Ironside Season 1 Episode 23
Ironside
Season 1

Ep 23. Barbara Who

  • TVPG
  • February 29, 1968
  • 3000 min
  • 8.1  (79)

Ironside is a police procedural drama series that aired on NBC from 1967 to 1975. The show follows the investigations of San Francisco police chief Robert T. Ironside, who is confined to a wheelchair after being shot in the line of duty. In season 1 episode 23, titled "Barbara Who", Ironside and his team are tasked with investigating the death of a young woman whose identity remains unknown.

The episode begins with Ironside and his team, including Sergeant Ed Brown and Officer Eve Whitfield, receiving a call about a dead body in Golden Gate Park. When they arrive on the scene, they find the body of a young woman, who appears to have been strangled. However, the woman has no identification on her, and there are no witnesses or leads to follow. Ironside is determined to solve the case, and he begins by trying to identify the victim.

With no identification, Ironside and his team turn to the public for help in identifying the woman. They release a composite sketch of the victim to the press, and soon receive a call from a woman who believes the victim is her missing daughter. The woman, Barbara, travels to San Francisco to identify the body, and confirms that it is indeed her daughter, Tara. Barbara is devastated by the news of her daughter's death, and becomes determined to find her killer.

Ironside and his team begin to investigate Tara's past, and discover that she had been living in a rundown apartment building in a seedy part of town. They interview the landlord and several of Tara's neighbors, but none of them have any useful information. However, Ironside does learn that Tara had a boyfriend, a musician named George, who had recently broken up with her.

Ironside and Brown pay a visit to George, who initially denies any involvement in Tara's death. However, they discover that George had been lying to them, and that he had in fact been with Tara on the night of her murder. George tells Ironside that he and Tara had gotten into a fight, and that he had left her alone in the park. When he returned later, Tara was gone.

Ironside and his team are able to corroborate George's story with forensic evidence, and it appears that he is telling the truth. However, they still have no leads on who actually killed Tara. Ironside and Brown continue to investigate, and eventually discover that the killer was actually Tara's ex-boyfriend, Phil.

Phil had been jealous of George, and had followed Tara to the park that night. When he saw her arguing with George, he became enraged and attacked her. Phil is eventually caught and arrested, and Ironside is able to bring justice for Tara and her mother.

Overall, "Barbara Who" is a gripping episode of Ironside that showcases the show's strengths as a police procedural drama. The investigation is well-paced and keeps the audience engaged, while the emotional stakes are high with the tragic death of Tara and the devastation of her mother. The episode also highlights the strength of Ironside's team, with each member playing a crucial role in solving the case.

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Description
  • First Aired
    February 29, 1968
  • Content Rating
    TVPG
  • Runtime
    3000 min
  • Language
    English
  • IMDB Rating
    8.1  (79)