The Fugitive taps into a primal fear that was one of Hitchcock's favorite themes: namely, what would you do if you were falsely accused? David Janssen is unforgettable in his signature role as the man whose instinct is to flee every scene and not become involved with the strangers whose paths he crosses. Now in his second year on the run after escaping from the Death Row-bound train, Kimble is "tired of looking over his shoulder, tired of running." As narrator William Conrad intones at one point, "there is no resting place for Kimble." In the episode "Escape Into Black," Kimble visits a small-town diner and loses his memory after the gas stove explodes. In "When the Bough Breaks," he hops a freight car that also carries a traumatized woman who has abducted a baby. And in one of the series' very best episodes, he steals Lt. Girard's (Barry Morse) station wagon to make a getaway, not knowing it contains Gerard's young son (Kurt Russell). These are just some of the compelling human dramas at the heart of one of television's Most Wanted series. Actually, Kimble does have his champions. In the season-opener "Man in a Chariot," a college law professor argues Kimble's case before his students in a mock trial, while in "Escape Into Black," a compassionate hospital welfare caseworker (Betty Garrett) tries to find the one-armed man while Kimble recovers. The episodes in this set maintain an unflagging pace, thanks to taut direction (the late Sydney Pollack directed "Man on a String," in which Kimble is a very reluctant witness in a murder case) and excellent scripts. Memorable character actors who guest star in these episodes include Tuesday Weld as a manipulative and very twisted sister in "Dark Corner," Slim Pickins as a poacher in "Nemesis," and Ivan Dixon as a doctor who discovers Kimble's identity in "Escape Into Black." Even if you let Season One get away, these first 15 episodes from the 1964-65 second season offer a great way to catch up to The Fugitive. Highly recommended. (D. Liebenson)
The Fugitive: Season Two, Volume One
Paramount, 4 discs, 771 min., not rated, DVD: $39.98 July 21, 2008
The Fugitive: Season Two, Volume One
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