Kojak. Season 2, Episode 18. "Night of the Piraeus"
There are three murders in this episode of Kojak, one onscreen and two offscreen. All are brutal and swift and occur because of betrayal. It's a story where human life is worthless to every player in the game. And the prize is a rare stamp.
Ivor Francis is superb as the collector who values stamps more than anything, and considers them even more valuable once blood has been spilled because of them.
In the closing minutes of the tale, as their characters gloat over their spoils, he and Norman Lloyd give two of the most chilling performances I have ever seen. It is absolutely scary to watch the unrestrained glee on their faces, the joy they take from stamps and money respectively, and their total indifference to the lives that have been lost.
For that alone this would be worth calling a classic, but - in all other respects - this is a perfect chapter in the life of Kojak. Telly Savalas is at his best, Lt. Theo Kojak does some terrific detective work as the story unfolds (often taking blind leaps) and the supporting cast/characters are showcased at every turn.
But, even with all of that, the majority of the praise must be given to Ivor Francis and Norman Lloyd. The Francis character is played (almost) for laughs, as if he is comical character. It is only when he and Kojak meet for the first time, and the moral vacuum that he lives in is shown in sharp focus, that we began to become horrified by him. Horrified by him, and - more importantly - by that section of society that he represents.
In this fable, the engine that drives the events is a stamp, but - in the real world - it could be anything. Anything at all. But the subtext is the same: there are those who genuinely do not value human life, and shed no tears when blood is spilled. Or when they cause blood to be spilled.
And this remarkable episode of Kojak brings that into sharp focus with the power of a slap to the face. And that, I suppose, is why we have fiction. And why we need fiction.
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Kojak. Season 2, Episode 18. "Night of the Piraeus"
