TheFugitiveSeasonTwoVolumeTwo

The Fugitive Season Two, Volume Two (1965)

Dr. Richard Kimble was falsely convicted for the murder of his wife, but made an escape when the train he was on wrecked the night before he was to be executed. Now he is continually on the move, changing his identity and working whatever jobs he can find as he searches for the one armed man he saw leaving the scene of the crime on the night his wife was murdered. Along the way he helps out other people in need, risking exposing himself to his relentless pursuer, Lt. Gerard, every time he does.

This is a good old TV series that I wasn't familiar with before I started watching it in order to review it for the site. The series is shot in black and white and you will recognize several characters in different episodes that went on to be stars in other later TV series. It's fun to watch for them. One of the other things I love about the series is the dramatic voice over guy that narrates at the beginning and ending of each episode he really goes all out. The soundtrack for the series is good too and reminds me of movies more than TV.

There were several good episodes in this collection and I'll take a moment to mention a few of my favorites. In Fun Games and Party Favors, Kimble is a chauffeur for a wealthy family with a teenage daughter who is in love with the pool boy. A lot happens in the episode, but a few things stood out as interesting. Seeing the riotous kids of the 60's run amuck at the party was kind of fun. Also you get to see a bit of a difference in today’s morality and 60's morality when a group of teenage boys are forcing themselves on the daughter after she flirted with them briefly downstairs because she was mad at the pool boy she was in love with. When they are caught by the pool boy and Kimble, the pool boy blames it all on the girl because of how she was acting flirtatious with the guys earlier. I don't think this sort of thing would float today.

Another great episode is Corner of Hell in which Lt. Gerard follows Kimble into a forest populated by backwoods moonshiners. Somehow while they are in there, it ends up looking like Lt. Gerard beat the snot out of the moonshiners leaders daughter and gave her a concussion. While Kimble treats the daughter, Lt. Gerard ends up on a sort of mock trial set up by the moonshiners and has to try to defend himself against being unjustly found guilty of a crime he didn't commit. It's great because it puts him in the shoes of Kimble who he has hunted for so long and still doesn't seem to do a thing to dampen his resolve to hunt Kimble down no matter what.

In Moon Child you get a look into how mentally disabled people were treated and thought of in the 60's. A 19-year-old girl ends up befriending Kimble and hides him away in her basement as the police search for him, believing he is behind several murders where women were strangled in their town. In the end the strangler goes after the girl and Kimble makes a dramatic rescue.

There are a few odd things about the series that made it more interesting to watch. One is that it's really rather dark. Kimble often doesn't make the best impact in the lives of people he touches. Usually they end up in worse shape after he leaves them than before he came into their lives. Horrible things happen to various people throughout the series, but afterwards life goes on. Kind of a neat message for a TV series to have.

One thing that bothered me a little was that throughout the entire season Kimble was never once actively seen hunting for the one armed man who murdered his wife. Most of the time he doesn't even seem to give her a second thought and in a few episodes he starts to get romantically involved with other women.

Something else to watch for in the series that you won't see as much on TV today is that so many of the people in the show were smoking a lot. Just thought it was a neat little sign of the times.

Overall, I liked this series. It started off slow, but grew on me quickly and some of the episodes were just great fun to watch. I think this might have been even more fun to watch if I'd seen it when I was younger. I'm sure for some people out there it would have the added bonus of being nostalgic and bringing back memories of bygone days.

3 out of 4

Reviewed by Scott Schwarzwalder