DVD Talk Forum - DVD Talk review of 'The Fugitive

I read Paul Mavis's DVD review of The Fugitive - Season One, Volume One at http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=29791 and...

Mr. Paul Mavis,
I read all your reviews on The Fugitive DVD releases with great interest. I am a big fan of the show and have seen every episode and reviewed every episode myself. Along with some co-authors we produced a four volume book on the series reviewing all 120 episodes in detail. The four books titled 'The Fugitive Views and Reviews Volume 1-4' can be found at Amazon and Barnes&Noble.

Some thoughts I have on your reviews if you don't mind.

You said:
"Here, with The Fugitive: Season One, Volume One, the show is so brilliant,... The Fugitive: Season One, Volume One is such a masterpiece..

**I have mixed feelings. Brilliant and masterpiece are strong words for this series. The concept of the show is intriguing but many episodes fell flat and the storyline was not consistent with brilliance. We discussed at our yahoo group at length how the show could have been even better.

You said:
"The Homecoming plays like something Tennessee Williams scratched out as a bad idea, but it's successful because of the terrific supporting cast"..

**I felt this story was one of the worst of the entire series. Many members in our group agreed.

You said:
"Speaking of sexy, Bethel Leslie has great chemistry with Janssen in the tense Storm Center"..

**Another terrible soap opera story wasted in my opinion.

You said:
"Nicest Fella You'd Ever Want To Meet is one of the series' best, with guest star Pat Hingle creating perhaps Kimble's most heinous adversary,"...

**You have got to be kidding me. Pat Hingle was great in that classic story ep.19 'Search in a Windy City.' To cast him as a nasty cop in ep.48 was offensive.

You said:
"Last Second Of a Big Dream,... is an exciting episode"...

**Again I disagree. Terrible way to end the season.

You said:
"why did the series fall from grace with the viewers, jumping dramatically from its first season ranking of 28th all the way up to 5th for its sophomore season...only to tumble completely out of the Nielsen Top Thirty for this third go-around (as well as the fourth and last)?"

*Excellent point. I think the consistency and continuity of the show was lost.

You said:
"All of that probably contributed to The Fugitive's spectacular decline in the ratings this third season, but I wonder if, too, audiences felt the way I did after watching many of the episodes here: the series had already made its point. It's not that the episodes in this third season aren't good - they are, for the most part. But I didn't see one that offered a significant new slant on who Dr. Richard Kimble was, or on his plight, nor did I see one that offered up characters or situations that didn't either suggest other Fugitive episodes from the previous two seasons, or which just seemed...familiar in general....We get a smattering of emotions and predicaments we saw in the first two seasons, and that's all....
with scripts that frankly just aren't as clever or original as previous outings. And the whole cycle feeds on itself.

**Great observation and excellent analysis on your part. I agree wholeheartedly.

You said:
"Particularly disconcerting is the season opener, Wings of an Angel, with the frankly ridiculous set-up of Kimble helping to capture a criminal, getting wounded, and winding up in a prison hospital."

**Season three opener was outstanding and I loved this episode and rated it highly.

You said:
"While solid entries like Crack in a Crystal Ball"...

**Cmon. This story was flat. A phony mentalist??

You said:
"another offender of this is the arbitrary, far-fetched two-part Landscape With Running Figures,"...

**Whoa..- Landscape is one of the best episodes in the entire series. The plight of Richard Kimble is totally on display.

You said:
"faintly ridiculous Not With A Whimper;"...

**I agree here. Probably the worst episode of the entire series and in the history of television.

You said:
"Perhaps my favorite episode this season (it ranks as a series' high, too) detailing Gerard's relentless pursuit of Kimble is The 2130,"..

*I agree. My third favorite episode of the series behind 'Never Wave Goodbye,' and 'Escape into Black.'

I enjoyed reading your reviews but you missed some key points. Why not highlight the classics of the series more?? You should have elaborated
more on ep.4-5,11,14,15,19,30,39,47,53,55,64,69,70,82.

'Escape into Black' was rated the best in our group.

I am curious to read your reviews on Season four when they come out. Especially you analysis of the two-part finale. If you want to see my reviews on episodes check out our books or our Yahoo group.
Sincerely, Ken Ardizzone(FugeFan)
[email protected]