The Avengers Season 1 Episode 12 Dance with Death

British espionage meets whimsical crime in The Avengers season 1 episode 12, "Dance with Death." Steed (Patrick Macnee) and his partner-in-solving-crime Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman) are hot on the trail of a killer with an unorthodox M.O. – they're covering their victims' bodies in glitter. Is it a technique to throw off the police, or the murderer's personal aesthetic? The detectives also want to know why the killer cut out the tongue of their latest victim. The answer, it turns out, is rooted in a dance competition.

The competition is being held at a local dancehall, and Gale goes undercover as a contestant. Despite her surefootedness, Gale has some trouble making it past the initial qualifier round. Meanwhile, Steed pays a visit to the dancehall's owners, where he delights them with his swing dancing skills. The owners, it turns out, are in on the glittery murders, and Steed's charm lands him an invite to the big contest.

As Gale works to uncover the murderer's identity, she's also drawn into the world of competitive dance. Gale is hardly a shrinking violet – she is, after all, a British intelligence agent – but the cutthroat nature of the dance world proves to be a challenge. Steed, for his part, has a less complicated time, but remains his usual debonair self. He's also hit off with one of the contestants, younger, in the process of discovering whether or not she's involved with the murders.

The final dance competition is intense, and as the contestants twirl and shake their way across the floor, Steed and Gale bounce theories off each other in the background. The killer ultimately does reveal themselves, and it's up to Steed and Gale to catch them before they can escape.

As with most episodes of The Avengers, "Dance with Death" balances lighthearted moments with suspense. While the glitter-covered murders are gruesome, especially in their perplexing-and-totally-tangential-to-actual-murder inclusion of the sparkly substance, the scenes at the dancehall are filled with frothy frivolity. Gale's undercover exploits in the competition are fun to watch, and Steed's various disguises (including a turn as a Bell Hop) are reliably charming. Fans of physical comedy and vintage fashion will have plenty to gawk at in this episode, while those looking for a more cerebral mystery will be pleased by the plot's twists and turns.

Overall, "Dance with Death" is a solid episode of The Avengers, blending dark crime with silly humor. Patrick Macnee and Honor Blackman make for an engaging team, playing their characters with the right balance of grit and wit. Each episode of The Avengers feels like it could be the last – after all, Steed and his partners-in-crime always seem to be in mortal danger – but fans know that the show runs for several seasons, giving the world time to fall in love with this weird, witty crime drama.