THE AVENGERS - "Who's Who???" (1967)

This evening's Saturday Night Special is Season 5, Episode 16 of "The Avengers," and especial it is. I get so tired of trying to find interesting things to watch, and then something like this pops up, and I'm re-invigorated for a week or two, and now I'm going to tell you why!

This episode of "The Avengers" from 1967 was titled "Who's Who???" and boy did they mean it! The title might be the only thing they were serious about. This thing is a cluster from the get-go. and I loved each and every minute of it!

The writers must have been having a real good time when they came up with this sub-title. but it's absolutely true. That's exactly what happens!

'The Villains' in this show are Patricia (Blood Beast from Outer Space) Haines as Lola, and Freddie (Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed) Jones as her significant other Basil, and they both do an exceptional job!

These are the real John Steed and Mrs. Emma Peel. This is the last time you'll see them as themselves for a while!

Arnold (The Revenge of Frankenstein) Diamond is whack job scientist Dr. Krelmar. He's invented this amazing mind-meld machine that is capable of transferring or exchanging the mind of one person with another person. Steed has been captured by the loathsome Lola and Basil, and is about to have his mind exchanged with Basil's.

Let the exchange party begin! Those red and blue dice are Basil's good luck pieces.

Now it's Lola and Mrs. Peel's turn.

Meet the new Avengers, aka Lola and Basil.

Twice during the course of the show, they break for an "Important Announcement."

The announcement is to let any late comers or otherwise confused peoples know that these two people who look like 'The Villains,' are in reality, Steed and Mrs. Peel.

And these two, who look like Mrs. Peel and Steed, are really "The Villains."

Patricia Haines should have won an award for her fantastic portrayal of Mrs. Peel, and I think she might be the only other actress who ever got to play the role besides Diana Rigg.

All her mannerisms are right on the money, and Freddie Jones playing Steed is equally impressive!

But the real fun part is watching 'The Villains" as Steed and Emma, because you get to see Steed and Emma act in ways you've never seen before.

Fans of "The Avengers" all know that these two have an interesting but quite platonic relationship, so to see them getting cozy is just crazy! Drinking Ale and smoking cigars, the Mrs. Peel character starts dancing.

'The Villains' plan is to destroy the whole "Floral Network," one flower at a time. They do get as far as killing Daffodil, Pansy, Bluebell, and a few of the other blossoming agents.

Steed finds out that the head of his new body is a lot smaller than his old one, and his boulder hat no longer fits properly!

The bodies of all the wilted flowers just keep piling up!

It's hilarious to watch Mrs. Peel as a gum chewing ditz!

And then it happens, something you've never seen before in an episode of "The Avengers," John Steed and Emma Peel share a romantic and passionate kiss. Of course it's not them, but it looks like them, so it's just plain good old fashioned weird!

After enough time passes Lola and Basil decide they like themselves better as Steed and Mrs. Peel, than they do as themselves. Life is better, they're better looking, and they have cooler stuff, so they decide to go ahead and finish the job, and rub out the real Steed and Mrs. Peel. That's when their caper goes astray, and they get caught and turned back into themselves again. I'll let you figure out who is in this last shot.