The System

Richard Masur puts in strong performance as football player crumbling under academic pressure. Richard Thomas gets to take on role of attorney. Not exactly Perry Mason or even a Virginian episode. Still it's a heart warming look at two families. Good back story about the dangers of smoking. Will Geer provides good support.

A well-written episode that explores the ethics of academic honor codes, in this case one which requires students to rat on each other if caught cheating during exams. Richard Masur is very good as the big-hearted lug who John-Boy defends in front of the university's scary honor council against charges of cheating. Everyone else goes into full Perry Mason mode with John-Boy proving to be a not-too-bad defense attorney and his father giving sage advice. The student-led honor council itself provokes some eye-rolling; it's depicted as a some kind of fearsome kangaroo court where its members are addressed as "sir" and the student defendants may require actual legal counsel. Yikes. In an amusing secondary plot, Will Geer gets to show off his cigarette-smoking skills as Grandpa tries to sway Ben from that nasty habit.