"Epic" is the most polarizing of all "Avengers" episodes, with people either loving it or loathing it. When I first saw it as a kid, I loved the mystery and bizarre imagery, of which there is plenty. As an adult, however, while the bizarre imagery remains (if a little less convincingly), the realization that a mystery without a solution is a failed mystery kicks in. Put simply, this episode makes no sense on any level. Mrs. Peel is kidnapped by a crazed movie producer/director straight from the silent era, and two washed up actors, who are forced to keep working with him because of the fine print in their contracts (a funny enough gag...but also one of the most realistic elements in the show!). They set about to kill Emma on film through any number of unrelated scenes. The unanswered question, however, is WHY? It is never explained, outside of the fact that they're crazy. It is also contradictory in that at times it's clear the loony director set out to kill Mrs. Peel from the onset, while at others she has to be "auditioned" for the role, implying that all he wants to do is kill SOMEBODY. It makes no sense. Nor does the fact that Emma, trapped inside a movie studio, can't see what the audience clearly sees, that she's on set with missing walls and lights overhead. Rigg responds throughout with an eye-rolling attitude that tells us not to take any of this seriously, kind of like a guest star in a skit on a comedy/variety show. It's that very rare episode in which both Steed and Peel seem to realize they are characters in a television program instead of real people. So, is there ANY reason to watch it? Yes: Peter Wyngarde's delicious, hilarious performance as sodden, hammy actor Stewart Kirby. He single-handedly saves the show, and is even allowed to do a lick of genuinely fine Shakespeare. Also, for fans of "The Avengers," it offers something of a backstage tour of ABC Studios in Elstree, England, where the series was filmed.