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What can be said about Diana Rigg that hasn't been said a million times before? As Emma Peel, she was the groundbreaking TV heroine of the 1960s, perhaps the first truly modern TV heroine. She is a legend, a TV icon, a role model and a symbol of feminine beauty, all rolled into one. |
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(These images are taken from episodes of The Avegers. They are used here for commentary and review purposes, in accordance with the "fair use" provisions of the Berne convention.) Emma Peel is a heroine in the truest sense of the word. Her female TV contemporaries were typical damsels in distress (note how Lovey, Ginger, and Mary Ann consistently relied on the men for protection on that island, for example). In contrast, Mrs. Peel could more than handle herself, and she was rarely bested in hand-to-hand combat. She was a capable fencer and highly skilled in martial arts, and she had the intellect to back up her physical skills. |
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Emma Peel was a true Renaissance woman. Apart from her physical prowess, she also displayed skill in chemistry and other sciences, not to mention her deductive skills. She had industrial expertise and engaged in various artistic pursuits, too. Bruce Wayne, eat your heart out. Of course, no discussion of Emma Peel would be complete without mentioning her remarkable beauty. Her face was exquisite in its beauty, and whereas many other popular stars of today have ridiculous proportions, she had the natural, athletic build that truly befits a crimebusting heroine. It is no wonder that TV Guide named her the sexiest woman in all of TV history—and in my opinion, this is due just as much to her brains as it is to her physical attributes! |
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Nobody has been able to recapture her luster and charm. Diana Rigg's replacement, Linda Thorson, was considered to be a poor substitute. This should not be held against Ms. Thorson, who is surely a capable woman indeed. It's just that Diana Rigg and Emma Peel are both incredibly tough acts to follow. Nor did Uma Thurman do proper justice to this role when she played Emma Peel on the large screen. It just wasn't the same, and I honestly doubt that anyone else can capture that kind of lightning in a bottle. |
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