User Reviews

I really enjoyed this episode for a few reasons. It was different in that much of the episode takes place at night or in darkened spaces due to a power blackout. They also had some interesting scenes facing the problems caused by the blackout, like in a traffic jam at the airport and in the house of the intended victim. Finally the late Diana Hyland, whose work I always enjoyed, plays an excellent part as a troubled but beautiful young lady struggling to overcome her past. It is of its time but worth watching.

Charles Nyack has been in prison for two years after assaulting a woman. Apparently, he's learned nothing and is planning on getting even with the woman, as he blames her for his being imprisoned. When his old friend realizes this, Charles attacks him...beating him and stealing his car. The friend died as a result of his wounds shortly after...but not after telling authorities of Nyack's plans. Can Erskine and the forces of niceness stop Nyack before it's too late?

While this case might seem like a local one, it became an F.B.I. case because Nyack crossed state lines...making him a fugitive from justice. Oddly, along his journey is a Siamese cat (the breed...it was NOT two cats stuck together!)...and they are inseparable.

"Overload" is among the weakest episodes of "The F.B.I.". Much of it is due to a lot of logical inconsistencies and poor writing. Why didn't the parole board notify the lady that her attacker was being releasesd? When Erskine finally catches up to Nyack, why doesn't he shoot him when he first catches him? This is especially confusing when Nyack has just killed one guy and assaulted several others....and he's a professional boxer? And, when Erskine and Nyack are fighting, why does Nyack's intended victim just lie there on the floor....doing nothing to help Erskine? Why would the power go off just when it did in the city? Why would it come back on just AFTER the baddie is apprehended? And, there was LOTS of time for the police to respond long, long before Erskine...but they said the police were too busy dealing with the blackout to respond. Too busy to respond to a murderer who is on his way to murder another person?! Huh?! Many more logical inconsistencies abound...and the plot is amazingly simple and seems stretched out to make the show last the full hour time slot.