Review Thriller s02e06 - K is for Killing

[michaellevenson]

The script for this episode originally written by Terry Nation as a pilot for a show he wanted to do after The Persuaders, however it wasn't made and he gave the script to Brian Clemens.
Nation's idea was to have a Husband and Wife detective team, solving cases in a light hearted jokey manner, with lots of humour in the script. The humour was pretty corny and doesn't really fit in with Thriller, and the episode is oft regarded as the worst of the series. Here I concentrate on the mystery elements and forget the corny jokes, the actual mystery is okay, but this is a definite outlier for Thriller.


Shelby Grafton is a middle man, a fixer, for the criminal underworld, if someone wants something illegal done, he'll arrange the set up, contact people who can do the job, he takes his cut of course. He is on the phone to an assassin telling him who the target is and where he'll pick up his weapon. While on the phone he actually is painting, a beautiful model, lying on a bed naked as Shelby body paints her.

In the plush London office of billionaire David Garrick, his son nicknamed Sunny is in the outer office boozing, after drinking half a glass of whisky he pours the rest into a goldfish tank, much to the secretary's annoyance. Sunny says, " why shouldn't they have a bit of fun." The secretary replies," isn't it a bit early for booze Sunny."
Sunny is clearly if not alcoholic then close to it, " this is still last night's jag, I'll start on today's drinking this afternoon."

Sunny wants to see his father, the secretary says that he's next free sometime next week. Sunny despondent but realistic, " yep, he can squeeze me in then can he?"
Suddenly a shot rings out from the inner office, Sunny rushes in to see his father sitting at his desk with a bullet hole in his forehead! But no, the assassin missed, or more accurately aimed at the wrong target, he has neatly shot David Garrick's reflection in a mirror. Garrick is obviously shaken, Sunny says, " Dad, someone tried to kill you! And I'm going to find out who."

 

[michaellevenson]

Suzy and Arden Buckley are a husband and wife detective team, very much in love, and both have wicked senses of humour which they use liberally ( and irritatingly) to smooth out the stresses of their job.
Sunny Garrick and chauffeur Brett turn up at their apartment, Sunny introduces himself and Brett punches Arden in the stomach. Sunny just wanted to test how tough Arden is, so Arden with a quip says that's fine and can he play the game? He punches Brett in return.


Sunny hires the pair to find out who tried to kill his father. Arden is introduced to Garrick who isn't best pleased , he is a tycoon, with his own security team, but relents and allows Arden and Suzy to investigate. Garrick infuriated when Arden tells him Suzy has gone to see his wife, Garrick says," she's got nothing to do with this, she's a very sick woman."

David Garrick is about to put a glass of whisky to his lips when he says it smells funny. Sunny smashes the glass out of his father's hands, and pours the contents of the bottle into the goldfish tank, the fish float to the surface...dead. Attempt number 2 on Garrick's life.

Sunny has given Arden a list of acquaintances of David Garrick, top of the list is the middle aged, Mrs Leanora "Lulu" Gayle, a mistress, Arden pays her a visit and asks if she knows anyone who would want to kill Garrick. Her answer isn't helpful as she says dozens probably, as Garrick has made many enemies in the business world.
Lulu is standing whilst talking to Arden, a woman making adjustments to her evening dress in attendance.
Lulu, " what d'you think Mr Buckley, my dress, I believe a girl should package the goods nicely."

Arden makes his leave saying nothing, Leanora Gayle is obviously the worst kind of golddigger.

 

[michaellevenson]

Suzy arrives at the huge country mansion of David Garrick and wife ( name not given).
The couple are estranged, she is alone in the drawing room when Suzy enters. At first Mrs Garrick believes Suzy is just the latest in a long line of mistresses asking her to agree to divorce David. Mrs Garrick is a sad pathetic figure, clutching a dolly, talking like a child, believing David still loves her and any day now he'll return home to her.


A rather butch lady enters, she is the nurse, looking after Mrs Garrick, Suzy explains the reason she's here, the nurse replies " Mrs Garrick couldn't have anything to do with this, look at her she's just a child, and she still loves him, I've must take her home now."
Suzy, " don't you live here?"
Nurse," no we live in the hunting lodge, she comes here to reminisce, remember happier times."
Suddenly Mrs Garrick, face angered, as if she briefly is aware of the truth about David, shouts, " I'M NOT DIVORCING HIM. I'LL KILL HIM KILL KILL KILL.!!" She smashes her dolly repeatedly into the dining table top, then equally suddenly smiles and turns back to the child like innocent, " nice talking to you, you are very beautiful, I can see why David would want to..."
Suzy says her goodbyes and hastily departs.

Meanwhile David Garrick has got a date with a lady, Mrs " Lulu" Gayle, a longstanding mistress of his. Arden has an idea, tonight he'll be the target for the assassin's bullet. Brett the chauffeur is given the night off, and Arden gets Garrick to put on the chauffeur uniform and to drive him to Mrs Gayle's house to pick her up, he'll be dressed in a tuxedo playing at being Garrick. On arrival Garrick in chauffeur uniform waits in the living room for Mrs Gayle to enter , she does enter, sees the back of Garrick only in uniform and hugs him saying, " oh Brett, has the old goat given you the night off, I've got you all to myself."
Garrick turns round and " Lulu" is shocked, " oh David, I knew it was you really, it was just a joke."
Garrick doesn't see the funny side, and Arden comes in and Garrick stalks out saying, " this is one luxury I can do without, it's expensive and overrated."
Mrs Gayle furious with Arden for setting up the switch tries in her very feminine way to attack Arden with her sharp nails, but when.a bullet whistles through the air, he and Lulu dive for cover. Arden saying," that's why we switched, THAT'S WHY!"
Leanora in tears," please Mr Buckley tell him it was an innocent mistake, I beg you."
Arden, " beg? You must be losing your touch Lulu. "

 

[michaellevenson]

While this has been happening Suzy has had a visit at their apartment, a man with a gun, who barges in. Suzy attempts ( weak) humour to diffuse the situation, grabbing the hose attached to the vacuum cleaner saying it is super charged and will suck the bullets out of his gun, when that doesn't get a laugh she says it's actually a disguised ray gun.


The gunman stands impassive and says they're just going to wait for Arden to return. Arden does returns, the gunman just wants a chat and says he won't harm them, he's a pro and if he wanted them dead he'd have done it already. He just wants Arden to keep out of his business.
Arden, " so you can kill Garrick?!"
Gunman, " I told you I'm a pro, the contract was not to kill him, just frighten him, I aimed for the reflection."
Arden, " who hired you?"
Suddenly a bullet smashes the window, and into the gunman killing him.
Suzy relates her strange experience with Mrs Garrick and says she lives in a hunting lodge, presumably where guns are kept and she might have a motive, unfortunately she is also near insane and mentally broken.
Arden is surprised when Suzy tells him the gunman broke in 4 hours ago, at the time Garrick or more accurately himself dressed as Garrick was shot at.
Arden, " so our gunman here, and the one who shot at Garrick are different, we have two gunmen!"

Charlie Wilson their snitch or grass, comes in with news. Arden had contacted him and asked him to ask around if there was any whispers of a gunman in town looking for an assassin's piece. They are thereby led to Shelby Grafton.
At Grafton's Arden confronts him and reveals he knows he hired the gunman to shoot at Garrick, but Grafton is the middle man only and was hired himself , for a large sum ,to hire the assassin and doesn't know the identity of his client.
Arden " I believe you, if you did know you'd be blackmailing him too."
Grafton, " of course sir, I am inordinately greedy."
Arden, " well the gunman is dead, and realising you wouldn't want his blood all over your carpet, I placed the body in the boot of your car, oh and called the police, they'll be here shortly."
Grafton turns to the model he is painting, now dressed, he marvels at the portrait painting he has done on her back. "we'll have to continue this later, perhaps in Buenos Aires."

 

[michaellevenson]

Back at Arden and Suzy's place a package has arrived, Arden was expecting it and is excited but Suzy has no idea what it is. The phone rings , it's Sunny and wants them to come over to Garrick Towers, the HQ building, immediately. Suzy gets the car out of the garage and Arden says he'll join her in a minute. In the car Suzy makes a passing remark that Arden is putting on weight.
At the office Sunny tells them the secretary says his father received a message from him asking him to meet at the family home in the country. But Sunny swears it wasn't him phoning ,it must be a trap to lure Garrick out and into a vulnerable position.

Arden and Suzy are ready to dash off to the house, Sunny is insistent he comes too. As they dash out, Sunny falls, twists his ankle, it might be broken. He tosses them his car keys saying, " take mine, it's quicker, hurry."

Arden and Suzy only get halfway there when the car breaks down. Arden flags down a passing motorcyclist and hitches a lift to the house. Brett the chauffeur is already at the house muttering to himself , " first they give you time off, then call you to the middle of nowhere. ( shouts) Mr Garrick sir, Sunny, anyone here?"
Later;
Garrick arrives , " Sunny, where are you?"
Arden appears, " Sunny didn't call Mr Garrick, it was a trick to get you here. Now I want you out of sight."
Garrick, " I can take care of this Mr Buckley."
Arden, " oh dear, I'd thought you'd be difficult." Arden punches him out cold. The furniture here is covered in dust sheets and Arden lays Garrick on a settee and covers him up with a sheet.
Arden explores the house and finds Brett in another room...dead..shot.
Meanwhile a passing motorist has stopped by Suzy and the broken down car. After examining the engine the guy tells Suzy the car was spiked, engine tampered with to breakdown after a few miles.
Suzy," someone wanted to stop Sunny."

 

[michaellevenson]

Arden stands after examining Brett's body to see someone pointing a gun at him, the gun fires, three times, Arden falls dead
Suzy moments later runs in to see Sunny over dead body holding gun.
Suzy, " ARDEN ARDEN !"
Sunny, " sorry didn't mean to kill him."
Suzy sobs, " BUT YOU DID YOU DID!"
Sunny, " bit of a foul up all round, you were meant to be delayed, even the fall was planned, you have to be fit to fall convincingly like that, it was suppose to look like Dad and Brett had a fight over Mrs Gayle and shot each other, but it's gone wrong."
Suzy, " why try to kill your father?"
Sunny, " no, the contract was to miss him, I get to kill him. Arden's hidden him...where?"
Sunny starts removing the dust sheets from the furniture looking for his father. He unveils the settee sheet to see Garrick, who opens his eyes and comes to. He sits up and surveys the scene in front of him.
Garrick, " why Sunny? WHY? I've given you everything a son could want, yes, including love."
Sunny is very emotional, "given everything and taken away, you've got to be stopped , look at me Dad, are you proud, you should be , you made me, a drunk , a drifter. I can't be anything while you're still around Dad, I want to be my own man."
Garrick is puzzled, " you could have done anything you wanted. The companies you started, I invested in them remember."
Sunny, " yes Dad, and made sure my customers were your friends, they didn't want me they wanted to keep in with you. You wanted me beholden to you, wanted to control me, like you controlled Mother, look what's happened to her, no Dad, your shadow is too large, too dark, you must be stopped, I'll always be a failure while you live."

Garrick, " go on then, kill me, because I don't believe you can even do this right. I didn't make you a failure, you always were, it's in your nature Sunny, you lack that thing that turns a boy into a man...go on shoot."
Arden suddenly jumps up and punches Sunny knocking the gun to the floor.
Sunny, " I don't understand, I shot you!"
Arden smiling opens a shirt button, " bullet proof vest, got it this morning."
Garrick seems in shock ," he was going to kill me, he would have done it."

Back home Suzy is puzzled " come on Arden please tell me, when did Sunny give himself away?"
Arden, " he didn't."
Suzy " but the vest?"
Arden, " well you know me Suzy, when I get anything new, I just have to try it on straight away."
Suzy, " Arden Buckley, you take my breath away." .....they kiss.

Cast;
Suzy.....Gayle Hunnicutt
Arden....Stephen Rea
Sunny.....Christopher Cazenove
Garrick....Peter Dyneley
Grafton.....Derek Francis
Mrs Garrick......Jean Kent
Gunman....Oliver Smith
Brett......James Appleby
Leanora......Frances Bennett

On to next episode

Thriller s02e07 - Sign It Death

In the northern town of Saltburn a family sit for evening meal. Someone though is hiding behind the curtains and without warning attacks the family with a pair of sewing scissors, slashing, blood everywhere. This psycho is a woman who then calmly tidies up all the dinner plates, and vacuum...

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