Jason King has been sort of a Holy Grail for me, one of the half-dozen or so TV series and movies that have achieved almost mythical status in my head after years and years of reading about them, and wondering about them, amplified by the fact that I was sure I'd never get a chance to actually see them. A spin-off of the cult British espionage/sci-fi series Department S, Jason King starred Peter Wyngarde reprising the role of the effete, stylish, mustachioed writer/adventurer Jason King, who was the break-out character of Department S. An ITC production from 1971, created by the prolific TV writer Dennis Spooner (Fireball XL5, Thunderbirds, Doctor Who, The Avengers), Jason King has since gained a large cult following overseas with fans who remembered the one season-only series. Reading about Jason King over the years (and despairing because I was sure it was the kind of vintage series that was never going to play here in reruns or on video), it sounded like everything Austin Powers tried to be, only it was the real deal: a totally batty relic of the last, final gasp of swinging, mod, merry olde English TV. Finally watching Jason King, the reality of the show is so much less than my expectations, and yet, still quite compelling.

It's difficult to pinpoint exactly what went wrong with me when watching Jason King. Surely, years of anticipation probably factored into a serious case of over-hyping for me, just like those summer blockbusters they throw at us each year, after months and months of ballyhoo; it's as if we're almost daring the film to even try and live up to the buzz. I think I was expecting something otherworldly, if you will, something either so cool that it genuinely dazzled me, or something so god-awful, something so unintentionally hilarious, that it became a transcendent moment. Unfortunately, Jason King succeeds at neither of those levels. It's crushingly....just okay -- in many ways the worst thing it could possibly be for a cult series.

Detailing the various high-flying adventures of swinging ladies-man and writer Jason King, each episode usually involves King working on his next paperback adventure, starring his fictional protagonist Mark Caine. Either driving off to France to do research for his next opus, or jetting to Greece for inspiration while editing a manuscript, King manages to hook up with one luscious babe after another, while getting involved in various espionage/larceny/fraud and mistaken identity intrigues. But personal style is certainly the main focus here in Jason King; many times, the rather outlandish outfits Jason wears are of more interest than the sometimes tired, familiar plots that play like left-out bits and pieces from various Avengers episodes.

Certainly the single biggest disappointment I experienced when popping in the first Jason King episode was the actual look of the series. "Cheap" is the first word that comes to mind. While certainly the classic British cult series like The Saint and The Avengers didn't have huge budgets (although these two did have Yankee dollars backing up their later episodes), they were stylishly shot, with an emphasis on striking production design to smooth over any rough spots in the scripts. Jason King, however, was shot on measly 16mm - yes, 16mm - and it looks fairly terrible. Grainy to the point that certain scenes look as if they were filmed in a coal mining town, Jason King's supposed globe-hopping feel (quite a few location inserts were shot all over Europe) often comes across like some tourist's home movies. Even though they tried with the sets, the 16mm often gives them a cheapjack look that's disconcerting. While I was expecting decadent late 60s splendor, I experienced lame Love, American Style mise-en-scene.

After the initial shock of Jason King's chintzy look wore off, I settled down to at least enjoy the storytelling...which, for some reason, didn't exactly happen. It's hard to describe, but there doesn't seem to be a discernable center to any of the Jason King episodes. Action takes place, dialogue is spoken, Jason makes out with chicks, he travels, he gets into funny fist fights (he's kind of like the guys in those great Hai Karate cologne commercials), but you can never really put your finger on why all of it seems so tentative and empty, why it never really jells. Quite often, you can even see this soft, unfocused approach to the production conveyed on actor Peter Wyngarde's deliriously mustachioed face. Wyngarde, hands down one of the most arresting, interesting character actors to come out of England in the 1950s and 1960s, and one of my personal favorites, frequently looks....bored here. There's really no other way to describe it; he's off somewhere else. And it's not surprising when you listen closely to the scripts in which he's asked to partake. Quite often, his own lines are appropriately brittle and bitchy, but they stand out as slightly ridiculous when the rest of Jason King's production is so pedestrian and predictable. The outlandishness of King finds no supportive framework in the stories, and therefore, stands out more as embarrassing, unconscious self-parody, rather than deliciously loopy, elevated silliness, as it should have been all along.

So after all that, why do I still like Jason King? Is it terrible to admit I don't really know? Or at the least, that I'm conflicted about its appeal? Jason King is so much of its time, so much a time capsule of late 60s, early 70s television, that its entire gestalt is a trippy stroll down memory lane. If you watched television back then, you'll instantly be transported back to those pseudo-hip times the minute Jason King's overemphatic theme song comes up (watch the hilarious bit in the credit montage where King gets punched in the face, and rolls his eyes like one of the Stooges). Jason King may not be the hallucinatory, deranged cult classic that I so wanted it to be, but it is amusing at a very low level, and Wyngarde, even in first gear, is more interesting than most actors in overdrive. Perhaps the constant gauging of its failure to become what it should have become is the key to its appeal. I've already gone through most of the episodes twice (I know: head case), but I wanted to make sure I was clear on all of this. But honestly, I'm even more ambivalent on Jason King now, than when I first started watching it. And guess what: in a few months, I can guarantee I'll be back, watching the episodes again. Jason King promises so much, that even though it doesn't deliver on a tenth of its promises, the very fact that it wants to be so cool and laid back and hip but only manages to be an alternatingly pallid and grotesque burlesque, makes the whole enterprise oddly endearing.

DISC ONE

Wanna Buy A Television Series?
Jason King stars as his own fictional character, Mark Caine, as King tries to sell a TV program based on Caine's exploits.

A Page Before Dying
A plot point in one of Jason's books gets the East German security forces interested in capturing Jason -- whether he likes it or not.

Buried in the Cold, Cold Ground
A secretly coded Bible provides the first clue in a tangle mystery, set in the south of France. Good thing Jason picked up that pretty hitch-hiker.

A Deadly Line in Digits
London's crime computer is being hacked, and Jason is tricked into helping Whitehall solve the case.

DISC TWO

Variations on a Theme
The British and the Russians use Jason's trip to Vienna as a trap for a double-agent.

As Easy as A.B.C.
When two copy-cat fans of Jason's novels start acting out his crimes, he becomes the cop's prime suspect.

To Russia with...Panache
A bizarre elevator massacre initiates Jason's trip to Moscow to help solve the mystery.

A Red Rose Forever
Jason King is now a hit man, or so the opposition thinks when a clue -- a bunch of roses -- winds up in Jason's hand.

DISC THREE

All That Glisters: Part 1
An old friend of Jason asks for his help in getting back a priceless statue.

All That Glisters: Part 2
The action moves to Rome when Jason finds out that his friend may not be so innocent.

Flamingos Only Fly on Tuesdays
Jason King: gunrunner and revolutionary hero! A vacation to the Caribbean turns out to be filled with political intrigue for King.

Toki
Jason's new Parisian girlfriend is actually a gun moll for a vicious gang leader.

DISC FOUR

The Constance Missal
Jason must steal a valuable manuscript to get back his film screenplay from two beautiful thieves.

Uneasy Lies the Head
Someone is impersonating Jason King in Istanbul, much to Jason's alarm.

Nadine
Jason's new girlfriend isn't quite what she seems to be -- or is she?

A Kiss for a Beautiful Killer
Jason King as South American revolutionary hero!

DISC FIVE

If It's Got to Go, It's Got to Go
Jason King in a health farm??? There must be a beautiful woman involved.

A Thin Band of Air
When a little girl is kidnapped, Jason is on the trail of the criminal.

It's Too Bad about Auntie
A perplexing mystery has Jason contemplating a vacuum cleaner -- surely he's not going to use it!

The Stones of Venice
What happens when Jason gets an award for a book he didn't write? Assassins lay in wait for him, that's what.

DISC SIX

A Royal Flush
A bona fide Princess makes a play for Jason.

Every Picture Tells a Story
What exactly is being re-written in the Chinese version of Jason's Mark Caine comic strip?

Chapter One: The Company I Keep
Jason's dreams start to come true -- literally.

Zenia
A kidnaping plot of a president's daughter gets Jason into hot water.

DISC SEVEN

An Author in Search of Two Characters
Jason's screenwriting fee is stolen; could the film be that bad?

That's Not Me, It's Someone Else
Someone is impersonating Jason again. But that's not his biggest problem: a marriage proposal is.

The DVD:

The Video:
There's no getting around it: the full screen transfers for Jason King: The Complete Series aren't the greatest. The original source materials, shot on 16mm, haven't aged well, and the super-grainy, sometimes muddy and fuzzy prints don't help.

The Audio:
The Dolby Digital English mono soundtrack accurately reflects the original broadcast presentation. There are no subtitles or close-captioning options.

The Extras:
Criminally, there are zero extras for Jason King: The Complete Series.

Final Thoughts:
Another dream shattered. I was expecting either a dazzling display of screenwriting and psychedelic late 60s production design, or the very heights of ineptitude, both securing the cult status that Jason King regularly claims. However, what greeted me in these seven discs was just...an okay show. The shame of that admission. Still, there's some kind of weird, X-factor interest in Jason King that just might keep you watching. I can't recommend you buy the set; the original source materials are rough and may be a big turnoff to new buyers. However, I do recommend you rent Jason King: The Complete Series and see what you think.