Mrs. Peel and Me
This story, whatever it was and is, was written by me in sections in 2001. It represents themes that had been moving inside me for years. Each section was pretty much done in one sitting, without any re-writing. The sections were intentionally done out of order, however, I finally presented them in the order in which they were written. As you will notice, the whole thing jumps about quite a bit.
When originally written, it was not intended for any mass audience. The character of Mrs. Peel has always been an important symbol for me. I guess this has been an attempt to explore the basic themes in my life: the search for identity, martial arts and aikido, the journey of the spirit, using Mrs. Peel as a reference point.
Generally, I have received positive feedback about this “thing”. The Field of Infinite Possibilities is something that Deepak Chopra explains in his books. One thing that always stopped me from writing this is the fact that the Avengers was such a British show, and I didn’t think I could pull off the necessary cultural slant of the show. So I put the story out as an Avengers episode set in the Field of Infinite Possibilities, which gave me access to all of time and space. It is loosely based on the episode “The Joker”, written by Brian Clemens, which is one of my all time favorites. There are elements of Dr. Who and the Elric stories by Michael Moorcock that also come forth as it unfolds. Tiger, who is eulogized in Dojo Friends, makes an appearance, though in a very different form.
The Mrs. Peel here is and at the same time is not the Emma Peel of the Avengers TV show. She is the Mrs. Peel who is inside me. The dialogue between us was the easiest part to write. I say in the story that I had been in love with her. That is not exactly the case. Rather, when the show was on, I felt complete. When the show was either off the air or after she left it in 1968, that feeling vanished. Martial arts, the journey of the spirit were all to somehow find myself and to return to that sense of wholeness that was there when she was. Mrs. Peel was tall, elegant, intelligent, and very dangerous. I guess I was looking for those things within me. Largely, I still am, and, it is an infinite journey.
And, of course, whatever this is, is dedicated to (now) Dame Diana Rigg.
Enjoy! (or whatever),
Jack Wada
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