Tonight 50 years ago, CBS aired S05E07 "Chain Of Events"!
It starts simply enough. A public health worker, Jacob Kalema (William Valentine) is simply doing his job. It's his job that makes things weird in this episode. It's something no one talks about - he tracks down sexual contacts when venereal disease breaks out.
Kalema is shot twice in a parking lot. The tire treads left behind give the Five-O team a clue. As they investigate and discover who Kalema spoke to, they uncover several people. While most cooperate, they are surprised the cops come sniffing around because Kalema assured them the information would be kept confidential. This is actually in line with policies.
They come across a young man, Walter Clyman (Dirk Benedict, before his "A-Team" days) who passed syphilis to his girlfriend Linda Rynak (Gaye Nelson). She later turns up dead too, which makes the case even weirder. Her father (Lou Frizzle) loses his mind and takes a friend to beat up Walter, to the point of putting Clyman in the hospital.
Turns out, Linda passed it on to politician James Trevor Warren (Linden Chiles). He's running for office and his associates at first deny anything amiss. Linda's father goes after him after Linda's mom (Electra Gailas Fair) finds a scrapbook with the pair together. Linda had a major crush on Warren because she was volunteering for his campaign. However, the twist at the end: Warren's secretary, Jean Holland (Mary Frann) is the one responsible. She took matters into her own hands because she knew the scandal would ruin Warren. She signed out a car under a phony name and it was the same one that left the earlier track where Kalema was murdered. In the Five-O office, she breaks down. The Five-O team recovers the gun from her purse that shot both Kalema and Linda.
Mr. Mike's review is much better and is here: https://www.fiveohomepage.com/5-0log5.htm#103
This episode doesn't rank super high on my list of favorites, but I don't hate it. I think they handled the entire VD situation well and accurately. They didn't get overly graphic either and I like that. I don't need to see all the grossness that today's shows tend to lean on.
It's fun to see Dirk Benedict in an early role. The same with Mary Frann. She was cast as Bob Newhart's wife, Joanna Loudon, in his second series Newhart.
I get the explanation from Public Health was necessary but wouldn't Five-O already be aware of how they track contacts? Don't they use the same methodology when speaking to victim and criminals' associates? Nitpicking, yes. But it's all good.
Happy 50th, "Chain Of Events"!!
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