Mr. R.I.N.G.

Air Date: 1/10/75
Writer: L. Ford Neale, John Huff
Director: Gene Levitt
Actors: 
Bert Freed as Captain Akins / Julie Adams as Mrs. Avery Walker / Henry Beckman as Senator Duncan 'LaBeau' Stephens / Don 'Red' Barry as Tyrell Security Guard / Corinne Camacho as Dr. Leslie Dwyer / Robert Easton as Bernard Carmichael / Myron Healey as Colonel Wright / Maidie Norman as the Librarian, Miss Byrett / Bruce Powers as Peters / Craig Baxley as Mr. Ring / Vince Howard as Policeman / Read Morgan as Man / Gail Bonney as Barham

Memorable Line:
Kolchak: "Good -- Gosh!" - A flabbergasted Carl upon seeing RING crash through a door.

Story:
There's a Government coverup in the wake of a robot who fights for life and a sense of humanity.

Review:
I'm a sucker for robots, especially ones who have grown to a point where it desires for 'life'. Perhaps it's the age-old existential question of what it is to be human which draws me. Whatever the reason, these stories, how ever-familiar, never fail to intrigue me.

So, plot-wise, R.I.N.G. has a familiar tone to it. And it isn't the scariest or most action-packed episode of the series. What it is is an interesting detective story and drama. It might move a little too slow for horror, sci-fi enthusiasts - but the script has many highlights (nice idea to have a drugged Kolchak trying to recall the details of the story. Plus the question of ethics Carl puts to Ring at the end was sharp) and the acting solid (though Robert Easton from the Mortuary was odd, almost mechanical in his stance and delivery). Craig Baxley as Ring had me feeling empathy for his/its plight and that drooping face he made for himself out of putty was downright creepy.

While there are moments of humor as always, it's not a laugh riot: Carl teasing a guy who's been trailing him was funny, as was his reaction when he first saw the robot break through a door. Primarily though this aimed for the heart and cerebellum, it made me think, and when R.I.N.G. utters his last words  (Calling Dr. Dwyer “mama”), it moved me.

All told - the episode won’t thrill everyone, but I liked this tragic tale and the robot’s an added bonus.

Grade: B+