Due Process of Law

Quite possibly, no character in the history of television evolved as much as Chief Ironside's assistant, Mark Sanger. While he did grow considerably as a person under Ironside's tutelage, Mark certainly still had a lot to learn about himself and the law. As episodes like this and the earlier Memory of an Ice Cream Stick demonstrate, Mark was somewhat of a heedless and headstrong young man whose refusal to listen to the voice of reason (Ironside) got him into serious trouble.

In this episode, Mark takes a date to a party thrown by Dwayne 'Dobie Gillis' Hickman. Ironside needs him back at the office, but Mark's friend says she'll be OK there by herself...which isn't the case, as the next morning, she's found dead in the bathroom in a city park, a heroin needle in her arm. The girl's father appears at the scene, and his words echo in Mark's head: "Is THIS how you bring your dates home, Mark?"

Mark immediately suspects another party guest, Joe Fenway (played by Burr DeBenning, a frequent-flier in many cop shows from the '60s to the early '90s), whom he knows to be an addict. He physically attacks Fenway outside the police station, then breaks into his apartment where he finds a drawer full of syringes. Ed catches Mark in the act and angrily informs him that the syringes can't be used for evidence. Finally, Mark pays Fenway yet another visit...this time, he's found standing over the addict's corpse, holding a bloody barbell, after he ignored Ironside's warnings.

Naturally, Mark is arrested for the murder. Ironside visits him, but all Mark can say is, "What about MY rights? Where's MY lawyer?", and the Chief angrily lets him have it but good!

Eventually, Mark is released and is with Ed when they go to bust the real killer. Ed gives Mark his gun just in case. When the real killer is led past Mark, the camera cuts to the gun in his hand, then back to Mark...he allows Ed to lead the prisoner away, finally understanding what Ironside was trying to tell him.

Mark grew considerably each season, becoming a law student in the second season, participating in undercover missions in the third, becoming a cop in the fifth season and earning his law degree in the sixth season...but he wasn't done. Years later, in the Ironside reunion movie, he had become 'Judge Sanger'...which Ironside sarcastically called him in this episode!

Over the course of the run of the Ironside series we saw Don Mitchell as Mark Sanger develop from an angry young man into a police officer. He's still got a lot of issues with cops as we see in this episode.

After going to a party and dropping his date off the next morning Mitchell awakens to find that the girl was found dead in a public bathroom and that someone slipped her a hotshot of pure heroin. Of course Ironside and his elite team take the case. But Mitchell is more of a hindrance than a help.

Especially when he breaks into the apartment of the chief suspect and taints evidence that could be used if a search warrant had been granted.

Note good performances from Roy Glenn as the grieving father, Burr DeBenning as the suspect, Parley Baer as DeBenning's attorney and Dwayne Hickman as the host of the part.

A bit of recidivism on Mark Sanger's part for understandable reasons.

***SPOILERS*** Special Police Consultant Robert T. Ironside, Raymond Burr, teaches his former street gang member and now personal valet Mark Sanger, Tom Mitchell, the importance of letting the law not one's emotions track down a drug dealer who's responsible for the overdose of his date Helen Tobin, Janee Michelle. After Helen left a party at Archie Bass', Dwayne Hickman, apartment without Sanger she's later found in a ladies washroom in Golden Gate Park dead with a needle loaded with heroin. Resorting to his former criminal nature Sanger in finding out that the person that Helen was seen leaving the party former drug addict Joe Finley played by Burr DeBenning, no relation the Raymond Burr despite the two sharing the same first & last names, Sanger then decides to take the law into his own hands with disastrous results.

Doing a "Dirty Harry" imitation three years before Dirty Harry Calahand made it to the big screen Sanger breaks into Fenwys apartment without a warrant thus jeopardizing all the evidence, a half dozen hypodermic needles, he uncovered there that can be used in court against Fenway in Helen's death! To make things even worse Sanger attacks and bloodies Fenway in the police station in front of Ironside and Fenway's attorney Everett Brandt played by Pearly "Whites" Baer. And worst of all for the now out of control Sanger he again breaks into the in now released Joe Fenway's pad finding him beaten to death with Fenway's girlfriend Connie Gorshen, Carol Booth, finding him there next to Fenway's body! Boy this guy, Mark Sanger, is in real hot water now!

****SPOILERS*** Sanger now facing a possible murder charge finally lets his good friend wise Ol' Ironside do the Job in finding both Helen & Fenway's killer or drug supplier through sound and unemotional police work. That leads him back to Archie's place where all this started. Discovering through the drug addicted Connie Goshen that there was her drug supplier at the party who was the last person to be seen with Helen alive. This soon lead to his connection with Fenway who despite being clean for over a year who pushing not shooting drugs at the party.

It didn't take long for Ironside & the police to find the drug pusher who was holding Connie, who desperately needed a fix, hostage in his San Francisco drug den where after a brief scuffle was easily apprehended by the police. And with him being let away in handcuffs a pent up with anger Sanger being within inches of him kept his cool and didn't lay a hand on him. Like Ironside told Sanger let the law follow or take its course which he should have done right from the start!