by Hal Erickson
synopsis
The third season of The Avengers arrived with the happy news that Cathy Gale would henceforth be John Steed's full-time partner, displacing such second-season "temps" as Venus Smith (Julie Stevens) and Dr. Martin King (Jon Rollason). Even so, the first episode of the season, "Brief for Murder," found Steed methodically plotting Cathy's murder. It's all part of a master plan to trap a pair of crooked lawyers (Harold Scott and John Laurie), but this isn't made apparent until after Cathy has (apparently) shuffled off her mortal coil. Written by the dependable Brian Clemens, "Brief for Murder" originally aired in England on September 29, 1963; it was first shown in America on March 5, 1991.
