There's a sense of doom that hovers over this episode, partially due to the dreary, wintry urban setting, and the unsettling, vaguely Bergmanesque scene at the desolate lakeside retreat (reminiscent, say, of the great Swede's "Winter Light").
The superbly intense portrayals of the illicit couple-- the typically incisive Robert Culp and the typically smoldering, passionate Joann Linville--almost gain our empathy, so desperately in love are they. But the hideous crime really "takes the fun" out of their relationship, after which they must deal with the consequences of their sordid, immoral actions.
But it is the performance by the great Armenian/Russian actor Akim Tamiroff that REALLY makes this episode extra special; he's just terrific. He's basically thrust into a "12 Angry Men" situation with 11 other jurors (including the level-headed Jean Stapleton), leading to a rather unexpected plot development that drives the latter scenes. Tamiroff is truly the conscience of this show, as he confronts the guilty couple in their luxury apartment, after which we witness Robert Culp in another of his masterful psycho melt-down scenes, leading to the final (and by-now thoroughly expected) Naked City rooftop shoot-out.
A first-rate show. LR
PS-- Odd that actor Martin Wolfson, who plays the judge, does not receive screen credit (he would re-team with Robert Culp later in '63 for the iconic "Architects of Fear" episode of The OUTER LIMITS). In fact, Naked City employed a very inconsistent format for screen credits, frequently ignoring supporting actors who were featured in brief but important scenes, while occasionally---as is the case of Culp's ill-fated wife in this episode-- giving screen credit to an actor who is gone in the blink of an eye. Too bad for those who were ignored.