What were the best episodes of 'The Fugitive'?

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There were more than a handful during its run in the 1960's.

Season 1 (September 17, 1963 -- April 21, 1964)

"Fear In a Desert City":
The debut pilot episode establishes Kimble in his quandary of remaining secretive, concealing his identity to escape detection and capture. The hair dye, closed curtains, the alias ("Lincoln", to sell viewers on Kimble's decent nature), the brief job.
Kimble risks his security to intervene in a woman's plight fleeing from a cruel husband. While Gerard makes periodic appearances in the episode, his fear of being confronted by the policemen grilling him over his activities is very tangible. Another distinctive feature is that when Kimble finally discusses his plight and predicament, he finds sympathetic figures who are taken by his kindness and believe in him. Gerard makes his first appearance acting menacingly and obessively, disbelieving Kimble's story of the one-armed man. But questions remain.

Scene from "Fear In a Desert City":

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The next episode, "The Witch", does not touch on Kimble's current flight from the law, yet not only does he become unwittingly implicated in a set of unjust allegations, but he is compelled to help another person falsely accused by vindictive townspeople. In a rural town in the Midwest, a lonely schoolgirl seeks to bring down her "worldly" teacher to avoid punishment for the youngster's misbehavior. Kimble becomes a pawn in this game, where he becomes a hunted suspect.

Scene from "The Witch":

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Another excellent episode, "Never Wave Goodbye" (Parts 1 and 2), were rather odd in that it was still much too early in the series to introduce a two-part episode. The storyline indicates that Kimble has been on the run for so long that his loneliness is catching up with him and that he needs to settle down at some location eventually. He finds apparent stability on the coast of California where he works as a sailmaker, attracting the affections of a young woman who needs love in her life. While others seem suspicious of this "drifter", news of the arrest of a one-armed man in Los Angeles makes it possible that Kimble can finally stay--if it is the right man.
Kimble travels to the jail in L.A. where unfortunately, Gerard arrives at the same time. This marks the first time both men meet in the series. Kimble flees back up north.

In the second part, with Gerard on the trail following a minor clue, Kimble and his love interest enter a boat race where they plan to throw the lieutenant off by faking their deaths at sea. The episodes demonstrate Gerard's unstoppable desire to catch Kimble at all costs.

Scene from "Never Wave Goodbye, Part 1":

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Scene from "Never Wave Goodbye, Part 2":

[GentlemanJim]

Season 4's "A Clean and Quiet Town" has always been one of my favorites. Not really as it pertains to the central plot of the series, but more for the way Kimble falls into a rabbit hole, he then must deal with.


Other than that, the one where backwoods moonshiners want to kill Gerard, and Kimble must save him, the one where Kurt Russel plays Gerard's son, and "Nobody Loses All the Time" (Joanna Moore) are always fun to watch.

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"Fatso" was a touching episode where Kimble attempts a reconciliation between a simple-minded man and his family who has ostracized him for a terrible crime. The plot is significant when the man is being interrogated over Kimble's claims of a one-armed man, and fails to convince police. This is one of the first episodes where well-meaning souls attempt to help Kimble with false confessions.

Kimble and Davey "Fatso" Lambert, played by Jack Weston meet in the jail cell where both are incarcerated. Davey is astonished and grateful for having found a friendly cellmate:

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"Nightmare At Northoak" was a pivotal episode where Kimble and Gerard face off in a jail cell sequence after the fugitive rescues childen from a burning school bus. The terror Kimble experiences in not one, but two dreams, is very tangible, particularly when the dreams become real. But Kimble realizes Gerard may be forced to confront his own doubts and nightmares that Kimble may be right about the one-armed man.

As Kimble rests and recovers from the injury caused by the bus explosion, he remains unaware of the newspaper photo being taken by the son of a policeman:

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"The Girl From Little Egypt" was the first episode to recall the actual sequence of events leading from the incident of the Kimbles' stillbirth which led to the argument between Kimble and his wife, and ultimately to his encounter with the one-armed man and the murder scene. Kimble is found guilty but escapes the gallows through the train wreck which frees him--for now. Kimble deliriously confesses this to a distraught woman who plows into him in a near-collision.

Kimble drives the car of the girl, played by Pamela Tiffin, whose distraught suicide attempt on the highway landed Kimble in the hospital. In his delirium, he discloses his predicament. Helen Kimble, played by Diane Brewster, is shown in the hospital, about to receive the tragic news of their son. Later, Kimble and Helen argue about the possibility of adoption before Richard storms out. At the trial for his wife's murder, the exultant prosecutor interrogates a neighbor who had heard the Kimble's heated exchange. In the last image, Kimble crawls to safety from the train's wreckage, bound by a severed handcuff.

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"Home Is the Hunted" is the first episode where Kimble returns to see his family, this time in the face of a medical concern regarding his elderly father. Kimble's sister explains that his brother engages in reckless behavior due to his relationship to his fugitive sibling. Kimble attempts to work out the troubled relationship with his racecar driving brother, whose antics draw the attention of Gerard. This is the only time we see Andrew Prine as brother Ray Kimble, who never is seen again in the series.

Kimble confronts his brother; Kimble meets with his father, played by Robert Keith; Gerard questions Donna, played by Jacqueline Scott:

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"Come Watch Me Die" was a suspenseful episode where Kimble assists a young man accused of a horrific double murder in rural Nebraska. The family and friends of the victims are bent on meting out harsh justice, though Kimble sees this as circumstantial evidence. Considering he himself was accused before being able to prove himself, Kimble frees the young man--only to find out some very unpleasant surprises are in store.

In a school bus being driven by a local sheriff played by Judson Pratt, Kimble guards the young suspect, played by Robert Doyle, while the vengeful accusers look suspiciously on. Actor Bruce Dern makes one of many appearances on the series in this episode.

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"Search In a Windy City" is the first episode where we meet the one-armed man. Acting on a tip that his elusive quarry is in Chicago, Kimble contacts a newspaper journalist who guarantees he can find the one-armed man. However, due to his need of a Kimble story, the journalist is rather compromised in his ethics. His schemes attract the attention of Gerard, who conspires to lead Kimble into a trap--as well as delivering a top news article.

Journalist Mike Decker, played by Pat Hingle, attempts to convince his editor that he has proof of the Kimble story lead with the sketch of the one-armed man. Kimble, Decker, and his wife Paula, who serves as Decker's "conscience", anxiously wait for a phone call confirming the connection to the one-armed man--who has already hung up on the missed call. Later, Kimble learns from Paula of the one-armed man's departure, spotting him leave on an outbound bus at the last second.

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The next two-part episodes, "Angels Travel On Lonely Roads, Parts I and II", touched on the theme of faith and doubt in the midst of trying circumstances. Fleeing from the law in the mountains of Nevada, Kimble encounters a nun travelling with a rickety old car which they both trust, against all odds, to make it to their destination. Kimble, being a "realist", counters the sister's whimsical hopes of "divine providence", until she discloses a terrible secret behind the reason for her journey.

Kimble and Sister Veronica, played by Eileen Heckert, travel through the summits of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Later they are confronted by caretakers of a cabin for trespassing. The leader, played by Rudolfo Hoyos, is taken aback by "one so close to God"--when she finally discloses the truth to Kimble of the intent of her trip.

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In the second part of "Angels Travel On Lonely Roads", Kimble and the sister encounter several ruffians determined to make their journey difficult for them. One such person is a surly pack station worker who remains suspicious of the both of them, until the police inform them of Kimble's flight from the law. Will it take a miracle to deliver them?

Kimble demonstrates his "scientific bent" by implementing a simple jack with a log to fix a tire, which impresses Sister Veronica. The pack station worker, Chuck Mathers, played by Albert Salmi, remains disgruntled at Kimble's run of "good luck" in his dealings and thinks of him as a sort of con artist--until headlines break of Kimble's wanted status, as he reveals to his sister-in-law, played by Ruta Lee.

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"The End Game" was an intriguing episode about Kimble being boxed in during a police dragnet and how he managed to escape: While hiding out in a neighborhood house during a door-to-door search, he must contend with two cantankerous old men, one who is convinced of his doubt, and one who subscribes to belief in "reasonable doubt" during the trial. Kimble attempts to convince them to sneak them through the barricades.

One of the old men, Devlin, played by John MacGiver, holds a gun on Kimble, while the other, a more sympathetic figure named Reed, looks on:

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One crucial episode is "The Girl From Little Egypt" which documents the travails of a suicidal woman who accidentally runs down Kimble on the highway. During his delirium he confesses the flashbacks of the problems of his wife's tragic attempt at birthing their son, the argument leading to his departure, the murder scene and the one-armed man. The flashback concludes with his conviction and escape. Like many sympathetic listeners, the girl believes him and in return, Kimble attempts to help her out of a difficult situation.