A young Tuesday Weld is delicately beautiful in this episode and everything revolves around her. This is a gripping story, shot beautifully in black and white, with atmosphere and mood, and mounting violence. Writing this review 56 years after "Dark Corner" first aired, I'm still hesitant to give too much away. A first-time viewer should be allowed to see this as I did years ago, with no pre-knowledge of how the action will unfold.
The Braydons are dairy farmers in South Dakota. Poor, hard-working, salt of the earth. There's Papa and his two daughters, Clara and Mattie. Papa is a sweet old man who dotes on his daughters, especially Mattie, blind since an accident when she was 8 years old. And there's also Bob who lives in the house; he's Clara's fiancé. The men in this family are weak, easily manipulated, while the women are deceptively strong. Even the sheriff and his deputy are easily fooled.
While everyone else is busy working the farm, Mattie sculpts in her studio. She's lonely, isolated, yet all the action is centered on her. With her ethereal blonde hair and soft voice, Mattie is a sympathetic figure. Everyone but Clara underestimates her. But Kimble of course eventually figures her out after initially developing a closeness based on shared loneliness. He's the one who helps unravel the family secrets and allows the truth to be uncovered.
The role of Mattie was a dramatic challenge and Tuesday Weld, at age 21, was convincing in it. She matches David Janssen's intelligent portrayal of their central characters. It's why The Fugitive, five decades on, remains one of the best things to have ever graced the TV screen.