A store clerk is killed by two robbers, one of whom is apprehended -- and the lone witness is a middle-aged family man (Andy Griffith) who testifies and gets the sleaze convicted. Soon after, Andy finds his family both terrorized by an anonymous stalker and ostracized by the local community.
This is an excellent installment of the series. How this show can fluctuate between the mediocre and the stellar is puzzling. I guess it boils down to a good script and great performances and this baby has both! Andy gives a layered performance as the do-gooder who snaps as he quickly learns "actions have consequences". Though this show can be terribly dated, the topic of victim-blaming shown here is as relevant as ever in 2023 as Andy becomes a social pariah just for displaying his convictions.
Sharon Acker hits all the right notes as the supportive but terrified wife. Even our three leads, who's performances aren't always the greatest, up their game here. The bar scene where Andy loses it and Pete tries to reason with him, is very well-played. Michael Cole was definitely the best actor of the core cast. Griffith has another great moment where he nearly kills a smug D. A. and is charged with assault. His subsequent guilt and frustration at his whole situation are a master class in acting.
There is an odd sequence where Pete, in voiceover, suggests Andy and family are made part of a Witness Relocation program. We see a quick-cut montage of new digs, a new job and change of locale, but the script doesn't tell us how fast this has happened.
The finale loses a point for being a little too unrealistic but otherwise this is a fantastic Season 4 finale and one of the series' best.
Creepy Stanley Kamel has a small part in the beginning as the shooter.
This is an excellent installment of the series. How this show can fluctuate between the mediocre and the stellar is puzzling. I guess it boils down to a good script and great performances and this baby has both! Andy gives a layered performance as the do-gooder who snaps as he quickly learns "actions have consequences". Though this show can be terribly dated, the topic of victim-blaming shown here is as relevant as ever in 2023 as Andy becomes a social pariah just for displaying his convictions.
Sharon Acker hits all the right notes as the supportive but terrified wife. Even our three leads, who's performances aren't always the greatest, up their game here. The bar scene where Andy loses it and Pete tries to reason with him, is very well-played. Michael Cole was definitely the best actor of the core cast. Griffith has another great moment where he nearly kills a smug D. A. and is charged with assault. His subsequent guilt and frustration at his whole situation are a master class in acting.
There is an odd sequence where Pete, in voiceover, suggests Andy and family are made part of a Witness Relocation program. We see a quick-cut montage of new digs, a new job and change of locale, but the script doesn't tell us how fast this has happened.
The finale loses a point for being a little too unrealistic but otherwise this is a fantastic Season 4 finale and one of the series' best.
Creepy Stanley Kamel has a small part in the beginning as the shooter.