This episodes stands at the top. In the entire series, it is the darkest and yet most relevant morality play in the series. It isn't preachy, but it's powerful. The moral lesson is that a justice system is only as good as the morality and good judgment of the people assigned the duties of carrying out justice.
A judge is supposed to be impartial, but not willfully blind to the truth. Extenuating circumstances are supposed to be carefully weighed as much as any circumstantial evidence. This episode is an indictment against western justice, which did have an insufficient level of appellate review.
In today's system, this verdict would have likely been overturned given the entire lack of evidence indicating murder. Reasonable doubt combined with extenuating circumstances. The judge shown here failed miserably to take that truth into account, and so what is presented here is an unjust verdict.
What therefore unfolds is a collision of people instilled with integrity, who are each compelled to try to do the right thing for the right reasons, but find themselves trapped by a single damnable decision by a corrupt judge.
It is a very sobering reminder that again, justice is only rendered by just and reasonable men, who remember their public duties and act without malice and prejudice.
In the era of 1962, the idea of omitting the standard coda theme was never contemplated. But, this episode ended on such a profoundly emotional level, that frankly it would have been best to omit the entire closing theme song and instead list the credits in silence. The ending was just that stark.
This episode cannot be missed. It was exceptional in 1962 when premiered and today is perhaps even more exceptional.