Day of Reckoning story
A gentleman is unable to convince anyone that he murdered his cheating wife. Directed by: Jerry Hopper. Story by: Richard Levinson, William Link.
22 total · 2 choice · 9 major · 11 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| spouse murder | choice | Accidentally or intentionally, in a flash of rage Paul pushed his wife off the yacht they were on after she said she was leaving him for someone else. |
| what if I told the truth and nobody would believe me | choice | The story concludes with Paul not being believed when he confessed to having pushed his wife off a yacht to her death, as he had indeed done. He was instead written off as mentally unsound and promptly committed to an insane asylum. |
| brother and sister | major | Paul's sister, Carolyn, came to his support after his wife died in an apparent boating accident. |
| confessing to a wrongdoing vs. keeping quiet | major | Paul struggled over whether to confess to having pushed his wife off a yacht to her death, as he had indeed done. |
| coping with the death of a spouse | major | Paul was sullen and broody in the aftermath of having killed his wife. |
| extramarital affair | major | Paul killed his wife in a jealous rage after she revealed to him that there was another man. |
| husband and wife | major | The story concerns the aftermath of Paul pushing his unfaithful wife, Felicity, off the deck of a yacht to her death. |
| law enforcement | major | The sheriff was a central character throughout the little drama. |
| remorse | major | Various signs pointed to Paul being wracked with guilt after having pushed his cheating wife, Felicity, off a yacht to her death. He twice gazed wistfully at her portrait, spoke of how the house was quiet without her, and was generally sullen. Judge Wilcox further speculated that Paul confessed to killing Felicity as a way to relieve his guilt. |
| romantic jealousy | major | The story was driven by Paul and his rage at the unknown lover his wife intended to run off with. Paul lashed out at one suspect after the other, and at his sister Carolyn as well for some reason. |