McLeod was right - Spoiler Alert

It's interesting how most people seem to dislike McLeod and saw him as the bad guy. He, like many law enforcement people, see things in black and white; right and wrong. They don't generally deal in gray areas; that's not their domain.

For instance, if a cop finds person X has shot person Y, they have to arrest person X. It may turn out things were not what they seemed but that's not for the cops to determine. They have to go with the information they have at hand. Later they may release person X if an investigation shows something else but if not, he's booked and has to make his case in court.

McLeod was absolutely right about everything.

1. Arthur Kindred: He did steal the money from his employer. Susan didn't believe it but Arthur admitted that he had. Theft is a serious crime. It's not like McLeod was holding him for on bogus charges; for something he hadn't done. Arthur stole for the most ridiculous reason, he had access to the money so he decided to impress Joy, a girl who didn't even care for him anymore. It might have been different if he had done it to feed his family or to get a sibling an operation but that wasn't the case.

2. Karl Schneider: His license had been revoked so he should not have been practicing medicine; especially abortions which were illegal, even with a license. He had butchered a girl who died. He, and/or his lawyer, paid off a witness to get her to change her testimony. He was benefiting financially to a large scale by putting his patients' lives at risk and depriving some of them the ability to procreate later. The guy was evil.

3. Charlie and Lewis: He knew they robbed the woman and were more than just petty thieves. He knew they were working together but Charlie was the hardened repeat offender criminal. Lewis was the lighter weight one from whom they could get information. He knew Charlie hadn't worked an honest day in his life. He predicted he had been in jail and had a long rap sheet. He even called him 'a real killer' before he learned there were two homicides on his rap sheet, along with rape and other serious crimes. He knew Charlie had gotten Lewis to carry the guns and take the loot so he would get the heavier sentence if they got caught.

4. Callahan's gun: As the police station started to fill especially when Charlie and Lewis were brought in, McLeod secured his gun. He noticed Callahan's gun was within easy reach so he advised him to secure it too. Callahan failed to heed the warning. His carelessness, not being aware of his surroundings, and forgetting his gun was within reach of hardened criminals who had nothing to lose is what led to McLeod's untimely death.

5. Mr. Pritchert: McLeod told him it was a criminal case not a civil one. He's right. Theft is a crime against the state. He can make restitution in court not in the police station. Pritchet should also consider the fact that Arthur stole from someone he knew, who helped him, who trusted him, who had done him no harm, and who probably would have let him borrow the money if he was in dire need. It wasn't just theft; it was a betrayal of trust. It's worse than stealing from a stranger. To let him off the hook so easily would send the wrong message to the other employees and to Arthur himself.

6. Mary: He was right to let her go. After years of deception, how could he ever trust her? People say he was inflexible and lacked compassion but it's not true. He was hard on crime but with his coworkers and his wife he was different. The only time he was at odds with them was when it overlapped with his work. He took his job seriously; which, as I see it, is a good thing.

The issue with his wife demonstrates the importance of trust in a relationship. McLeod told the story of person he trusted. He felt for him, gave him a second chance, and only a few days later had reason to regret it. The person shot someone in the head. The fear of reliving that experience, costing some other innocent person their life, is why he was so tough in his work. After his wife betrayed his trust, he would have had a hard time trusting not only her but anyone with whom he became involved. He gave her his complete trust and it blew up in his face. It became a source of embarrassment for him. How would he ever have been able to fully trust anyone after that?

One of his fellow detectives let him know he had the information for a while but he chose not to tell him. When people keep secrets, it creates situations like the one in which McLeod found himself. Like the criminals he dealt with on a daily basis. Their attempt to hide the truth left frustrated and suspicious.


Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]