Mark Walker is an attractive, charming young man who marries two older women - and then kills them. He is very clever because he disguises their deaths as tragic accidents - drowning in the bath. His only problem is the solicitor acting for the first woman who suspects him of murder but cannot convince the police.
While visiting a health club he meets Stella, a very attractive young woman whom he pursues simply for pleasure. However he very soon is attracted by an extremely rich older widow called Angie. Everything seems to be going to Mark's plan and it looks as if he will soon be a wealthy widower for the third time but maybe he isn't going to have things all his own way this time...
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| Has the widow Stella waded in too deep with Mark Walker (Michael Jayston)? |
The favourite episode of Brian Clemens, this was one of the four stories he selected for release on the ITC videos in 1993. However it is not just Brian who held it in high esteem. It is probably the best-known and most acclaimed Thriller outing among the wider viewing public. Perhaps some might wonder if this is the "Helen Mirren Halo" at work but its acclaim is justIy deserved. It is an excellent effort, and just about impossible to fault.
Once again we see that a story does not have to be a whodunit to really pack a punch. From the teaser onwards we know that Mark Walker is a murderer and that he is motivated by money. However the contrived accidents show that this is a slippery villain, as do the shifting identities. Solicitor Oliver Mason may suspect him but Walker seems to have avoided all police suspicion. The pre-occupations with fitness and water provide more twists. Michael Jayston had given an excellent display as the vindictive killer Roger Masters in Ring Once for Death. This time though, both the character and the performance are even better. Walker is just as deadly but has far more charm than Masters. On the other hand he is harbouring a troubled mind. A traumatic experience while in the merchant navy still bothers him and may somehow lie behind his current activities. Interestingly like Masters he therefore seems to have risen from fairly humble origins, maybe on the back of the money inherited after his murders, but his insecurities do not make him bitter or aggressive. Once again Brian Clemens avoids creating a two-dimensional "evil" villain, producing a much more complex character.
We get to see Mark set his sights on a genuine romance with Stella with whom he is able to confide some of those insecurities. However "business" soon rears its head again in the remarkably tempting form of the plain but lively wealthy widow Angie. The only real problem for him seems to be how to juggle romances with the two without being discovered. However appearances are deceptive...
Of course with this being Thriller and not a whodunit the questions are how far he will go and how he will meet his comeuppance - there would never be any question that he might ultimately get away with his crimes. How he meets his downfall is brilliantly done but he is also the victim of some "rough justice" along the way which wins him at least a grudging sympathy. It does have to be said that some of the ways in which the table are turned on him would be exceptionally unlikely in real life but they are remarkably satisfying plot devices. "Rough justice" can also be "poetic justice" and the final scene in particular is one of the very best in the history of Thriller. Sometimes realism has to be sacrificed on the altar of great drama - superb writing, performance and direction, particularly at the climax which contends for the very best ending in the show.
Acting performances are excellent. Helen Mirren is in extraordinary form but almost as good is Michael Jayston as Mark Walker: one can see why the producers were keen to get him back so quickly and he does not disappoint in any way. Michael Gwynne gives a first-class performance as the brave solicitor Oliver Mason, bringing great dignity to the role. There is a very fine "straight" performance by Arthur English as the affable barman Freddy. Given his comic background one might have expected Arthur to be cast in an instalment more focused on humour such as K Is for Killing but he showed here that he could more than handle a serious part. However all the actors had great characters and a marvellous story to work with and those elements are so important as even the best actors can look adrift in a weak storyline with unpromising characters.
Acting performances are excellent. Helen Mirren is in extraordinary form but almost as good is Michael Jayston as Mark Walker: one can see why the producers were keen to get him back so quickly and he does not disappoint in any way. Michael Gwynne gives a first-class performance as the brave solicitor Oliver Mason, bringing great dignity to the role. There is a very fine "straight" performance by Arthur English as the affable barman Freddy. Given his comic background one might have expected Arthur to be cast in an instalment more focused on humour such as K Is for Killing but he showed here that he could more than handle a serious part. However all the actors had great characters and a marvellous story to work with and those elements are so important as even the best actors can look adrift in a weak storyline with unpromising characters.
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| Solicitor Oliver Mason makes his suspicions clear to "Mr Jameson" (aka Mark Walker) but no-one else seems to be listening |
The detectives are seen briefly but are among the better ones in Thriller. Quilly nicely demonstrates both the inevitable scepticism needed by detectives but also the danger that pride can encourage them to stick to decisions in the face of contrary evidence. Those seen later on are a different matter and things would have been very different had Walker encountered them earlier (although that would not have made for a much shorter and less captivating episode!)
This was the last episode not to feature any American characters. There is no doubt that Americans added much to the show but there were occasions when it seemed they were being shoe-horned into a story simply to create an American dimension. That would definitely have been the case here where there would have been no natural role for an American character - maybe only the Mark Walker role of the major parts could have been re-cast, and that would have been a mistake. Astutely the producers resisted the temptation to include an American on this occasion and it helps the episode to work so well. One wishes they had followed suit on a few occasions thereafter (and before), using Americans only when they comfortably fitted into the story.
Another interesting aspect is the "classic" look of the characters and sets on view. Some episodes such as I'm the Girl He Wants To Kill which follows have distinctly Seventies fashions but the look here is much more timeless. This would certainly help with contemporary viewers who would then have less opportunity to poke fun at dated fashions. The presence of a young Helen Mirren would be another reason to choose this as an introduction for newcomers.
There are no weak spots or lulls here. Other very impressive Thriller episodes might have the odd character, performance, scene or story aspect that didn't entirely work but the quality on display is extraordinary and it is one of those rare cases where everything just clicks. Whether it is the very best is open to debate but it certainly sets a remarkably high standard. The third series which it heralded would have even more delights in store - the peak of the show.
This was the last episode not to feature any American characters. There is no doubt that Americans added much to the show but there were occasions when it seemed they were being shoe-horned into a story simply to create an American dimension. That would definitely have been the case here where there would have been no natural role for an American character - maybe only the Mark Walker role of the major parts could have been re-cast, and that would have been a mistake. Astutely the producers resisted the temptation to include an American on this occasion and it helps the episode to work so well. One wishes they had followed suit on a few occasions thereafter (and before), using Americans only when they comfortably fitted into the story.
Another interesting aspect is the "classic" look of the characters and sets on view. Some episodes such as I'm the Girl He Wants To Kill which follows have distinctly Seventies fashions but the look here is much more timeless. This would certainly help with contemporary viewers who would then have less opportunity to poke fun at dated fashions. The presence of a young Helen Mirren would be another reason to choose this as an introduction for newcomers.
There are no weak spots or lulls here. Other very impressive Thriller episodes might have the odd character, performance, scene or story aspect that didn't entirely work but the quality on display is extraordinary and it is one of those rare cases where everything just clicks. Whether it is the very best is open to debate but it certainly sets a remarkably high standard. The third series which it heralded would have even more delights in store - the peak of the show.
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