Route 66 Season 1 Episode 25

The Newborn has potential; its plot line about a Native American woman who was raped and impregnated by a white rancher raises timely cultural issues and its sympathy for the victimized woman challenges preexisting American cultural mores. The episode also gives Tod and Buz an opportunity to take a moral stance and stick to their principals, which is in keeping with the show's tendencies.





One other strength of the episode is its casting of the young Robert Duvall as an insidious ranch hand named Roman. It was a great role for Duvall in the early days of his career, and was followed by two later guest appearances on Route 66.





These strengths notwithstanding, the episode could use some work in the speed and momentum of the story. At times, it felt tedious despite its engaging premise.