I must take issue, strongly, with other reviewers who didn't like this particular installment of "THE FUGITIVE". Yes, it's in color, which is never as great as the black-and-white ones, and yes, it's the obviously-wacky '60s not the surface-normal '50s, but even so, this one gets the "Fugitive-formula" just right.
The beginning quickly establishes a creepy, drama-fertile setting. Then the plot begins with a shocking initial event. The tension steadily increases as the police enter the story and begin investigating, and Kimble faces his usual central dilemma: he knows the facts but dare not come forward lest he reveal his identity. There's a semi-climactic hand-to-hand fight in which Kimble, restrained (as always) by his ethical commitment not to harm anyone, desperately tries to overcome the bad-guy without seriously hurting him, while the bad-guy (of course) has no such scruples about seriously harming, or killing, Kimble. And this is only a tension-spike, not the final climax.
The final climax occurs very close to the end, where Dr. Kimble's fate depends on whether an attractive but morose young woman (Madeline Rhue) can persuade her father, a bitter, self-deluded elderly weirdo, to face reality for once and do the right thing. This scene is exceedingly effective, mostly because Madeline Rhue milks it for every drop of drama, every moment more tense than the preceding, but does it so well that you don't notice how well she's acting until afterwards. The father-daughter argument is peppered with very short shots of Kimble watching it, aware that he has said his bit and cannot further influence the outcome which will decide his fate. So the viewer and Kimble are staring transfixed at the scene: Kimble is the viewer and the viewer becomes Kimble. This is unusual television! When was the last time you watched a TV show and thought you were one of the characters?
The beginning quickly establishes a creepy, drama-fertile setting. Then the plot begins with a shocking initial event. The tension steadily increases as the police enter the story and begin investigating, and Kimble faces his usual central dilemma: he knows the facts but dare not come forward lest he reveal his identity. There's a semi-climactic hand-to-hand fight in which Kimble, restrained (as always) by his ethical commitment not to harm anyone, desperately tries to overcome the bad-guy without seriously hurting him, while the bad-guy (of course) has no such scruples about seriously harming, or killing, Kimble. And this is only a tension-spike, not the final climax.
The final climax occurs very close to the end, where Dr. Kimble's fate depends on whether an attractive but morose young woman (Madeline Rhue) can persuade her father, a bitter, self-deluded elderly weirdo, to face reality for once and do the right thing. This scene is exceedingly effective, mostly because Madeline Rhue milks it for every drop of drama, every moment more tense than the preceding, but does it so well that you don't notice how well she's acting until afterwards. The father-daughter argument is peppered with very short shots of Kimble watching it, aware that he has said his bit and cannot further influence the outcome which will decide his fate. So the viewer and Kimble are staring transfixed at the scene: Kimble is the viewer and the viewer becomes Kimble. This is unusual television! When was the last time you watched a TV show and thought you were one of the characters?