Part II

Chapter two finds Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton) landing in Annapolis, Maryland, auctioned off to Spotsylvania County plantation owner John Reynolds (Lorne Greene), on the advice of his top field hand Fiddler (Lou Gossett, in his Emmy Award-winning performance), so named for his fiddle playing abilities. Reynolds gives the wild African boy a new name, Toby, and assigns Fiddler the six month mission of teaching him English and training him to work the fields. His eyes constantly darting to and fro, seemingly looking for a place to run, Kunta may prove difficult to tame but responds favorably to Fiddler's innate kindness and sympathetic nature. Trouble arises when Kunta finds a sharp metal object with which he begins the laborious task of cutting off his lone chain, standing before the stunned Fiddler with only the collar around his neck. Too late to back out now, Kunta bids Fiddler an emotional goodbye and tries to effect his escape, the morning snow making him relatively easy to find. Plantation overseer Ames (Vic Morrow) whips the runaway mercilessly until he finally answers to the name Toby, lying in the mud as Fiddler tends to his wounds. LeVar Burton and Lou Gossett would reprise their signature roles in a 1988 yuletide sequel, "Roots: The Gift."