The plot has been covered by others so a few comments. The twists in this story keep you guessing - always a good thing. They actually make sense too. The thief and his moll dying off-camera was a twist i did not see coming. A minor point as pointed out by Hafer - Joe takes a lot of shots to the head, especially in the first season. The writers should have toned that down sooner than they did. Lew taking a bullet is a nice departure from the usual plot point of Joe taking the slug. For heading a big agency, Lew spends a lot of time with one employee, Joe.
The cast is excellent. Percy Rodrigues as the client always brings an element of gravitas to his roles. Joe Mantell is a great thief who goes pale when he realizes the import of what he has done. Joe Maross made several appearances on Mannix and is always good. He was one busy actor back then. Check out his credits. Richard Bakalyan has the mobster was a little too timid for me to believe he was a tough bad guy that his rep said he was. Not Richard's fault. The guy did this type of role a thousand times.
A nice episode. The writing is strong during this first year and the series found its footing early on. Surprising that the ratings didn't reflect that and Lucy Ball had to send Joe out on his own to get a second season. Of course, Joe did fine on his own and Peggy Fair will be a great additional character. But that is in the future. See this outing.
The cast is excellent. Percy Rodrigues as the client always brings an element of gravitas to his roles. Joe Mantell is a great thief who goes pale when he realizes the import of what he has done. Joe Maross made several appearances on Mannix and is always good. He was one busy actor back then. Check out his credits. Richard Bakalyan has the mobster was a little too timid for me to believe he was a tough bad guy that his rep said he was. Not Richard's fault. The guy did this type of role a thousand times.
A nice episode. The writing is strong during this first year and the series found its footing early on. Surprising that the ratings didn't reflect that and Lucy Ball had to send Joe out on his own to get a second season. Of course, Joe did fine on his own and Peggy Fair will be a great additional character. But that is in the future. See this outing.