The White Shadow is one of those great shows that has stood the test of time and aged like a fine wine. Like Room 222, the issues that it tackled are still relevant today like in this one involving school violence. Coach Reeves (the always awesome Ken Howard) is forced to take over a gym class, which he looks forward to like a Soldier being sent on a suicide mission. He has a run in with the school bully Lucius Robinson who is hero worshipped by his peers for all the wrong reasons. Worse leads to worse and the punk hits the poor Coach and he hits back! Reeves is overcome with guilt feeling sorry for the poor kid after Lucius claims he comes for a poor alcoholic family. The issue of school violence and corporal punishment is discussed in detail and this episode could be set in modern times. SPOILER ALERT. Coach Reeves learns a sad lesson when he finds out the punk fed him a line of bull. Lucius actually came from a loving family but is just an all around bad seed and in the end he commits a frightning act of violence that Reeves stops just in the nick of time.
Review of Spare the Rod
