A mysterious Russian called Psev is arriving for a conference at which Steed and Mrs. Peel have been hired to act as the security guards. However, a man called Gordon Webster who is an exact double for Steed turns up and offers his services to Psev's entourage of four people, fooling Mrs. Peel in the process and agreeing to kill Steed. Though he is thwarted it turns out that Psev is also not exactly the man that everybody had expected him to be. With a defence conference due to take place Steed is put in charge of security meanwhile the other side has brought in their top spy with plans to infiltrate the conference. That spy is known as Col Psev and nobody knows what he looks like; only his four assistants ever see him; even the ambassador at the embassy he is operating from has not seen him. All that is known about him is that he smokes a certain brand of cigar, drinks an unusual liqueur and likes working model aircraft. With this information Steed and Mrs Peel set about trying to identifying him. Meanwhile the enemy have found just the way to infiltrate the conference; a model who looks just like Steed is spotted and if the price is right he is happy to betray his country. At first it seems he will have no chance of passing himself off as Steed; he may look the same but getting the mannerisms of somebody as suave as Steed might prove impossible. Surprisingly it looks as if he has managed it as he fools Mrs Peel and she is captured will the real Steed be able to save her and unmask Psev?.<br/><br/>This episode got off to a good start just as I was thinking the aircraft we see about drop a bomb on London looked like an obvious model it turned out that is exactly what it was thus turning disappointment to amusement. The plot involving Steed's doppelgänger was rather fun and it was nice seeing Patrick Macnee playing the caddish double. As expected there were a few twists before Psev is unveiled in the episodes biggest twist. Warren Mitchell put in a good performance as Ambassador Brodny; before he went on to become the iconic 'Alf Garnett'. As one might expect for a TV show of its age some of the effects are a bit ropey; especially during the final model aircraft attacks, although given the budgets and technology available they aren't bad at least we aren't meant to think they are real aircraft. Overall a good spy episode with some nicely tense moments and a good twist at the end. 'Two's A Crowd' opens with a stunning teaser, one of the very best in the 'Avengers' series. A plane carrying a bomb swoops over London towards the Houses of Parliament. Is there a modern-day Guy Fawkes at work? No. The plane is in fact a toy, and the 'bomb' contains nothing more than a message for the eyes of Ambassador Brodny ( Warren Mitchell ) informing him of the imminent arrival in Britain of the notorious Russian spy 'Colonel Psev'.<br/><br/>A top level conference is due to take place, and Psev intends wrecking it. No-one has ever seen him, except for four other Russians: Alicia Elena ( Maria Machados ), Boris Shvedloff ( Alec Mango ), Pudeskin ( Wolfe Morris ) and Vogel ( Julian Glover ). In addition to having expensive tastes in food and drink, Colonel Psev also has a fondness for deadly toys.<br/><br/>While at a fashion show with fellow Russian Sergei Ivenko ( John Bluthal ), Brodny spots a man on the catwalk who bears a startling resemblance to John Steed, and a plan starts to form in his nasty little mind…<br/><br/>Written by Philip Levene, this entertaining episode is fairly straight by 'Avenger' standards. The one unusual aspect is the 'killer' toys. Poor Sergei is shot by a toy submarine, and the climax sees Steed and Emma attacked by model planes equipped with real ammunition. Julian Glover appeared a number of times in 'The Avengers', mostly as villains. He once joked that every time the audience saw him, they knew he would be the villain! ( He did, in fairness, play a good-guy in the Thorson episode 'Split!' ). Warren Mitchell was only a few months away from his most famous role - 'Alf Garnett' in 'Till Death Us Do Part' - when he did this, yet another of his 'funny foreigner' roles. He impressed viewers so much he was brought back the following season's 'The See-Through Man'.<br/><br/>The 'double' plot gives Patrick Macnee a chance to have some fun. His 'Gordon Webster' has a moustache, smokes like a chimney and calls everyone 'duckie' - very different to Steed! The idea of a conference under threat from a Steed doppleganger would be reused in 1968's 'They Keep Killing Steed'.<br/><br/>Directed by the great Roy Ward Baker, who sadly passed on last week at the grand old age of 93.
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