The Avengers (TV Series) All Done with Mirrors (1968) User Reviews

Tara solves the case while Steed is 'arrested'

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 27 March 2015]

Secrets are leaking from the Carmadoc Research Centre; a top secret establishment on the South Coast. Normally Steed would take the lead in the investigation but as he has already worked undercover at the centre he is 'arrested'… in this cased arrested means sitting by Mother's pool with a group of attractive young ladies! Steed's arrest means it will be up to Tara solve the case; officially she is working with agent Watney but he contributes little to the solving of the mystery.

The villains have a device that allows them to project sound along a beam of light; this means they can have conversations with a person a long distance away if there is a direct line of site. This enables them to listen in on classified conversations and, in the case of locals who have figured out what they are doing, lure them to their deaths! Tara's investigation soon gets their attention and they send a heavy to deal with her; inevitably he fails. She visits the local lighthouse not realising it is the villain's base then heads to the cliffs. Here she hears the disembodied voice of an innocent woman who has stumbled on the villain's device and they then force her to apparently lure Tara to her death. She survives and returns to the lighthouse and sets about defeating the villains… with a little accidental help from Watney.

This is probably the best Tara King episode to date. Having Steed off the case enabled her character to shine; Linda Thorson is doing well in the role with fine action sequences and a character we have come to care about. The episode features a classic 'Avengers' mix of action, mystery and humour… sometimes at the same time as in the scene where she counts as a villain falls down all 365 steps of the lighthouse staircase! The villain's methods have a nice sci-fi twist that isn't explained too soon; although it is hinted at in the title. It is unusual to see so little of Steed but his absence doesn't detract from the case and his scenes by the pool are entertaining. Dinsdale Landen is entertaining as Watney although the character isn't used as much as one might expect; this is definitely Tara's case.

That's another great episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 6 September 2022]

Secrets from The Cardmadoc Research Institute are falling into the hands of enemy agents, Steed, suspected is under house arrest, so Tara is sent in, along with Agent Watney.

Loved this episode, a wonderfully creative story, one that puts Tara King centre stage. The visuals certainly helped, the lighthouse and coastline making for a different location, but it was the curiosity of events that made it so intriguing.

Perhaps a slightly more serious episode for the most part, but of course there were touches of humour, particularly from Watney. I've said it before, but Dinsdale Landen, what a lovely actor, perfect for the part, and so incredibly handsome.

It's perhaps taken me a little time to get used to Tara King, but after this episode, I am left in absolutely no doubt, I am a huge fan, Thorson's performance here was first rate, Tara was able to do it all, perhaps it took an episode for her doing things solo to reinforce what I thought early on, her best so far I think.

A real winner, 9/10.

A touch of glass

[ShadeGrenade · 8/10 · 12 August 2011]

Written by Leigh Vance ( who also worked on 'The Saint' and 'Mission Impossible' ), this is a solo vehicle for Linda Thorson's 'Tara'. Following a breakdown in security at the top secret Carmadoc Research Centre, Steed is put under house arrest ( meaning he gets to loll about Mother's swimming pool in the company of beautiful girls! ). Tara is sent to the coast in the company of Watney ( the late Dinsdale Landen ). Two scientists are killed, and the perpetrator appears to be an invisible man! When 'Pandora Marshall' ( Joanna Jones ) visits the nearby lighthouse, she finds that an impostor has taken the place of 'Barlow' ( Edwin Richfield )...

Linda is very good here as 'Tara' ( looking sexy in white beret and lime suit ), walloping the bad guys with zeal and managing to survive without any assistance whatever from Steed ( including a fall from the top of a cliff ). Speaking of the latter, his arrest is not particularly believable, and one suspects it was merely a ploy by Mother to test Tara out ( perhaps it was an early assignment for her ). Watney, on the other hand, does little except ask questions. The 'invisible man' idea had been done in the show before - 1967's 'The See Through Man'. Here it turns out to be an enemy agent using a device built into a lighthouse telescope called a 'retrometer', which projects sound over a long distance on a beam of light. It needs glass, however, to be fully effective, hence the title.

Richfield had played 'Avenger' villains before, most notably in 1967's 'Dead Man's Treasure'. There is a hilarious moment as one of the villains is kicked down the lighthouse stairs, and it takes him ages to reach the bottom! Mother's office this time is located in a swimming pool! The tag scene is a classic as Steed and Tara dine in the middle of a field full of flowers!

Ray Austin's trademark

[searchanddestroy-1 · 10/10 · 16 February 2022]

This is one of the best of the whole season, and among the best of the series. Watch out for the terrific fight between Tara and the red beared giant. Terrific, outstanding, only Ray Austin, as a stunt man himself, could organize this. Tense, fast paced, funny, only the dry clothes of Tara after her improbable fall into the sea is the weak point. They could have given her wet clothes. She survives, ok, if not the series stops ha ha ha; but the dry clothes, hmmm. But that's a detail. The finale between Tara and Steed, dining in a field, is absolutely charming, unforgettable, one of the best romantic finale of the whole series.

Very good episode

[coltras35 · 8/10 · 30 April 2022]

Mysterious death preluded by voices out of nowhere, lighthouses and a thug rolling down 165 steps without stopping. Well not until he reaches the end. This well-plotted and rather engaging episode features mostly Tara as Steed is put under rather luxurious house arrest at Mother's because he's under suspicion of stealing secrets from a Research institute, and here I thought his years of crime fighting would put him above suspicion. Well, it's just an excuse for Miss King to investigate the stolen secrets from the research institute and unmask the traitor, but she's not alone - her somewhat incompetent new partner Watney is along for the ride. There's some good action sequences such Tara fighting a burly hairy bloke. It's a lengthy and well-staged fight scene.

Perhaps the Best Tara Episode of the Bunch

[mcelhaney · 9/10 · 20 September 2012]

Well paced, good plot with a couple of really fine action sequences, namely Tara taking on a bearded, silent henchmen and kicking another one down the stairs of a lighthouse that takes a year...well, "leap year" so to speak.

The plot itself benefits from being simple in execution as a couple of mysterious deaths near a top secret research facility have Tara investigating along with a new, somewhat inept agent. Because Steed has already been seen at the facility, he is under "arrest" to divert suspicion. Numerous clues lead Tara to a lighthouse where the investigation takes an interesting turn.

Linda Thorson looks wonderful dressed in tight fitting clothing and employing some "pseudo-judo" which makes her fights look more realistic. I enjoy the way the bearded henchman has no set up, yet he seems menacing enough.

Going by production order, this is the first episode that Rhonda appears. According to the official story, Patrick Newell, who plays "Mother" was not happy about having to maneuver his wheelchair around and spotted Rhonda Parker (being 6 foot tall, she was hard to miss) as one of the "beauties" and asked if she could be his assistant. She was hired on the spot and did 17 more episodes. Going by show order, Rhonda actions seem rather out of character as she smiles at Steed as if she has never met him before (in production order, she hasn't). In all of her other appearances she rarely smiles at all.

Overall, this is a well crafted episode that measures up to the Emma Peel period...one of the few that does.

Tara King works solo

[kevinolzak · 9/10 · 22 April 2011]

"All Done with Mirrors" was Linda Thorson's 12th episode, but the first in which she sported her own hair, also her first solo adventure. While Steed is under house arrest, Tara investigates an installation on the coast where secrets are being leaked to traitors. Following a series of mysterious deaths, she winds up at a nearby lighthouse with an unusual telescopic device. Each victim is dispatched by an assailant who isn't there, and there are a multitude of villains for Tara to vanquish, all expertly filmed on grand locations by director Ray Austin, whose only other credited episode is the vastly inferior "Have Guns-Will Haggle." The huge cast of series veterans is led by Edwin Richfield ("Girl on the Trapeze," "The Removal Men," "The White Elephant," "Too Many Christmas Trees," and "Dead Man's Treasure"), Peter Copley ("The White Dwarf"), Michael Trubshawe ("Dial a Deadly Number"), Joanna Jones ("The Correct Way to Kill"), Nora Nicholson ("Build a Better Mousetrap"), Anthony Dutton ("Return of the Cybernauts"), Graham Ashley ("Propellant 23"), Michael Nightingale ("A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Station"), David Grey ("Girl on the Trapeze"), Tenniel Evans ("Please Don't Feed the Animals," "The Big Thinker," and "The Golden Fleece"), Peter Thomas ("Small Game for Big Hunters" and "Death's Door"), and Peter J. Elliott ("A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Station," "Dead Man's Treasure," "You Have Just Been Murdered," and "Have Guns-Will Haggle"). Linda Thorson looks terrific, and her numerous fight scenes are superbly choreographed by former stunt arranger Austin.