Although The Rodney Lawrence Story does not necessarily contain the most original plot, it is expertly crafted by veteran director Virgil W. Vogel, who coaxes some the best performances from his cast as any episode of the series. As a result the episode emerges as one of very best offerings from Season 2.
Dean Stockwell and Cynthia Chenault have great onscreen chemistry as Rodney Lawrence and Mandy McCrea, and viewers will find themselves invested in their characters easily. John Milford and Theodore Marcuse play the bad guys, regular roles for them, and they play their parts extremely well. Russ Conway is as usual, quite competent in his role as Mr. McCrea, Mandy's father.
But it's the great Frank DeKova who steals the episode entirely with one the best performances of his long career. DeKova was a busy character actor, and he played the full spectrum of personalities throughout his career, from humorous to villainous. But his portrayal of Ocheo was one of his very best. DeKova's Ocheo was a fantastic character...philosophical, avuncular, sagacious, caring, erudite, and pragmatic. His dying soliloquy was brilliant. His discussion of the loss of his wife and child and his subsequent revenge on the young soldier who was responsible was chilling, and also very telling as he stated the young soldier's pain did nothing to diminish his own, and that the knife he used to enact this vengeance was long embedded in his own heart. His death scene was played for realism rather than your typical onscreen passing, and as a result was far more poignant.
The cinematography should also be noted. The grave site of Rodney's parents was at a fairly high altitude, and there were multiple scenes that included some spectacular views, overlooking the surrounding mountains and canyons.
In closing I'll state this episode is not one to be missed. Absolutely one of the very best from S2, and that's saying a lot as there were many great episodes from that season.