Episode 4.04 Killer with Two Faces

Main Cast: Donna Mills (Patty Heron), Ian Hendry (Spelling), Roddy McMillan (Inspector Fillory), David Lodge (Bradley), Robin Parkinson (Mr Holland)

Another episode I won't go into too much detail with as to do so would be to spoil it. However, its another old chesnut really, albeit done rather well. There is some tension along the way due to the circumstances. Donna Mills is in this one as well as the first episode I watched. Have to say that she looks more fetching here than in One Deadly Owner and her performance is better too.

It was rather nice to go from seeing Ian Hendry in Theater of Blood to seeing him in the lead role here. His performance is pretty good, although I must admit that i'm not his greatest fan. This episode also suffers from that perculiarly 70s disease of wanting us to believe that 50 or 60 something men are irrestible to women half their age. Sorry, i'm not buying Ian Hendry as a lothario!

Nice ending which I think could have been more interesting if they had turned expectation upside down (you'll know what I mean if and when you see it).

Solid, if slightly cliched Thriller.

3 out of 5.

Episode 6.04 Dial a Deadly Number

Main Cast: Gary Collins (Dave Adams), Gemma Jones (Helen Curry), Beth Morris (Sally Kirby), Linda Liles (Ann Curry), Cavan Kendall (Tim Foster), Peter Schofield (O'Hara), Richard Warner (Baxter), Charles Lamb (Caretaker), Dennis Blanch (Paul Kirby)

Gary Collins plays another low-life scumbag in this episode. This time posing as a psychiatrist to a disturbed woman in order to bilk money out of her once his landlord throws him out for sponging too much off of him – he's a real charmer. Anyhoo, it soon becomes apparent that he's bitten off more than he can chew as 2 missing people are linked to his 'client'. Unperturbed, he moves into the rambling pile that Helen Curry (his patient, played a tad too maniacally for my taste by Gemma Jones) shares with her sister.

Dave does a decent job of shamming some pysch sessions and continues his bilking, until the sister of a missing man, a private detective, and Dave's old landlord Tim Foster (the skeletally thin Cavan Kendall – eat a sandwich man!) stick their noses in. A really good episode this one and one that should really have the subtitle of 'Serves You Right!'. Not a huge amount of suspense here, just a nice psychological thriller.

4 out of 5.

That reminds me, i must get some bilk.;)

Been a while since i delved into the set, but i was in the right mood for some thrilling and managed to pick out a good one to get me rolling again.

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Episode 1.04 An Echo of Theresa

Main Cast: Paul Burke (Brad Hunter), Polly Bergen (Suzy Hunter), Dinsdale Landen (Mathew Earp), Basil Henson (Charles Merrow), Vernon Dontcheff (Bannerheim), Meriel Brooke (Theresa), William Job (Trasker)

So, Brad Hunter (played well by Paul Burke) is losing his mind in London on a 'second honeymoon' with his wife Suzy. In the first few minutes he has several meltdowns, seemingly after looking at a newspaper. He wrongly calls his wife Teresa, and has a fight with a prospective business client. Cue strange characters with cats, the private detective Earp, and hearts cut out of the centres of newspapers.

The acting is for the most part excellent (with an exception or two), the story is intriging, with some fine characters, Charles Merrow and Mathew Earp prime among them. In fact, Dinsdale Landen has made a fine character from the material given to him and I wouldn't have minded seeing a series with him as the lead character. The ending is a slight let-down, but as Mr. Earp gets the best lines, I won't hold it against them. Very entertaining and my new favourite episode.

5 out of 5.

I too enjoyed this one D. One of the best so far, A Place to Die is still my current favourite though.

Thriller! Thriller! Thriller!

Episode 1.09 The Eyes Have It

Main Cast: Peter Vaughan (Anderson), Dennis Waterman (Frank), William Marlowe (Jeffries), Sinead Cusack (Sally), Leslie Scholfield (Moore), David Jackson (Martin), Micheal Lees (George Mullard), Alun Armstrong (Mike), Colin McCormack (Peter), Catherine Chase (Jenny), Angela Walker (Pat), David Sands (Tom).

First off, what a cast! Some fine character actors and future stars in the making here. Would cost a pretty penny to assemble these days (minus the deceased of course). Anyhoo, a parade is due to head through a place, carrying a person who does a thing – really, it's never clarified who the VIP is, other than “a man of peace” or where the place is. All that really matters is some ne'er-do-wells including Grouty take over a college for the blind with a view towards blowing this “man of peace” away as it overlooks the route of the parade.

You know what's coming next, lots of tense scenes where the unsighted people blunder around the contract killers. Firstly unaware that anything untoward is happening, but later on discovering that the warnings of Sally (well played by Sinead Cusack) weren't 'nerves' but her well honed senses!

The crims bicker, the students blunder, and the plot such as it is, meanders. The ending is well staged, if slightly unlikely, but as you're cheering it on, it doesn't matter too much as the meek inherit the earth.

I have to say this though – the contract killers are rather screamish about violence, especially once the able-bodied folk are out of the way, but I guess I have to remember this is 70's telly.

Solid, but not outstanding. 3 out of 5.