The Champions "The Beginning" #1.1 (1968) (TV)

Really looking forward to the next 29 episodes., 28 August 2015

Craig Stirling, Sharron Macready, and Richard Barrett are agents for an organization known as Nemesis. They're sent on a mission to China to retrieve a sample of a biological agent. On the way back, their plane is hit and they crash high in the Himalayan mountains. Fortunately, the three are found and nursed back to health by an unknown, mysterious civilization. Not only are they healed, they are given extraordinary powers. They use their newly found super-strength, hearing, and telepathy to escape the Chinese and make their way back to Geneva. However, they have vowed to keep everything about what happened to them and their new powers a secret.

If this were not the origin episode, I'd probably rate The Beginning lower. But as the episode that sets-up the rest of the series, it's perfect. The special powers are introduced slowly which I appreciate. It gives the whole thing a bit of mystery and a reason to keep watching. The three leads are all more than adequate. Stuart Damon, as Craig Stirling, probably comes off looking the best. The supporting cast is surprisingly strong with noteworthy performances from Felix Aylmer and the always enjoyable Burt Kwouk. I've always loved the look of these 60s era ITC productions. Every where you look, it's pure eye-candy. The Beginning actually succeeds in providing some tension, particularly at the start of the episode. Not knowing the characters, I wasn't sure who would make it out of China. Overall, it's a nice way to begin a series.

I've always wanted to watch The Champions, but for one reason or another, never have. If The Beginning is any indication of what's to come, I'm really looking forward to the next 29 episodes.

7/10