Season 3 Episode 15- "The Nature of Evil" was an effective horror story from season 2, but this one is mostly ineffective. A cross between KUNG FU and THE EXORCIST, weaving many elements into an almost indigestible stew. Caine spots a young woman struggling with an aggressive older man. She is Amy Starbuck (Leslie Ann Charleson), still grieving for her stillborn child for over a year, while the man, Shelby Cross (David Huddleston, previously seen in "The Salamander"), runs a trading post, supplying drugs to help the lady forget her pain. Bruce Carradine, David's older half-brother (previously seen in "Empty Pages of a Dead Book"), plays Captain Roy Starbuck, Amy's concerned husband, who mistakenly locks up Caine, assuming that his wife is simply guilty of having an affair. Caine finds a riding crop with the symbol of a Chinese demon carved into the head, reminding him of a time when he was a small boy dangerously ill with typhoid, asking the demon to take the life of another in his place. Having created the demon in his own mind, he must now find a way to defeat it and save Amy as well. A. Wilford Brimley shows up as a blacksmith, while Allan Melvin (ALL IN THE FAMILY) receives billing on screen as 'Voice of Demon.' One of the few acting roles for Bruce Carradine, who never appeared in anything without little brother David (there is a strong resemblance between them, same mother but different fathers). Next up- "The Thief of Chendo"
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