The Pearls of Peace

I have to disagree with kmoh-1 (although I liked his review): I rather liked this episode.

It's a bit slower than most and, unusually, the Saint is really only a bit part in the story until the last 15 minutes or so; but it has some elements of the two Humphrey Bogart "Sierra" movies: greed, avarice, double-cross, disfigurement, pity, caring, and the nature of beauty.

Perhaps a bit much for a one-hour show, but I though it was an honest try - although I have to admit, I could have done without the last 2 minutes of syrupy "summing up".

Perhaps kmoh isn't quite as old as me - I started watching 'the Saint' around 1965 - so what he sees as "sexist" I just see as 1962 (the year this episode came out). Perhaps if he could look past that, he'd see what I did: a nicely-crafted story, well played.

I doubt if he'd say the same if it was a Bogie movie he'd been watching. :-)

This is a real pearl of an episode.

Pun fully intended.

The story simply stands out well, even amongst a decent serial like The Saint.

Double crosses, femme fatale, saintly stranger, there's so much to enjoy in this episode.

The central plot surrounding pearls in Mexican California is strong and rounded. Another pun there, sorry.

The cast perform admirably in their given roles. To the extent that this doesn't have to be an episode of The Saint. This easily could be a standalone feature of some sort.

The production is authentic, if a tad claustrophobic but that lends a certain charm to the piece.

Oh, and the "saintly stranger" I mentioned early - plot twist, it isn't Simon Templar.

Highly recommended.

It lacks the action that dominated the series, but this episode featured the finest story The Saint ever presented.

The true beauty capable in the human spirit is the dominant theme of the episode, and toward the end, that spirit is sent soaring. Along the way, those obsessed with material things are shown in all their sallowness, and more importantly, those who value what is truly dear, reveal the height of their character.

This truth is summed up in the coda scene, where perhaps some of the wisest counsel is served up in the closing narration.

I thought I'd write a review of this episode as there is only one and I totally disagree with it. I thought this was one of the best episodes so far though I also disagree with saying that the early episodes are patchy. There are one or two that were not as good as the others but I've found most of them to be much better than I ever thought they would be especially the very first episode which I thought was genius and really well executed. This episode was quite different to all the others being more thoughtful and grown up which was a pleasant surprise. It was written by Richard Harris who went on to write the successful comedy 'Outside Edge' and episodes of 'A Touch Of Frost'. I just hope future episodes are as good as this one.

But showcases one of the most despicable characters ever portrayed: Joss Hendry. This lowlife would steal the change from a blind beggar's cup and then complain that it still wasn't enough for her Starbucks coffee. Truly horrible.