Man in a Chariot

The iconic train wreck is replaced on the open of S2. In its place is a dramatic moment from the episode, followed by stills displaying our hero's plight. This one borrows from Dossier on a Diplomat, or maybe it's the other way around. In one, Kimble hears that a writer believes he can get him a new trial, and in the other, this one, it's a law professor who says the same thing. The prof is a bitter, cranky old coot, played by Ed Begley. He's bitter because an accident has confined him to a wheelchair and prevented him from continuing to be a brilliant defense attorney. He's not happy teaching law and takes it out on his students. He recreates the Kimble trial to see if he can win the case in spite of the mutual hatred between he and his students. The Indiana cops get wind of the fact that the prof has requested the transcript of the Kimble trial, but curiously Gerard is not sent to the scene. Perhaps Carpenter has gotten tired of Gerard's repeated failures to bring Kimble in. Anyways, Kimble lays the law down to the prof about how his students are not the cause of his problems and how he should lighten up on them. The prof is moved, as he has become the latest member of the Richard Kimble changed my life club. He gives his closing arguments in the case, and instead of throwing Kimble on the mercy of the court, he throws himself. The jury finds Kimble not guilty, but they really acquitted the prof, who tells Dick the only way out for him is to find the one armed man. So Dick continues his search as he remains.....a fugitive.

I agree with other comments. This is the perfect start for second season, David Jannsen giving his reliable hundred percent performance, Ed Begley outstanding as the embittered defence lawyer whose career was cut short because of an automobile crash, good supporting cast and a lot of tension! Especially in the mock court room scenes. A gem, enjoy.

This was IMO an absolutely brilliant episode. The writing and acting were top notch. Nothing today's writers come up with can equal it. Everything is in the dialogue, no gimmicky action scenes. Perfect.

Without doubt my favorite episode of the series. The second season got off beautifully with this deeply poetic plot of a very bitter ex lawyer now university professor who tries to make himself believe that he is still relevant by defending Kimble before a mock trial of students who detest him. Ed Beagley gives the best guest turn of any actor or actress in the entire series. Kimble's speech to him in the final act is the best David Janseen had done in my opinion.

This episode, the premiere of the second season, brings in the new opening that simply consists of stills from first season episodes and William Conrad explaining Kimble's situation. The shots of Gerard are from a dream sequence in "Nightmare at Northoak". There's also a "teaser" sequence from later in the episode to intrigue you with Kimble's latest predicament. I also note some new, more exciting musical cues are used in the tense sequences when the police are closing in. Those old Twlight Zone cues, (and some from Gunsmoke), are not much in evidence. I kind of miss them because the new music is a bit loud and over-the-top at times.

Ever wonder what would happen if Richard Kimble was defended by Clarence Darrow? Ed Begley plays a "Lion in Winter" type of old fashioned lawyer whose career as a defender of the innocent and oppressed came to an end with a traffic accident that killed his wife and put him in a wheelchair. When he claims on TV that he could win Richard Kimble's case, Kimble contacts him to see if that's possible. Begley is teaching a law course at a small college and arranges for a "moot court" session based on Kimble's case in which his students will be the judge, prosecutor and witnesses but Begley will be the defense attorney. But things go wrong in part because of the brilliance of the student playing the prosecutor, (who is played by Robert Drivas who would later play David Janssen's son in the theatrical movie "Where it's At", in 1969).

The story in this one seems a bit more contrived than usual, even for this series, with Begley making an emotional plea for Kimble that is really a plea for himself to be forgiven for the death of his own wife. Kimble becomes (seemingly) more concerned with Begley's relationship with his prized student than he is with his own situation.

One of the plot devises the writers used in this series was the apparent ally with possible ulterior, (or at least different), motives and a possible conflict of interest who may not turn out to be a reliable ally in the end. Ray Kimble in "Home is the Hunted", Mike Decker in "Search in a Windy City" and Begley's character in this (G. Stanley Lazer, who is said to have once worked for Darrow) is another. So is Ellie Burnett in the next one.