Agents West and Frank Harper (William Schallert) investigate a series of disturbing incidents involving a raven hypnotizing high-ranking officials into committing crimes. aided by two different eye doctors who both call themselves "Dr.Horatio Occularis". The incidents lead the two agents to "The Raven", a group of would-be conquerors led by Professor Thaddeus Toombs (John Harding) and an Evil Genius called Tycho (Christopher Cary).
Tropes present in this episode:
- Backwards-Firing Gun: Raven eliminates the first Occularis (Bernard Fox), who has outlived his usefulness, by giving him one of these.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Raven's victims. Poor Frank is so afflicted that when he's brainwashed while posing as Mayor Sneed, he thinks he is Sneed after he's triggered. He tries to shoot Jim, who stops him by talking him into killing Frank Harper first, causing him to empty his gun into a mirror.
- Creepy Ravens: Raven uses actual trained ravens to activate their Manchurian Agents.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Tycho appears briefly, getting a much larger role in Part 2.
- Feel No Pain: The brainwashed victims. Unfortunately for Jim, he was only pretending to be brainwashed...
- Femme Fatale: Laurette (Michele Carey), who pretends to be an innocent bystander when Jim first meets her, is actually a murderous Raven agent.
- Historical Domain Character: Once again, Ulysses S. Grant makes an appearance.
- Large Ham: Toombs and the second Occularis (Robert Ellenstein), both of whom are wonderfully overplayed.
- Mad Scientist: Raven is a whole organization of them.
- Manchurian Agent: What Raven's victims become, albeit temporarily.
- Nebulous Evil Organization: Raven.
- Shout-Out: The teaser has a woman reading from Walt Whitman's "Oh Captain! My Captain!"
- Slasher Smile: Occularis II does one while brainwashing Frank.
- Spell My Name With An S: Michele Carey is billed as Michelle Carey in the end credits of both parts.
- Tranquilizer Dart: Laurette uses a remotely-triggered dart launcher to knock Jim out.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: During his brief Motive Rant, Toombs says that the members of Raven "want to rule the Earth and its inhabitants scientifically", which they think would be an improvement over the irrational leadership of current governments.
