At one point when I was a teen, "The Defenders" and "East Side/West Side" were my favorite shows - I guess a combination of admiring the acting plus the social consciousness". This episode deals strongly with social issues, in particular the justice system, without preachiness but with strong advocacy nonetheless.
George C. Scott's acting is incredible -at a time when he was so memorably funny in "Dr. Strangelove", here he presents quite similar body moves, tics and mannerisms that drive home the importance of what he says, and alos how he can exert self-control when faced with injustice.
The segment's guest star Carroll O'Connor is also terrific, and it's fascinating how he has been able to imbue significant differences and subtly to an almost stock character -the prejudiced guy here, in "All in the Family" and later on TV's version of "In the Heat of the Night", finding nuance in the variations that defines the bigoted mentality.
The title subject matter about a young couple dealing with the fact of sex with an underage girl being subject to heavy punishment explicitly dealt with a important issue 60 years before. When Scott discusses the law with the Robert Drivas character who is 21, the fact that in different states the age of consent varies wildly, points up the current ridiculous contention by the Supreme Court and right-wing extremists that issues like abortion rights need to be left up to those almighty states, when in fact national laws and consensus are clearly preferable in dealing with treating fairly in determining criminal versus innocent behavior.
