The Protectors (TV Series) It Was All Over in Leipzig (1972) User Reviews

It Was All Over in Leipzig

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 26 December 2022]

I expect better protecting than that from Harry Rule. A woman he tries to help is shot dead right in front of him.

While a pram hurtling down the stairs thankfully does not have a baby in it. Not very Odessa Steps scene from Battleship Potemkin.

The Protectors are investigating a plot to overthrow a government in a small island in the Mediterranean.

Contessa Caroline di Contini brings in Jim Palmer. A man she once had a fling with in Leipzig.

They suspect a man called Adam Markos for gun running and Palmer is all out to bring Markos down.

Of course Harry Rule has qualms about Palmer but this could leave Caroline in danger.

It turns out that Caroline also distrusted Palmer and this was an elaborate trap to get Palmer.

The 30 minutes format suits this series and the stories really are skin deep.

It Was All Over Leipzig, (minus any actual footage of Leipzig).

[rewgreen · 4/10 · 26 January 2023]

The team remain in Malta for 25 minutes of political intrigue.

The Contessa takes centre stage for this bout, and we see Nyree attempt to drop her supercilious smugness and actually display a little emotion for a change. Unfortunately she fails miserably and any attempt to draw the viewer's sympathy for the Contessa's dilemma doesn't really get off the starting block.

Meanwhile Harry's predatorial leering of a blonde dancer passes as the episode's attempt at humour and the steep streets of Valletta provide an opportunity to pay homage to Eisenstein's Potemkin. Other than that, it's just another forgettable episode.

As much as I loved The Forsyte Saga I always considered Nyree Dawn Porter to be totally miscast as Irene, and considering how integral Irene's character is to the whole plot, this was a critical flaw for an otherwise great interpretation. I'm having the same problems here. Both Dawn Porter and Robert Vaughn are extremely cold, humourless and undynamic. They lack the youthful, glamorous zest that their roles demand. This is one of the better episodes so far, but the casting just seems stale. Nobody seems deeply invested in their roles. The format is already looking tired and trite.

By this point in the series the viewer is left with more questions than answers... Why does the Contessa need so much hair?

Who exactly are the Protectors, who are they working for?

How the hell did the crew manage to get someone to finance a second series?

Who does the silhouette represent?

Who is stealing the upper half of the Contessa's outfits?

Who's looking after Harry's dog?

Why am I still watching this junk?