Oddly strange mix of characters and as usual, the minor characters give the biggest hint of what is going on. In this case, Stacy Harris as Col. Clinton Wilcox, Bing Russell as Major Reynolds and Al Ruscio as Delgado. Let's focus on these characters.
The episode is most noted today because of Deforest Kelley's crazy army figure who slaughtered Indian men, women and children. Haus takes a crack at tackling his following orders idea. In truth, I saw nothing different here with Kelley that he didn't do on Star Trek.
But it is Ben Cartwright who caused me to watch this episode. I think this is something that has always been touched on in shows and movies with other cultures like this. You have your rules and we have ours, but we have to do things according to your rules? Strangely enough, I used to see this to its most annoying on Star Trek: Next Generation.
What if Marshall Matt Dillon was ever stopped by Indians in his pursuit of an apache and they said their rules and their laws would decide the man's fate? What if native Americans burst into the courtroom with Perry Mason after he had reached his verdict and said, no, we will decide the outcome of this court.
I think this is what is most annoying about many of these shows, even with bleeding heart ideas such as Ben was spouting here, it still MUST be according to the white man's law.
When Cochise shoots another Indian who is about to shoot Ben in the back, it changes nothing. It MUST be according to the white man's law.
Ben should have handed Kelley over to Cochise right then and there. Cochise had killed one of his own to save Ben, that showed the truth of Chochise' intentions.
"Haus, Joe, you'll never sleep at night, . . . " Where was all this conscience coming from? Then Ben reaches the camp to get help from Wilcox and Reynolds. When Wilcox said Cochise had probably already murdered his sons, Ben should have walked out right then and there and handed over Kelley to Cochise. There was the 'law' Ben was wanting to uphold, in Wilcox' words, so Cochise had twice showed his honor to Ben; in shooting Delgado and then in Wilcox' disregard to Cochise over the lives of Ben's sons.
Unfortunately, I missed the ending of the episode, but I gather Kelley got his poetic justice.
But there are stronger messages in this episode.
The episode is most noted today because of Deforest Kelley's crazy army figure who slaughtered Indian men, women and children. Haus takes a crack at tackling his following orders idea. In truth, I saw nothing different here with Kelley that he didn't do on Star Trek.
But it is Ben Cartwright who caused me to watch this episode. I think this is something that has always been touched on in shows and movies with other cultures like this. You have your rules and we have ours, but we have to do things according to your rules? Strangely enough, I used to see this to its most annoying on Star Trek: Next Generation.
What if Marshall Matt Dillon was ever stopped by Indians in his pursuit of an apache and they said their rules and their laws would decide the man's fate? What if native Americans burst into the courtroom with Perry Mason after he had reached his verdict and said, no, we will decide the outcome of this court.
I think this is what is most annoying about many of these shows, even with bleeding heart ideas such as Ben was spouting here, it still MUST be according to the white man's law.
When Cochise shoots another Indian who is about to shoot Ben in the back, it changes nothing. It MUST be according to the white man's law.
Ben should have handed Kelley over to Cochise right then and there. Cochise had killed one of his own to save Ben, that showed the truth of Chochise' intentions.
"Haus, Joe, you'll never sleep at night, . . . " Where was all this conscience coming from? Then Ben reaches the camp to get help from Wilcox and Reynolds. When Wilcox said Cochise had probably already murdered his sons, Ben should have walked out right then and there and handed over Kelley to Cochise. There was the 'law' Ben was wanting to uphold, in Wilcox' words, so Cochise had twice showed his honor to Ben; in shooting Delgado and then in Wilcox' disregard to Cochise over the lives of Ben's sons.
Unfortunately, I missed the ending of the episode, but I gather Kelley got his poetic justice.
But there are stronger messages in this episode.