Out of the Shadows

A serial killer plunges a knife into anyone who stiffs him consumerwise -- six murders to date. The chief suspect is a troubled young man who sprays graffiti on walls talking about the character "The Grim Reaper." A slightly offbeat 'killer on the loose' episode, mainly down to an unstable young man who is close to a breakdown. When he's caught, Kojak and his team are hopeful it's him as he fits the criteria. Later, Kojak realises that he's just mirroring the killer in terms of loathing the world he is in, but not in killing. It can be a bit too grimy and would've been unbearably downbeat, especially with the troubled man's character, if it wasn't for Telly Savalas. He's a good balance between empathic, optimistic and no-nonsense. Plus the story is well-written, got some killer performances, however not an episode I would jump to watch again too quickly.

The episode gets an A for that delicious hot summer day and night 70s ambiance and the woozy, laconic depiction of the mundanity of living in the most sad-sack decade of the century. The atmospherics are amazing. Frank and his olive green fan is classic. Glad it survived Kojak's bad temper.

But wow, is this a case study in how our social mores have changed? I can't imagine why these people weren't thrown out of the coffee shop 2 seconds after they came in. Were things really like that back then? They continue to serve these people?

The interrogation trope scene is another example of wow. No video back then so...

But gosh, every single scene is so over the top! The guy and his skittish behavior at the knife shop. Hello, red flag.

The killer is able to get the knife store owner on the phone? The employee actually gave him the number, seriously? Wakes him up from sleep in his pajamas and then actually set up a meeting?

And that ending, just so weird!

Nevertheless, super interesting dabble in a deep psychological sketch storyline.

There's a serial killer in Manhattan that has the Manhattan South Squad working much overtime to catch him. He's a Ralph Nader on steroids and he kills because they sell him a product that doesn't pan out The killer has a wide list of dissatisfaction that ranges from an evangelist who promises happiness with salvation for a price and a $10.00 hooker. Well what do you expect for $10.00?

Getting in the way of the investigation is Ken Sylk who is a wannabe and lives his life vicariously through the real killer's crimes. He's in the way at first, but Telly Savalas and the finding of a crucial piece of forensic evidence is what brings the real killer down.

I guess the moral is make sue you deliver on expectations every time. You never know what sets people off.

Roger is an incredibly angry man. He feels as if the world is out to get him and he treats everyone around him like garbage..often screaming at folks over the slightest supposed provocation. But these might just be his better qualities! Roger also later confesses to killing people who have wronged the public...sort of like a consumer advocate and Norman Bates all rolled into one. The problem is that his story isn't consistent. Is it possible some OTHER person is responsible for these crimes?

As IMDB rightfully points out in the Trivia section, the police aren't exactly at their best in this episode. Read up about nearly capturing the man and his getaway...and this was at the beginning of the episode! Additionally, the police use everything but a truncheon on the guy to get him to confess once he's caught! Great cops, huh?!

The lack of subtlety and the ineffectiveness and brutality of the police make this a very weak episode. Also, at the end, Crocker shoots a guy and he flies out a window. Bullets do NOT do that...you don't go flying backwards when shot with a .38...only on TV and in movies. Enjoyable to watch? Sure...but not a top episode...though the twist in the story is very interesting and so it's not a bad episode...just a weak one.

***SPOILERS*** With the city of New York sweltering under a 100 plus degree heatwave Let. Kojak, Telly Savalas, is faced with this serial killer who's been knocking off, with his hunting knife and military style baronet, a number of people whom he deems, by leaving spray paint massages at the scenes of his crimes, unworthy to live among society. We see right away the killer's identity as being that of the very unstable and bible thumping Roger Villers, Ken Sylk, the self described "Grim Reaper" who's, in his mind, doing the work of the Lord in terminating these sinners- pawnbrokers hookers drug dealers shysters and store owners- who are taking advantage of those that they deal with by promising them everything and giving them, after they take their money, nothing in return!

Roger for his part even though a little bit nuts seems harmless=Like Anthony Perkins in "Psycho"-who's next door neighbor Olga Nurell, Solome Jens, not only sees him as a good or nice but a bit confused boy but also has a crush on the guy who's estranged from his wife Jenny, Lara Parker, since he's out of work and unable to support himself much less that of Jenny and their 3 year old son Roger Jr. It doesn't take much to track Roger down who really seems to want to be caught but under interrogation Roger slips up in how he murdered his victims that has Let. Kojak realized that he's in fact not the killer that the NYPD is looking for!

***SPOILERS*** With the real killer Heath Jobes throwing a fit in that the knife or baronet he bought from a local Army/Navy store-That he killed his last victim with- being defective he seeks out and plans to murder the salesman Ted Owens, Howard Honig, who soled it to him that has let. Kojak and his partner the always abused and belittled by him, in how incompetent and butter-fingered he is, Det. Bobby Crocker,Kevin Dobson, comes to Owens' rescue. With Jobes now seeing that his goose is cooked and about to be arrested he makes a last attempt to escape by throwing his hunting knife at the charging Det. Crocker only to get blasted by him and then falling some 50 feet out of a closed window landing dead as a door-nail on the street below.