The Forget-Me-Knot
| Industry | Television |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1960 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Television series |
The Forget-Me-Knot serves as the premiere episode of the sixth season of the 1960s British spy-fi series The Avengers, featuring Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg, and marking the debut of Linda Thorson as Tara King. It initially premiered on the US ABC network on 20 March 1968, during the middle of the third American season, and was later broadcast in the UK on 25 September 1968 through Thames Television, which produced this series installment for the ITV network. The episode was directed by James Hill and penned by Brian Clemens.
Plot
Agent Sean Mortimer unexpectedly arrives at Steed's residence suffering from apparent memory loss but retains a vague awareness that there is a mole within their agency. Steed informs "Mother," the organization's wheelchair-bound head, about Mortimer's return, alongside fellow operative George Burton. Upon returning home, Steed discovers Mortimer has vanished, and Mrs Peel exhibits only fragmented recollections. After briefing "Mother," Steed orchestrates for Mrs Peel to meet "Professor Mater," disguised as an invitation to a social gathering.
While en route, Steed's vehicle is attacked, and he is struck with an unusual device by two assailants; concurrently, Mrs Peel is taken to a location called "the glass house," where she reunites with Mortimer, whose memory has once again been wiped. They attempt to piece together their identities, initially referring to themselves as "Steed" and "Peel." Meanwhile, Steed regains consciousness in a hospital but escapes after being mistaken for intoxicated and locates Tara King's address—whom he had encountered earlier through "Mother." At Tara’s residence, she assists in restoring his memory; however, she is soon shot with the same device and loses her memory concerning Steed’s innocence about the traitor suspicion.
Steed recalls "Mother"'s location and visits it but is confronted by Burton. Noting that Burton joined only after "the glass house" was shut down, Steed deduces that Burton is the double agent. When Burton attempts to escape, Mrs Peel breaks free with Mortimer and shoots Burton to erase his memories of their getaway.
Shortly thereafter, Steed reads in a newspaper that Emma Peel’s husband, airman Peter Peel—previously believed dead—has been discovered alive in the Amazon rainforest, prompting Mrs Peel’s departure. As she leaves accompanied by a man resembling Steed, Tara arrives at Steed’s flat to introduce herself as his new partner.
Cast
- Patrick Macnee as John Steed
- Diana Rigg as Emma Peel
- Linda Thorson as Tara King
- Patrick Kavanagh as Sean Mortimer
- Patrick Newell as Mother
- Jeremy Burnham as Simon Filson
- Jeremy Young as George Burton
- Alan Lake as Karl
- Doug Sheldon as Brad
- John Lee as Dr Soames
- Beth Owen as Sally
- Leon Lissek as Taxi Driver
- Tony Thawton as Jenkins
- Edward Higgins as Giles
- Paul Weston as Peter Peel (uncredited)
Production
"The Forget-Me-Knot" was not included in the original plan for season six. After casting Linda Thorson to replace Steed’s companion with Tara King, producer John Bryce began shooting episodes featuring her without providing any backstory. However, Bryce was dismissed during production of the third episode, leading to the return of former producers Albert Fennell and Brian Clemens. Clemens halted work on the in-progress episode ("The Great, Great Britain Crime")—which was later reworked into "Homicide and Old Lace"—and swiftly crafted a narrative explaining Mrs Peel’s replacement with Tara King. Diana Rigg completed her scenes over four days in December 1967, with overall production wrapping up the following month. A pivotal handover scene including both Peel and King was filmed on Rigg’s final day under contract with ABC Television, 19 December 1967.
Because this episode features both Peel (from Series 5) and King (from Series 6), some distributions list it as Series 5’s 25th episode, though this was not the case for UK broadcasts. The opening credits follow Series 5 styling while the closing credits use early Series 6 visuals; consequently, viewers had to wait until Tara King's first full episode to comprehend certain plot points such as Steed’s damaged hat. Notably, Diana Rigg appears in the opening credits but is absent from the closing sequence, unlike previous episodes.