This is the one all us kids were talking about back in the day, and even to this day. It's a treat!
Cliff Gould, who did a lot of work for STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO, wrote this classic exercise in suspense. He may have generously borrowed from HAWAII FIVE-O as you have the textbook psycho on the loose, long a problem for Steve McGarrett.
END GAME I would nominate as one of the best episodes and most creative. It takes place in an abandoned building where Joe has to rescue Art Malcolm (Ward Wood) from a genuine nutcase. We also learn a few things about Malcolm, as he served with Joe in the same platoon in Korea, and that some of his other buddies were done in by this lunatic in grisly ways. This is as good as it gets.
Bizarro scene has Mannix confronting a dummy hanging upside down. Look out! The abandoned building was well fitted by the prop people at Paramount, who were very creative when it came to campy, creepy hideaways. Steve Ihnat, a veteran of many cop shows, takes top honors as the diabolical villain. He is the one to watch.
Gruff, scowling Arch Johnson makes a good police captain, a role he played for years.
This episode marked Ward Wood's first appearance as Malcolm. Wood worked years in bit parts and is credited for appearing in many classic movies, dating back to the 1940s. Mr. Gould did his job and kept all our high school teachers busy warning us NOT to watch this stuff. Remember?
SEASON 2 EPISODE 19 remastered CBS dvd box set.