Here's a story as old as the hills, and yet it always seems to work. A handsome rake uses his charms to woo a plain woman in order to get something from her -- a fortune, as in "The Heiress," or the keys to his freedom as in this episode. Colleen Dewhurst as nurse Ellen is a good enough actress to convince us that she's plain, but not quite good enough to convince us she'd be dumb enough to fall for this dangerous killer, who is in her care after suffering a gunshot wound in his capture. He is played by chiseled, handsome Tom Simcox, a 1960's pretty boy with an easy masculinity that might best be captured by Tom of Finland. All things considered, it's surprising that Simcox didn't become a bigger star, but I digress. As the plot unfolds, nurse Ellen remains surprisingly brave and cool, and when things get dangerous, her reactions are so strange that she seems to be in shock. In the very satisfying ending, however, we realize that all along there has been more to nurse Ellen than we imagined. The cast includes future "Mod Squad" star Peggy Lipton in a small role.
Review of Night Fever
