Autokill

DVD, The Champions (Autokill)

And so another series ends. It's so good to see it go out on a high, with one of the better episodes they made. All the characters are involved in the action, even Tremayne, who becomes a pawn, sent to spread discord in a plot to attack the very heart of Nemesis itself. The motivations of the villains for doing this are never made clear, though you could come up with all kinds of backstory for the big guy, a vast and horrible man, who uncharacteristically for the series has a moment of reality shone on his villainy as his accomplice idly wonders what kind of a childhood had driven him to be the person he was, and he almost loses his temper in response.

Paul Eddington is brilliant as the fastidious, but charming accomplice, who seems to enjoy the scheme more for the chance to act out a character and dress in fine clothes, than for any hatred. Perhaps the main guy had experienced what he brainwashed his victims into believing - a brother and Father killed by Nemesis? It's amazing they did so few episodes focused on the organisation, as this and 'The Interrogation' are among the best they made. It really expands the characters and reality when we find out more about their HQ and operations at home. Perhaps the episode was conceived as a budget saving exercise. If so, I wish they'd saved more, earlier in the season so we could have more like this!

The violence is ramped up, with an exciting 'Matrix-for-the-sixties' fight in the corridors of Nemesis, as a man driven by a fictitious, brainwashed hate, kills a colleague and fights off several staff members at once, needing about five to eventually restrain him. This sets up the anticipation for Richard and Craig's big fight at the end. It's something you can't help wondering right from the beginning of the series - who would win in a fight between them. The answer seems to be Craig, although the odds weren't even as Richard was on drugs, and Sharon was assisting too. One of my favourite scenes is the dismay with which Craig punches his friend out cold, then catches him and holds him before he can fall. The only negative aspect of the fight is the obvious replacment of Sharon with a stuntwoman, but it's still hilarious when she chucks the huge villain over a table like bowling ball! It's surprising to see blood so evident, too.

At least Tremayne didn't die, perhaps they were still hoping to come back for a second year as they made this final episode, but sadly it never happened. Instead ITC made a new series, about two men (an English guy and an American) and a woman, all agents for a secret organisation... That was 'Department S' and from the few episodes I've seen was not a patch on 'The Champions'. If only they'd brought back this series instead. I'm surprised a modern remake has never materalised as I'd have thought it would be the perfect combination of superheroics, agents and adventure TV for Saturday nights. Like 'BUGS' all the best ideas get left behind.

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