The Avengers (TV Series) Death's Door (1967) User Reviews

Dangerous dreams

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 4 March 2015]

As Sir Andrew Boyd the man responsible for a new European treaty approaches the door to the conference room he is overcome by a terrible sense of fear. He flees in terror. It turns out he had a very specific premonition of his own death. The next day Steed accompanies him to the conference and once again it looks as if his dream is coming true; he can't even enter the building and runs off again; this time he is hit by a car and killed. He is replaced by Lord George Melford; he is confident that he will have no problems but he too starts to have premonitions of death. Steed and Mrs Peel don't believe that dreams can come true in such a specific way so set about finding out how such 'dreams' could be caused and just as importantly discovering who is trying to sabotage the conference.

This was a rather enjoyable episode that will have the viewer wondering why dreams seem to be coming true for the two men. When it is explained it is inevitably a bit unlikely but doesn't go into the realms of science fiction. Allan Cuthbertson, a fairly regular 'Avengers' guest actor does a fine job as Lord Melford; both he and Clifford Evans, who played Sir Andrew Boyd, believably portray the terror of somebody believing that face imminent death. There is some good drama; most notable where Steed is up against a man with a rifle and all he has is a bullet but no gun to put it in… his solution is rather ingenious and certainly dangerous!

Don't Open That Door!

[create · 9/10 · 1 October 2015]

John Steed and Mrs. Emma Peel provide security at a conference intended to "unify" Europe. The discussion is delayed, however, when the British chair panics, and runs away before he even enters the door. His phobia is that he will die at the meeting…this resulting from a premonition he had the night before.

The minister is replaced with a good friend of Steed's. He starts having similar supernatural forebodings. This sets off John and Emma into performing dream analysis, with dangerous diagnosis resulting.

By far this is the best of the Color Avengers: all of the Peel's, The King's and the New Avengers. The Producers dropped the formula, including the irksome "Mrs. Peel, we're needed"; kept the wit, and returned to the suspense of the Dr. Cathy Gale era. (Why they did it, is a speculation that I'm not going to delve into at this moment. I'm just glad that they did.)

It's strange watching this episode 50 years after it was produced. This fictitious conference is reminiscent of the real one that set up the EU, the European Union – which as we know didn't occur till the seventies. (No one ran from the door out of fear at the real meeting.) With the struggles over the last five years of Greece, Spain and Italy trying to pull out – and the British public recently voting to dump it – it's clear that the alliance is as fragile today as Phillip Levine wrote it would be in the late sixties. This is clearly one of those science fiction pieces that is so dead on that it is predictive – eerie since its science subject IS premonition.

The production design is sort of hokey, with the obligatory surrealistic images inside the dream world. None of Salvador Dali's films were this iconic, which reveals how over the top the design was. (Was it Christian Metz inspired? Who knows!) It is the only dated part of this story. This lame imagery would become commonplace during the King era.

Unlike the earlier Dr. Gale adventure, "The White Dwarf", Levine balances this procedural so that both Steed and Mrs. Peel uncover important information that could be considered "scientific". Steed is more than just muscle here as he was in the earlier Gale adventure. This is not to say that this makes "Death's Door" better. It just shows how far Steed has come from the out of his league denier of "The White Dwarf" to this embracer of odds. How? Maybe he denies the parapsychology as much as he did the solar big bang theories of the earlier episode. (Steed doesn't strike me as a big statician.) In truth, the development and progression of John Steed from the cad, user and science doubter to Steed the common sense man & loyal friend is probably the underlying appeal of The Avengers' storyline.

This is my first time seeing this episode in thirty years. It really holds up well. I give it a 9.0 even. It has bested time for nearly fifty years. No, it is not as inventive as "The White Dwarf", nor as satisfyingly surreal as "Too Many Christmas Trees", but very thought provoking.

What Nightmares are made of.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 29 August 2022]

When a top British delegate refuses to walk into an important conference room ahead of a European summit, Steed and Mrs Peel are called in.

Nightmare Alley, the whole concept of this idea is just wonderful, this is such an imaginative, clever, and well executed episode.

It doesn't exactly feel like a typical Avengers episode, it plays out perhaps more like an episode of The Saint or Man from Uncle, it's more a straight up mystery, but it worked incredibly well.

There are so many imaginative themes and ideas here, the solution came as a big surprise, Philip Levene did an awesome job writing this one, it's a real classic.

Allan Cuthbertson, Clifford Evans and Marne Maitland all did a fantastic job I thought.

Loved it, 9/10.

Clifford Evans and Marne Maitland

[kevinolzak · 10/10 · 1 April 2011]

"Death's Door" is another Philip Levene classic, featuring Hammer veteran Clifford Evans ("Dial a Deadly Number" and "Whoever Shot Poor George Oblique Stroke XR40?") as Sir Andrew Boyd, head of the British delegates for a top secret conference, whose premonitions of death become reality as he is struck by a passing car and killed, just as he mysteriously predicted. Things take an even darker turn when Lord George Melford (Allan Cuthbertson, "The Deadly Air," "Death at Bargain Prices," and "Super Secret Cypher Snatch") takes his place and begins to suffer the same kind of nightmares. Wonderfully atmospheric story, aided by a sterling cast, especially the menacing Marne Maitland, best remembered as Scaramanga's munitions manufacturer in the 1974 Jmaes Bond feature "The Man with the Golden Gun." Also featuring William Lucas ("Invasion of the Earthmen"), Paul Dawkins ("Death on the Slipway" and "Death a La Carte"), Peter Thomas ("Small Game for Big Hunters" and "All Done with Mirrors"), and William Lyon Brown ("Fog").

THE MAKERS OF DREAMS

[asalerno10 · 9/10 · 3 June 2022]

An enemy organization intends to sabotage the signing of a peace agreement. To do this, he hatches a sophisticated plan: through the effect of lights and drugs, they manage to manipulate the dreams of the participants of said meeting, causing them horrible nightmares that end with their own deaths upon entering the Hall where the event will take place, in order to provoke attacks. Of panic. An entertaining and intelligent episode with a somewhat predictable ending but full of action.

A highlight from the sixth season.

[jamesraeburn2003 · 8/10 · 8 January 2022]

A top UK politician called Sir Andrew Boyd (played by Clifford Evans) is the country's leading delegate at a European peace conference. However, he is terrified by a nightmare in which he sees himself die as a result of being crushed by a chandelier in the conference room. He sees it as a premonition that will become a reality so he refuses to attend the conference, which results in it being delayed and could potentially scupper any idea of a united Europe if it ends up being cancelled all together. Agents John Steed (played by Patrick Macnee) and Mrs Peel (played by Diana Rigg) are called in to investigate and they become convinced that a plot is afoot to destroy the conference by people opposed to its objectives. After Sir Andrew is accidentally killed as a result of being hit by a car, Lord Melford (played by Allan Cuthbertson) becomes the country's new delegate. When he too suffers from a series of similar nightmares to those suffered by his predecessor, Steed and Mrs Peel prove that someone is indeed trying to prevent the conference from ever going ahead - but whom?

All in all, Death's Door is a highlight from the sixth season of this classic, tongue-in-cheek espionage series. It has all the series' trademarks: a uniquely British flavour and quirky sense of humour, plenty of exciting action and suspense, including Steed's dice with death at the hands of a sniper on a shooting range and the chemistry between Macnee and Rigg that made the series so popular is there and engaging to watch. It works as a psychological thriller too with director Sidney Hayers, a regular contributor to the series, staging the dream sequences with some style; a combination of nightmarish camerawork, mood music and carefully designed sets which are colour coordinated to fit the atmosphere of the foreboding and the mysteriousness. As always there are plenty of familiar faces to look out for in the supporting cast like William Lucas and Marne Maitland.

Wow, what a great episode

[robert3750 · 10/10 · 29 June 2023]

This may be the best Avengers episode. No over the top science fiction or fantasy this time. At first I thought it was some sort of science fiction scenario, interjecting dreams and such, but that didn't seem to be the case. Steed and Peel use excellent detective work to figure out the real cause of diplomatic officials having dreams they believe to be premonitions, and it turns out to have a very grounded explanation. It's real spy and espionage Cold War stuff. It ends with a great fight scene with enemy agents. Once again, Steed and Peel demonstrate their top notch abilities. I'll view the end of this season with sadness.

Have seen this before in the series.

[searchanddestroy-1 · 8/10 · 18 March 2019]

I won't tell much to what has already been said in the other comments, but the topic of this story reminds me TOO MANY CHRISTMAS TREES very much. Maybe too much. Nearly a copycat, with this eerie fantasy plan to monitor dreams and so on. I prefered the black and white version. But don't misunderstand me, that's not a remake either, just very close concerning the basic plot. The way Steed kills one of the villains reminds me of a movie from Roy Boulting RUN FOR THE SUN, starring Richard Widmark. Plus, nothing is explained how the first Lord victim knew in advance how Steed was in danger with his car brakes.

Death's Door

[guswhovian · 7/10 · 14 September 2020]

When the top British delegate at a peace conference is killed, his replacement began having dreams that begin coming true - just like his predecessor. Steed and Mrs Peel investigate.

Playing more like an episode of The Saint than an Avengers episode, Death's Door is an entertaining semi-serious episode with seems like a rehash of Too Many Christmas Trees. There's an excellent fight scene (as well as a suspenseful sequence where Steed is pinned down), and a good guest performance from Allan Cuthbertson. The identity of the villain is glaringly obvious.