Escape in Time

"Escape in Time" is the essence of the color episodes, decent plot, played with lighthearted humor. Peter Bowles ("Second Sight," "Dial a Deadly Number," "Get-A-Way!") returns as the mastermind behind a scheme to use time as an ally in helping criminals escape detection in the present, provided they have sufficient funds to purchase the route into the past. Mrs. Peel feels that the Victorian era isn't suitable for her: "they would not be amused!" Other veterans include the underused Judy Parfitt ("Bullseye," "The White Elephant," "Whoever Shot Poor George Oblique Stroke XR40?"), whose brief exchange with Steed is a scream, Geoffrey Bayldon (the lost episode "The Deadly Air"), Roger Booth ("The Hour That Never Was"), Nicholas Smith and Clifford Earl (both from "Super Secret Cypher Snatch"). Of all the odd characters, my favorite is the silent barber, played by Edward Caddick (guaranteed to deliver a close shave). This is our first view of Steed's new apartment, which would remain through the end of the original series.