The Avengers Get-A-Way! (1961–1969) watch online HD

As 'The Avengers' series developed, a repertory company of performers formed who would appear in the show time and time again, often playing villains. The roster included Peter Jeffrey, Julian Glover, Peter Wyngarde, Patrick Cargill, Garfield Morgan, William Franklyn, Patrick Allen, and Peter Bowles. The future 'Bounder' was in four episodes: 'Second Sight', 'Dial A Deadly Number', Escape In Time', and, of course, this.

British Intelligence have picked up three Russian agents in Britain, here on a mission to assassinate top British operatives, and are keeping them imprisoned in a base concealed in the Oldhill monastery. When two manage to escape from under the watchful eyes of the 'monks', and eliminate their designated targets, Steed is naturally worried. The third name on the hit list is his own...

Bowles plays 'Ezdorf', the last Russian to pull off a daring escape act worthy of Houdini, with a little help from a bottle of Lizard vodka. It contains a chemical which, when bathed in, gives one the ability of a chameleon. The Russians are able to fool their captors into thinking they have escaped. As soon as the cell doors are opened, they slip away.

The theme of invisible enemy agents had previously been explored in 'The See Through Man', also written by Philip Levene. The main difference is that here the invisibility is real! In the 1998 movie, Patrick Macnee provided an amusing cameo as 'Colonel I.Jones', a camouflage expert so good at his job he literally could not be seen!

Directed by Don Sharp, also responsible for 'Invasion Of The Earthmen'.

"Get-A-Way!" is indicative of the problem with the early Tara King episodes, in that a return to more 'realistic' plotting from earlier seasons means that any attempt to try to regain the sublime wit of the Emma Peel formula would prove to be difficult to recover. Although scripted by the prolific Philip Levene, author of the memorable Cybernaut entries, there is very little humor to be found, a far cry from the same writer's "The See-Through Man," another story depicting an invisible opponent. Captured enemy agents are able to escape (disappearing into thin air) and complete their assassinations of Ministry foes, while the ringleader, Ezdorf (Peter Bowles), bides his time in a cat and mouse game against Steed (the unusual climax makes everything worthwhile). Tara continues to be underused, working apart from Steed, as the new era struggles to find its way. Peter Bowles makes the last, and weakest, of his four episodes, after "Second Sight," "Dial a Deadly Number," and "Escape in Time," while Andrew Keir ("The Fear Merchants"), playing the prison warden, does a warmup for the same role in 1970's excellent "The Night Visitor." Also present are Peter Bayliss ("The Murder Market"), Neil Hallett ("Dead of Winter" and "The Winged Avenger"), Barry Linehan ("The Golden Fleece"), and James Belchamber ("Quick-Quick Slow Death").

From the outside Oldhill Monastery looks like a religious establishment but it is actually a maximum security establishment holding three enemy agents and the monks are armed guards. As the guards look into the prisoners' cells it one of them can't be seen. When the guard enters the cell for a more thorough search the man jumps him out of nowhere and escapes. While this is going on Steed and Tara are entertaining a couple of fellow agents. As they leave one of them is gunned down by the escaped man. Steed goes to the monastery and talks to Ezdorf; the most senior of the inmates. He tells Steed that the other prisoner will soon escape and kill his target then Ezdorf himself will escape and kill his target. Steed contacts Tara and she goes to the targets house but is just too late; she gets there in time to hear the gunshots but there is no sign of the killer… just footprints which went right past where Tara had just been. Steed sees Ezdorf again and he boasts that he will soon escape and kill his target… Steed! There are few clues as to how the men escaped; just that each had been reading a natural history magazine with some pages removed and had a bottle of Lizard Vodka in his cell. The bottles are cleverly designed to contain both the vodka and a liquid which, when applied to a person and their clothes gives them chameleon like properties.

'The Avengers' frequently combined science fiction elements into a thriller story and this is a good example. The idea of a substance that gives a person chameleon like properties is rather fun although the way it works is rather too rapid… due to budget special effects. There are some gripping moments; especially at the end when Ezdorf goes to Steed's flat and captures Tara. Regular guest star Peter Bowles does a solid job as Ezdorf. Tara isn't used much in the action; relegated to questioning an expert on lizards and trying to get a copy of the magazine the men had been reading. The prison in a monastery is impressive and a rather fun idea. Overall this is a fairly standard episode; fun but not really a classic.