User Reviews

"The Way of Violence Has No Mind" marks the happy return of two cast members from the original pilot, Victor Sen Yung (in the third of his six episodes), and Robert Ito, sadly bowing out after two second season entries (he earlier played the title role in "The Assassin"). This is one of the show's very best episodes, filled with breathtaking action and solid characterizations essayed by another sterling cast, with Fritz Weaver as Hillquist, ruthless owner of a mining company that has displaced thousands of immigrants, stealing their gold and leaving them without homes. Robert Ito's Captain Tim fancies himself a modern Robin Hood, robbing white men to offer aid to his people, his martial arts skills taught to him back in China by a priest who renounced the Shaolin faith. Philip Ahn's Master Kan watches an older student display his strength and prowess yet laments the means to which their teachings have been abused: "to be violent is to be weak, violence has no mind...is it not wiser to seek a man's love than to desire his swift defeat?" The young Caine (Radames Pera) is instructed by Master Po (Keye Luke) to pull a sash that produces gunfire, shattering several pieces of beautiful pottery: "it seems a handsome tool to be used like others, but it is an instrument which can fulfill its purpose only through destruction...as the sound injures the ear, so its discharge consumes the flesh." The final showdown between Hillquist and Captain Tim takes place at the farm of former city man Dan Hoyle (Gary Merrill), an injured casualty in this senseless conflict, the no nonsense sheriff (Ron Soble) calling for the reluctant Tim to give himself up; his intention to shoot his way to freedom understandably meets resistance from Caine, their battle royale in close quarters even better than their previous bout in the stream in "The Assassin." Ron Soble was a ubiquitous presence on TV Westerns in mostly villainous roles, including a standout appearance in the third season STAR TREK episode "Spectre of the Gun," offering that rare glimpse of a tough sheriff free from corruption. This was the penultimate on screen performance of June Vincent as Gary Merrill's wife Meg (reunited as husband and wife from the 1952 feature "Night Without Sleep"), a popular 40s starlet who remained a busy presence on television in later years. Victor Sen Yung would return in three more episodes while Robert Ito never looked back, securing a regular role as assistant coroner Sam Fujiyama on 8 seasons of Jack Klugman's medical drama QUINCY.