Murder Market" was half finished with Elizabeth Shepherd in the role of Mrs. Peel, when she was abruptly replaced by Diana Rigg (did any other change of actress yield more superlative results?) She had completed her new scenes by December 14 1964, and the results would be aired as the seventh episode nearly a year later, November 12 1965. In hindsight, it seems almost remarkable that everything works so smoothly, there's virtually no transition necessary to bridge the gap between Cathy Gale and Emma Peel. It also appears that the writers had a better grasp of the Steed-Emma relationship, due to the much warmer banter between the two stars, which emphasized the humor far more than in previous seasons. The plot is an excellent one, with a matrimonial agency doubling as a murder-for-profit outfit, with the marvelous Patrick Cargill (later seen in "The Fear Merchants") handling new clients such as Steed and Emma. Steed reveals that he tried working ("too much like work!") and has a wealthy (fictitious) cousin that he'd like to be rid of, while Emma demands a husband who has "stamina!" Steed must earn his mettle by killing Mrs. Peel when she is discovered to be a spy, and the two exchange some outrageous banter while she lies in state, holding a bottle of champagne ("we can't have you hiccoughin' in the coffin!"). Naomi Chance had already appeared in "Death on the Rocks," and John Woodvine had done "Dead of Winter," going on to do "Look- (stop me if you've heard this one) But There Were These Two Fellers..." Edward Underdown, criminally wasted in a throwaway role (and soon to appear in the Bond feature "Thunderball"), returned for "The Living Dead," Penelope Keith returned for "Something Nasty in the Nursery" and "Take Me to Your Leader," A. J. Brown returned for "Small Game for Big Hunters" and "The Winged Avenger," and Peter Bayliss returned for "Get-A-Way!" Canadian actress Suzanne Lloyd, as a character identified by Steed as Canadian, is not to be confused with British actress Sue Lloyd, who appears in the next broadcast episode, "A Surfeit of H2O" (Suzanne Lloyd is the mother of soap actress Tracey E. Bregman).

John and Emma in top form

[slabihoud · 9/10 · 17 February 2009]

This episode is indeed a jewel! When "The Avengers" got to Germany and Austria not all episodes were dubbed. I do not know why some got withhold. They might have touched a bit too much on the macabre or the absurd for the program director of that time. But in the more recent past these missing episodes finally got dubbed too and are now aired along with the others. Unfortunately the voices of John and Emma are not the same and one needs a bit of time to accept them. Off course such silly problems don't exist for the native speakers. But for us German-speaking people these previously unknown episodes are a treasure.

This one for example makes fun of people seeking partners via matchmaking institutions, but also carries ideas like exchanging murders, well exploited by Hitchcock in "Strangers on a Train", and many jokes around a coffin. A very rich episode so to speak and Steed and Mrs. Peel are in top form.

"Tried working once, it didn't work out. Too much like work."

[bensonmum2 · 8/10 · 16 July 2021]

Steed is investigating a series of 11 murders that, at first, appear to have nothing in common. Steed, however, realizes that in each case, the most likely suspect has an airtight alibi. He gets his first bread in the case when a photograph leads to a matchmaking service. In no time at all, both Steed and Mrs Peel become clients of Togetherness Inc.

After the last two episodes, The Murder Market is something of a return to form. The writing here is strong, featuring a lot of the quirky bits that make the series so special to me. Whether it's the over-the-top wedding themed business, complete with cake tastings and top hats, or a quick scene of Steed practicing a golf shot off the coffee table while Mrs Peel plays a tuba, the seeming randomness of some of the events in this episode is so much fun. And I won't spoil the bit near the end, but it's classic Avengers. I admit that some judicious editing might have made The Murder Market even better, but still, it's really good stuff.

The acting in The Murder Market is first rate. Patrick Cargill has to be one of the best baddies in the entire series. The way he plays Mr Lovejoy with a polite and proper exterior with a hint of nefariousness under the surface is brilliant. It's just an amazing performance.

Finally, I've read that even though this was the seventh episode aired, it was the first one that Diana Rigg filmed. Her immediate chemistry with Patrick Macnee is undeniable and one of the keys to the series' success during her time on the show.

8/10.

A great episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 3 July 2022]

Eleven random murders, seemingly have no link, however a marriage bureau seems to hold to answer.

It really is a great episode, I adored the complexity of the plot, I loved the horror vibe, and as for the visuals, they were first rate. An incredibly good looking episode, beautifully produced.

There is a true cleverness in this story, a plot device that's been seen once or twice, not always to such good effect, the perfect murder setup, symbiotic in a way.

That ending, that was wild, it was like The Persuaders crashed Carry on Loving, flying punches and flying cakes, confetti and rucks galore, I absolutely loved it.

It's worth noting that this was the first episode filmed with Diana Rigg, Elizabeth Shepherd started it, Rigg took over, and became iconic.

Some fine performances here, Patrick Cargill was great I thought, I also enjoyed John Woodvine's performance, if you've not seen his series, New Scotland Yard, I'd recommend it, it's well worth seeing.

Classic, 9/10.

One of the Best

[aramis-112-804880 · 10/10 · 13 June 2022]

"The Murder Market" has a murder-for-hire gang using a matchmaking service as a front. A pretty good service, too, managed by tasteful Patrick Cargill (the troubled No. 2 in the "Hammer into Anvil" episode of "The Prisoner").

Steed and Mrs. Peel investigate, following different lines as usual. Unfortunately, the scheme requires "swapped murders," like the earlier movie "Strangers on a Train." And to prove his undercover bona files Steed must target Emma Peel.

This delightfully wacky episode has such sights (and sounds) as the multi-talented Emma playing Wagner on a tuba.

The supporting cast is game and includes a few recognizable names and faces, though Peter Bayliss overacts shamefully.

The plot twists and turns marvelously with good "how will they get out of this" moments. And the always charming Mrs. Peel looks pretty good in her coffin.

Cargill is excellently cast and beautifully droll in this entry in the series.

The murder market

[coltras35 · 9/10 · 15 December 2023]

A businessman meets a woman for a blind date and she immediately shoots him.

He's not the only one though, and the Avengers are called in to investigate a spate of similar deaths that seem linked to the Togetherness introduction agency.

The agency facilitates the murder of inconvenient relatives for its members, while providing alibis for them by making sure they're seen elsewhere at the time of death, the attractive Barbara Wakefield being their chief assassin.

A sharp and fun episode with a villainous performance by Patrick Gargill as the head of a matchmaking agency which sets rich bachelors with a suitable match ... which ends in their murder. In a unique way The Murder Market shows us how a dating agency could also be a front for criminal activity, such as scamming the poor subject. Fake profiles, etc. There's a "strangers on the train" vibe with the murder exchange idea. Mrs Peel blows on a tuba and is murdered by Steed - all fake, of course. There's a lively fight scene at the end.

eHarmony: The Prequel.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 8 November 2008]

It gets a little wearisome explaining who John Steed and Mrs. Peel are, what their characters are like, the villains they typically encounter, and all the rest of the continuous features of this series. So I'll just point out one or two of the ways in which each episode is distinctive.

In this case, men and women seeking marital partners through a matchmaking agency are being killed. I mean, like, eleven in a row. Steed and Mrs. Peel sign up separately and discover a nefarious plot in which the wealthier applicants are killed off, sometimes by each other, in order somehow to benefit the agency itself. (The usual double entendres and underplayed jokes are present. When asked what kind of mate she is seeking, Mrs. Peel mentions good breeding and "stamina." The interviewer raises his eyebrow.) As a matter of fact, Steed is encouraged and finally persuaded to knock off Mrs. Peel, in return for another client knocking off the (non-existent) cousin who stands between Steed and the family fortune.

Mrs. Peel is forced by circumstances to play possum and be displayed in an open coffin. She is almost caught by the heavies when, tipsy with the champagne that Steed has thoughtfully hidden with her, she climbs out and dances around in her shroud. There is a final brawl at a wedding display and someone gets hit in the face with a cake.

Capricious incidents abound, barely rising above the silly. During a serious analysis of the goings on, Mrs. Peel is stretched on the sofa playing "The Ride of the Valkyries" on a tuba and Steed is chipping golf balls about the room. One of the balls bounces into the bell of the tuba and the scene dissolves with Steed trying desperately to extract the lodged golf ball with his putter.

The episode is by no means below the average for the series.

The Murder Market

[guswhovian · 6/10 · 13 July 2020]

Steed and Mrs Peel investigate the deaths of several businessmen, and discover a murder-for-hire organization posing as a marriage bureau.

The Murder Market is a pretty dull affair. This was the first episode Diana Rigg filmed, and although she's excellent, Emma is badly used by writer Tony Williamson. Patrick Macnee seems to be having a good time, and Peter Bayliss was good as one of the villains.

Writer Tony Williamson would later go to the BBC to work on Adam Adamant Lives!. Adam Adamant features an episode titled Death By Appointment Only, which has the same exact plot as The Murder Market. Williamson just happened to write both of them (I prefer Death By Appointment Only).

Good start, gets a bit lost

[AntReid · 7/10 · 1 August 2006]

Black-and-white (they were the best ones, eh?): The story started quite strong and it's hard to guess the 'who' and what', but the plot starts to break down around half way through, holes appear, and all your are left with is the inevitable but rather primitive (to today's audience) fight scene. The plot and script and actually rather good until they start recycling the characters, and then - it's so hard not to give spoilers for a 25-min show - they started doing things that just didn't make sense within the context of the characters or plot - you find yourself saying "but if they made him do that, surely that would give the game away...?" - it's a real shame but overall was a highly entertaining half hour.

It was nice to see Penelope Keith.