A Question of Death begins with a young motorcycle accident victim being taken to the hospital and declared brain dead. The victim is registered as an organ donor and Quincy (Jack Klugman) is called in to assist and consult on the case. After the doctors convince the parents of the victim to pull the plug, they are approached by a lawyer who convinces them that this was premature and a huge lawsuit is filed against the medical team. Quincy becomes further enraged with the hospital administration when he learns that the kidney of the man who died went to a wealthy patient rather than a low income one who was in more serious need.
While this episode addresses some important topics such as the importance of organ donation, the legalities surrounding patients declared brain dead and the ambulance chasing medical malpractice litigation culture, I just could not get interested in it and found it to be a very tedious story. Most of the scenes that take place in the hospital and courtroom just seemed dull and dragged out. I think this plot would have worked much better in a drama set in a hospital, such as the The Bold Ones: The New Doctors series starring David Hartman. Playing out on Quincy, something just doesn't feel right when he is spending more time in a hospital among the living rather than the coroner lab.
Unless you have a keen interest in the medical and legal issues featured here, I wouldn't characterize this as a particularly good or standout episode of Season 4 as there is no murder investigation or even a mystery really.