I actually had a Lord Ffogg Mego. The box said 'you can make him into any of eight different pompous, non-threatening poses.'
Seriously, I never had action figures--I had Colorforms, but that was about it--but your enthusiasm and reminiscences made for a fun listen.
As for the Londinium portion of the podcast, I know you guys didn't give it a letter grade, but your summation seemed more positive than most of your comments. Grade inflation perhaps?
Look, I know some people like it, and I think this arc has its moments, but it ultimately falls flat IMOI because of Hoffman's rewrite and the lack of real menace from any of the villains other than Lyn Peters' Lady Prudence. It's a shame she wasn't a big enough name to be a standalone villainess because she's the most compelling thing about the arc. (I like Glynis Johns, but she was given little to do other than one decent scene. Otherwise, she usually walks around saying, 'Whatevuh shall we do, Mommaduke?')
As you sirs pointed out, the direction is uninspired, as per usual with Rudolph. But the script is the much bigger problem, IMO. Hoffman simply didn't have the knack for plotting that Semple had, and his attempts at mimicking the Sempl-ian camp (having the criminals label their stolen goods) fall flat.
As you alluded to with the large infodump, we're again in the season 3 land of telling and not showing. There still is very little explanation of what the villains' endgame is by the end of part 2, which wouldn't be so bad if we were given just one line of dialogue to explain why people who obviously have a great deal of money are committing these crimes in the first place. And the frustrating thing is they had the time to show us plot stuff but chose not to. I mean, there's a conversation between Barbara and Prudence that isn't shown, but later recounted in dialogue. Dialogue talking about unseen dialogue = boring.
And speaking of labeling, Barbara having a briefcase with the Bat-insignia on it isn't the best way to conceal one's secret identity.
I also cannot stand how Hoffman writes himself into a corner and then has to come up with a gadget or a chemical or whatever to get himself out. Put it this way, if I'm Ffogg and I have, as Tim said, a stethoscope that can erase a person's memory AND a gas that immobilizes people, I'm thinking world domination. Forget about ripping off clothing shipments and having female students shoplift.
Minor quibbles, but I also didn't like Ffogg using the word purloining because I'm waiting for Eartha to drop by, and somebody should have 'realised' that the Brits spell many of our Zs as Ss, so the sign should have read 'paralysing gas.'
Getting back to Lyn Peters, she was a scientist in the 'One Nation Invisible' Get Smart ep you mentioned. I wish she could've made Hoffman's rewrite disappear. She began her career with a bit part in an episode of the World War II drama Twelve O'Clock High. The ep was titled 'Siren Voices,' sad to say, Joan Collins wasn't in it.
'I thought Siren was perfect for Joan.'--Stanley Ralph Ross, writer of 'The Wail of the Siren'
My hobbies include gazing at the Siren and doing her bidding, evil or otherwise.
'She had a devastating, hypnotic effect on all the men.'--A schoolmate describing Joan Collins at age 17
