A young Robert Duvall is the face to look at in this very dramatic episode concerning a child strangler, with the neighborhood shocked by the crime that takes place in the young girl's own bed. He's accused of the crime, but there's really no motive, and he seems to have no guilt over it, as if he was just playing a game with an unfortunate ending. Once again, Ben Gazzara is on the case as detective, and Chuck Connors becomes his defense attorney, doing his best to figure out what's going on in Duvall's mind and if there's a case to prove innocence or lessen the charge.
It's obvious that Duvall's character is rather amoral, perhaps a sign of an undiagnosed mental illness, and one that in 1963 didn't have a name. The episode starts off with the shocking revelation of the young girl's death, and the reaction of the parents (Jack Klugman and Carol Eve Rossen), with neighbors like Kathleen Freeman and Dabney Coleman present, with Freeman dramatically comforting hee daughter Beverly Washburn, the victim's best friend. Connors as the attorney shows an obvious liberal sympathy towards Duvall, arguing with others over how he'll proceed with the defense. Lots of moral questions asked in this episode, with Duvall truly cold hearted and not understand the seriousness of the charges against him.
It's obvious that Duvall's character is rather amoral, perhaps a sign of an undiagnosed mental illness, and one that in 1963 didn't have a name. The episode starts off with the shocking revelation of the young girl's death, and the reaction of the parents (Jack Klugman and Carol Eve Rossen), with neighbors like Kathleen Freeman and Dabney Coleman present, with Freeman dramatically comforting hee daughter Beverly Washburn, the victim's best friend. Connors as the attorney shows an obvious liberal sympathy towards Duvall, arguing with others over how he'll proceed with the defense. Lots of moral questions asked in this episode, with Duvall truly cold hearted and not understand the seriousness of the charges against him.