The Avengers (TV Series) The Morning After (1969) User Reviews

Steed saves the day while Tara has a nap

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 16 July 2015]

In the opening scenes we see a masked man breaking into a military facility and stealing a case. He doesn't get far though as he is lured to a meeting with Steed. Before his arrival Steed tells Tara that the man they are after is 'quadruple agent' Jimmy Merlin who will do just about anything for money. His capture doesn't go according to plan though; it turns out he has stolen a case of 'sleep grenades' and he uses one putting Steed, Tara and himself to sleep. Steed wakes first and handcuffs himself to Merlin. It turns out they have been asleep for a whole day and there is something strange going on… there is no sign of anybody else in the town. Leaving Tara asleep Steed and Merlin head into town and find nobody until they hear gunfire; they find the body of a man with a label declaring that he was a looter. Eventually they learn that the town was evacuated while they were sleeping because an atom bomb had been discovered in a building that had previously been used by a variety of eastern bloc countries… or at least that is what the public were told; the reality is more serious!

This episode is a little unusual in that one of the main characters, Tara, sits, or to be more precise sleeps, this one out leaving Steed partnered with Merlin, who he is handcuffed to. The story is interesting with plenty of atmosphere; there is something inherently creepy about seeing a town totally abandoned. When we final see the villains of the story Joss Ackland does a good job as Brigadier Hansing but it is Brian Blessed who steals the show as the rather unpleasant sergeant who leads a roaming firing squad and inevitably shouts a lot! Peter Barkworth puts in a good performance as Merlin, working well with Patrick Macnee's Steed who he is handcuffed to for much of the episode. Overall a good episode which nicely combines a sinister situation with the usual Avengers humour; just a pity we didn't see more of Tara.

Peter Barkworth and Joss Ackland

[kevinolzak · 9/10 · 7 May 2011]

"The Morning After" continues the final season's run of classic episodes, the second directed by John Hough. Double agent (Steed prefers the term 'quadruple') Jimmy Merlin (Peter Barkworth, "Kill the King," "The Medicine Men," "The Correct Way to Kill") steals a case of sleep capsules from the Ministry, so Steed and Tara set a trap to catch him. Unfortunately, all three fall victim to its narcoleptic effects, remaining unconscious for 24 hours (Tara slumbers through the entire show). Steed awakens and handcuffs himself to Merlin, intent on turning him over to the proper authorities, except that the town is completely deserted. The mystery deepens when a military firing squad led by Sergeant Hearn (Brian Blessed, "The Superlative Seven") cold bloodedly executes an unarmed man without a trial. Led by the expertise of Brigadier Hansing (Joss Ackland), the military is there to disarm a nuclear bomb...or are they? This may have been the only Tara King episode that was never broadcast on ABC in 1969, pre-empted by a Bing Crosby special (interesting, because during the final tag, there is a reference to LAUGH-IN, which was killing THE AVENGERS in the ratings).

Without Tara? Why not?

[searchanddestroy-1 · 8/10 · 11 April 2019]

Yes, after all, why not without Tara? We already had episodes without Steed: ALL DONE WITH MIRRORS, WISH YOU WERE HERE, NOON DOOMSDAY - and maybe more, I have not seen the whole sixth season so far - so why not the contrary, even if we saw KILLER without Tara too. This topic also remembered another episode from the NEW AVENGERS called SLEEPER; not the entire plot, just a part. And another important thing, in this episode we see a little town setting, a kind of "blue collar" style town, with the typical gloomy British houses, all brick walled buildings, the kind of setting we are not used to see in this series. If you are a close fan as I am, in this TV show, we usually see countryside settings, or fancy districts of London. With nearly no extras at all. Some kind of "unreal" world. A world that doesn't exist. The last thing I want to tall is that I did not understand the opening scene, just before the appearance of the lead characters. A damn good episode but more than a kind of DIE HARD rip off twenty years before its time, than a AVENGERS like fantasy tale. One last detail, NEARLY without Tara...

Where Is Everybody?

[ShadeGrenade · 10/10 · 16 March 2009]

Jimmy Merlin ( Peter Barkworth ) is a master spy with no loyalty to either side - he simply works for whosoever pays best. When he breaks into a top secret research establishment and steals a quantity of sleep gas capsules, Steed and Tara lay in wait for him in a toy shop. Merlin uses one of the capsules to knock his enemies out, but Steed has locked the door, and he too succumbs to the effects of the gas.

Steed awakens a day later - to find London strangely deserted and silent. Handcuffed to Merlin, he investigates. Martial Law has been declared and soldiers are gunning down anyone believed to be looting. An atom bomb has been found in an abandoned foreign embassy, hence the mass evacuation. In charge of the operation is Brigadier Hansing ( Joss Ackland ).

But all is not as it seems. Merlin recognises one of Hansing's soldiers as an enemy agent...

Another regularly used idea in 'The Avengers' was the 'where is everybody?' scenario. Steed and Mrs.Peel found themselves in a similar situation in 'The Hour That Never Was', while 'The New Avengers' story 'Sleeper' went one further by putting the population of London to sleep.

The Brigadier's forces have emptied part of London not to dismantle an atom bomb, but to put one in! Hansing is embittered at his impending redundancy from the army and is out to get revenge by extorting millions.

Directed by John Hough ( who like Don Sharp was from the 'Hammer Horror' school of film making ), it boasts superb location filming, a strong script by Brian Clemens, and marvellous guest cast including Brian Blessed as 'Sgt.Hearn' and Joss Ackland as 'Brig.Hansing'. Stealing the show is the late Peter Barkworth ( did he ever give a bad performance? ) as 'Merlin', a devious, cunning fox of a character, as charming as Steed himself. I loved his habit of conjuring playing cards at odd moments! Pity he never returned.

Poor Tara must have gotten a stronger whiff of the gas than everyone else as she spends most of the story asleep!

"A highlight among the Tara King series with a witty script."

[jamesraeburn2003 · 13 March 2006]

Steed and Tara lure a crafty double agent called Merlin (Peter Barkworth) into a trap after he stole several capsules of a powerful new sleep gas from the Ministry Of Top Secret Information. But Merlin was clever enough to suspect an ambush and rather craftily hid one of the capsules in his hands, which he drops and puts Steed, Tara and himself into a deep sleep as Steed was shrewd enough to lock the door as soon as Merlin had entered the room so he couldn't escape either. When they awake twenty-four hours later (the gas has had a stronger effect on Tara and she remains asleep), the small town is completely deserted and Steed and Merlin enter into an uneasy alliance in order to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding "the ghost town" as they put it. It's not long before things come to light. They bump into news reporter Jenny Firston (Penelope Horner) and her partner Yates (Philip Dunbar) who tell them that the whole area was evacuated by Brigadier Hansing (Joss Ackland) and his men as an atomic bomb was discovered hidden away in the cellar of the commission building and Hansing and his men are dismantling the bomb. Firston also explains that they sneaked back in through the road blocks in order to get what shots they could for their story. However, Hansing's men lead by Sgt Hearn (Brian Blessed) are patrolling the town and shooting anybody that isn't supposed to be there. It soon transpires that Brigadier Hansing has defected to the other side as he has been told by his superiors that they are looking to replace him with a computer. In reality, Hansing's men are all enemy agents posing as British soldiers (the real ones have been drugged) and they are not dismantling the bomb, but putting it together. The area will be then declared safe and the people will come pouring in. Hansing will then demand £40,000,000 and give them only fifteen minutes to pay up. Otherwise the bomb will be detonated causing the town and fifty miles surrounding it to be destroyed. Merlin and Steed sneak into the commission building and put Hansing and his bogus troops to sleep with one of the capsules and then call in the necessary people to dismantle the atom bomb thus taking Hansing and company into custody. In view of Merlin helping Steed prevent an international catastrophe, he allows Merlin to go free. Tara then awakens completely unaware of the chaos that's been going on she asks "Have I missed anything exciting?"

The Morning After is a highlight among the Linda Thorson series. It boasts a witty script by Brian Clemens and John Hough's direction is tight and vigorous. He would later go on to direct such notable British horror movies such as Twins Of Evil and The Legend Of Hell House. There's nothing funnier here than make believe enemy agents posing as British soldiers. For instance, there's a scene where Brian Blessed's Sgt Hearn has Steed and Jenny Firston at gun point explaining their plans before he intends to have them both executed as saboteurs while swigging from a bottle of scotch. "I am not a regular soldier because if I was I wouldn't be drinking on duty would I?" he quips. This episode boasts an extremely good supporting cast with Joss Ackland standing out as the vengeful Brigadier Hansing and Peter Barkworth is good as Merlin portraying just the right amount of cunning and comic bungling at the same time. Brian Blessed (making one of his many guest appearances in the show) is also on good form as the bogus British Sgt Hearn.

It's a knockout!

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 10 September 2022]

Steed sets up a plan to capture rogue Agent, Jimmy Merlin, who's guilty of stealing secrets of a knockout gas. When an accident with the gas occurs, Stead and Merlin wake to find the world a very different place.

An absolute classic, I loved everything about this episode. The plot is so unusual, so imaginative, it's like The Tommyknockers meets Android Invasion. It delivers a terrific mix of action, mystery and intrigue. The first fifteen minutes in particular are tremendous, you'll think all sorts, you'll even ponder the idea of it all being a dream.

The plot is ingenuous, one of the best from this series. It's complex and layered, but incredibly satisfying.

I didn't mind it being a Tara light episode, that was nothing unusual, it's just that it's the second in a row, even when you think she's back in business ....

A smashing cast at work here, Joss Ackland, Peter Barkworth and Brian Blessed were all on top form, those are three voices that couldn't be mistaken for any others.

The military themed music that's beats out throughout the episode works well, and fits the episode well.

Loved it, 9/10.

resemblance to contemporary program episode

[docsuds · 8/10 · 16 July 2013]

Cf. "The Pied Piper of Hambledown" that originally aired approx. 3 mos. later as an episode of "Dept. S". The resemblance is close enough that my invocation of it may be considered a spoiler for those familiar with the latter. I don't believe either plot was lifted from the other, however, although possibly they had a common source.

This was one of those episodes where one of the Avengers made only a token appearance, which mitigated the fact that it was a Linda Thorson episode. It's a good one in that it's close to solvable and presents the clues in an entertaining and intriguing order.

Although this may not have aired when originally scheduled in the USA, it was shortly afterward, which is when I first saw it. Although I also watched "Dept. S", I don't recall seeing its episode that I'm comparing to at that time.

Oh dear.....

[g-hbe · 3/10 · 27 April 2018]

For me, this is one of the worst eps of all the filmed series. Tara may not be up to Mrs Peel's standards, but she is a good eyeful and sadly she is missing for most of the hour. And you know - this ep simply doesn't look like an Avengers story, it's almost as if it was made by another company as a cheap filler, it's just 'wrong'. It would fit better into the later (and worserer) New Avengers series. The Avengers always looked expensive (well, since it went to 35mm film), but this one looks as though it was suffering from a severe budget cut. Bleurgh, take it away.

worst Avengers ever during Peel/Tara period

[lylogronio-896-478464 · 3/10 · 27 September 2022]

It took a long time to get hold of the Black and Whites and the coloured ones of these episodes with Emma Peel and Tara King. I joyfully watching all of them , except...this episode "The Morning After" that I watched just now. This already really stupid storyline is also tampered with a highly irritating and loud soundtrack, that anoyed me terribly and destracted me from enjoying whatever story this one had to offer Just what makes so many other Avengers episodes so great is that, how unbelievable the stories may be, somehow they could fit in with my imagination,...but an atomic bom in the centre of a village and for weird unbelievable purposes is too much) and also the disappearance of Linda Thornton, only the first tree and the last tree minutes, was she having a holiday ? Perhaps the story would have been a little more digestable (but only a bit) if they would have put the music composer to sleep at the start of this episode. Never disliked the Avengers, that is the series with Diana Rigg and Linda Thornton, but this one is a real let down. 3 stars for the effort.