Quincy M.E. (TV Series) T.K.O. (1980) User Reviews

Lacking originality

[rayoflite24 · 6/10 · 31 October 2015]

T.K.O. begins with a boxing champion dying a couple of days after a fight where his nose was injured and he received medical treatment at a local clinic. Quincy (Jack Klugman) performs the autopsy and determines that the boxer died from complications resulting from the nasal injury which was not treated properly. Meanwhile, a chef at Danny's restaurant goes to the same clinic for a hernia operation and also dies as a result of improper procedure. This puts Quincy on a mission to strengthen the regulatory requirements for conducting outpatient surgical procedures to ensure that other patients don't die from the same preventable circumstances.

I didn't find this to be a particularly good episode as it dealt with medical malpractice rather than a crime or a mystery. It was also severely lacking in originality as we saw a very similar plot just a few episodes ago in "Cover Up" where a clinic allows a patient to die due to incompetence. The boxing part of the story also reminded me of the Season 3 episode "A Blow to the Head...A Blow to the Heart" where a boxer suspiciously dies shortly after a match. It was like the production team just took these two episodes and combined them to make T.K.O.

On the positive side, we see Quincy make a very passionate speech towards the end at the hearing and this showcases Jack Klugman's acting abilities at their finest. There is also an interesting scene which takes places in a car showroom and we get to see a lot of vintage Cadillacs on display which is pretty cool.

Other than that, there is not much to highlight from this episode and it is definitely not one of the better entries of Season 5.

Inconsistent character development spoiled this one for me.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 10 May 2013]

I hate inconsistent episodes of TV shows. Someone should catch these inconsistencies, as they irritate hard-core fans. For instance, in season two of "Quincy" ("A Blow to the Head"), the doctor investigates the death of a boxer and talks about how brutal the so-called 'sport' is and how it should be outlawed. However, here in season five, we have "TKO"--an episode where, inexplicably, Quincy is actually at a boxing match cheering and betting on the outcomes!! Additionally, like this prior episode, we now KNOW one of these boxers is gonna die!!

After the death of one of the boxers shortly after the fight, Quincy at first rules that a blow received in the fight caused a skull fracture that allowed a bacteria into the brain--killing the man. However, after a friend who was only JUST introduced in the show also dies, Quincy sees that the deaths are related--they went to the same surgery clinic that was not prepared for such delicate and potentially dangerous operations.

I think had I never seen the previous episode, I might have liked this one more. But seeing a doctor endorsing boxing seemed weird...and inconsistent considering that Quincy is almost always on some crusade! Overall, a fair show but no more.

Average Quincy episode.

[poolandrews · 5/10 · 3 July 2008]

Quincy M.E.: T.K.O. starts as Danny (Val Bisoglio) & Quincy (Jack Klugman) are ringside watching the young boxing contender Clarence Hester (Robert Hardy) take on his friend & current champion Kenny Mitchell (Herb Jefferson Jr.) & win the title. A few days later & Los Angeles coroner Quincy is shocked to see the body of Clarence on his autopsy table, findings show Clarence died of meningitis caused by the nasal bacteria seeping into his brain because of a badly damaged nose. Meanwhile Danny's chef Alfredo Carlotti (Peter Schrum) decides to have a simple hernia operation performed at an office clinic but dies due to complications & poor equipment. Upon investigation Quincy finds out that Clarence had seen a Doctor at an office clinic & that was the reason for his badly damaged nose, with two similar fatalities in a short space of time that could have been prevented Quincy sets out to get all surgical procedures regulated...

Episode 19 from season 5 this Quincy story was directed by Lawrence Doheny & I can't really say it's one of my favourite episodes. After a boxer mysteriously dies I thought we might get another murder mystery themed episode like A Blow to the Head... A Blow to the Heart (1977) from season three but it never turned out that way. The episode starts off with two seemingly unconnected death's, that of the young boxer & Danny's fat chef but Quincy soon finds a connection & enraged he sets out on yet another moral crusade to fight the bureaucracy that won't regulate surgical procedures & the incompetence of Doctor's who think they can perform major surgery without the proper equipment. Yes you've guessed it T.K.O. is a very moralistic based Quincy episode with a somewhat outdated social issue at it's core & no murder mystery in sight, I really don't think the issues raised here are of much relevance today anyway. Then there's the really abrupt ending which comes out of nowhere, the story is almost only getting started when the episode finishes. I must admit I did like the running gag in this episode, Quincy's boss Asten actually gives him a pager so he can bleep him whenever he wants much to Quincy's irritation & annoyance in a rather amusing subplot.

Not much to say about this episode really, it's as well made as you can expect from a 70's TV show of the period. I don't know if I should say this but wasn't Danny's chef fat? I mean I'm not being funny here but instead of cooking the food in the kitchen by the look of the bloke he ate it all didn't he? The acting is alright but it's Klugman who steal the show as usual in particular a rousing heartfelt speech at the end to a Government committee, this guy could really act. I am not entirely sure but I think the episode title T.K.O. refers to the boxing term The Knock Out but it's never specifically mentioned during the episode.

T.K.O. isn't my favourite Quincy episode out there, the two story lines give it a bit of variety & the comedy subplot about the pager is quite amusing too. There are better episodes out there.