This is one of the best episodes of this great series. I think this also has an excellent message: violent youths should not be treated as errant children, but rather dangerous human beings. Compassion is a great thing to have, but sometimes, compassion can be taken too far and can keep people from seeing the truth. This can be a tough lesson to learn, but it needs to be understood. The premise of this episode, even though it aired in the late 1970's, still has relevance today.
One day, Coach Reeves is required to substitute for the school's gym teacher, Mr. Davis. He encounters an unruly, violent, and disrespectful youth named Lucius Robinson. Robinson punches Reeves, and Reeves, very appropriately, hits him back in self-defense. Robinson is later expelled after an inquiry by the administration.
Reeves feels guilty that he didn't exert more self control, and thinks he shouldn't have hit the kid, because he is the adult. "This kid is also six feet, a hundred an eighty pounds" rebuts the principal, putting things in the proper perspective. The principal argues that Reeves did indeed do the right thing, and had to defend himself. He also informs Reeves that because of Robinson's long history of violence and trouble, the DA wants to charge Robinson as an adult with assault and battery.
Robinson tries to make a seemingly sincere apology to Reeves, telling him that his mother is an alcoholic and his father is on welfare, and that he's a poor kid from a slum. Reeves at first believes him. He later makes a trip to his home to find out he is not at all an impoverished child and that his parents are very nice people.
The fight between the teacher and student stirs up a lot of talk in the school. The main reaction from the other teachers being happiness that someone finally stood up to the rebellious, disrespectful Robinson. Coach Reeves's main struggle is that he wants to help the troubled Robinson, rather than put him in jail. Reeves argues that a psychiatric evaluation may be the way to go.
One shop teacher, during a discussion with Reeves over coffee, makes what is perhaps the best message the episode has to offer. He describes in detail how some of his past students attacked him, and they were punished with way too much leniency. "In our society, kids are sacred, they can literally get away with murder." He goes on to explain that when students attack teachers, they basically get a slap on the wrist, but when a teacher hits a student, they're punished much more severely. It isn't fair, and it's not right. The teacher makes the point that Robinson should be used as an example to serve notice on him, and other violent students like him, that attacking a teacher for the first time could result in prison and have greater consequences.
Reeves later learns that some kids are just bad apples whom you can't help, or don't want to be helped. Violent youths have to be dealt with and their behavior should not be tolerated. If someone is shot with a gun, that victim will be just as injured whether the person firing the gun is 15 or 75. Dangerous human beings, kids or not, need to be punished. I think this is an excellent episode for teenagers, judges, teachers, parents, and law enforcement professionals to view and discuss.
