There are lots of references to the BBC series "The Avengers" in this episode, including Diana Rigg, the sexy Mrs. Peel of the old series and recurring player Catrin Stewart dressing up in leather and using judo -- Miss Rigg, alas, is a bit old for such shenanigans. Mark Gatiss' script is a rip-roaring melodrama set in Victorian Yorkshire. It's a lot of fun as Miss Rigg gives a performance worthy of Tod Slaughter as a villainous squire.
This is probably the strongest episode in a frustrating season. The presence of Vastra, Jenny and Strax add a good bit of humor and the crew offers us some nice effects, including a sepia-colored synopsis of the events not shown directly. I have some issues with the insistence that all the stories be one episode long; this one could use another fifteen minutes, perhaps, but Gatiss and director Saul Metzstein have taken the lack of time and turned it to their advantage with a fast-paced story.
This is probably the strongest episode in a frustrating season. The presence of Vastra, Jenny and Strax add a good bit of humor and the crew offers us some nice effects, including a sepia-colored synopsis of the events not shown directly. I have some issues with the insistence that all the stories be one episode long; this one could use another fifteen minutes, perhaps, but Gatiss and director Saul Metzstein have taken the lack of time and turned it to their advantage with a fast-paced story.