The Champions "Full Circle" #1.26 (1969) (TV)

The Champions Go to Prison, 24 March 2017

Craig goes undercover as an inmate in a prison to get close a prisoner who may or may not have stolen something from a foreign embassy and may or may not be working as a spy. The plan is to have Craig breakout of jail with his new cellmate to discover what he took, where it is, and who he's working for.

As my rating indicates, while I don't think it's a total washout, I'm not much of a fan of Full Circle. First, I just don't care for the plot. I'm not sure how to explain other than to say plot didn't work for and I didn't find it overly exciting. The whole bit where Craig switches identities with his fellow escapee makes no sense at all to me. Why do it? Second, The Champions never get much of a chance to use their powers. In one scene, Richard is savaged in a fight with three attackers. How did that happen? Third, Sharon contributes nothing to Full Circle. She arrives in London to provide assistance, but is sent packing by Richard before she has a chance to do anything.

That's not to say it's all bad. Full Circle features an incredibly strong cast, including Patrick Allen, Martin Benson, and Gabrielle Drake. All are top flight talents. The episode was directed by the usually reliable John Giling – responsible for one of my all-time favorite Hammer films, The Plague of the Zombies. Here, though, I think his talents are wasted on a weak script.

In the end, I can't justify rating Full Circle any higher than the wishy-washy 5/10.

5/10