This was the fifth episode of Bonanza that Michael Landon directed. He also wrote the teleplay for this episode. This is my personal favorite episode. The reason I believe that I like this episode so much, is that it is really about Michael Landon working out his feelings about God and Man, and Man and religion. He grew up in a dysfunctional family with a Catholic mother that was very emotionally unstable. His father was Jewish, but could also be quite distant. Despite being angered by his parents ways, Michael Landon did love them. He said once that he thought he hated religion, and particularly Catholicism, because his mother would walk around in her night gun holding her Bible praying to god that he would kill Eugene (Mike) because he was Jewish like his father Eli; but that eventually through his writing he realized that he did not hate religion, but his mother and father's behavior. They constantly bickered about religion and would only talk to one another through their children. Michael's mother favored his sister and hated her son, because he was Jewish. In this episode there is a corrupt town boss and this is very much a commentary on the times. There is a corrupt power on main street. This was a time in which both management of companies and labor leaders, such as Jimmy Hoffa were corrupt. There was an enemy within as Robert Kennedy called it, and it was very much there in this episode. Ben is ambushed, but he kills his assailant, the leader of the town. The glorified town bully. The Padre tries to guide Little Joe, but Little Joe is having none of the religious arguments and at one point tells the Padre "Father, don't give me that meek shall inherit the earth stuff!" By the end of the episode Little Joe and the Padre have learned to work together to resolve this issue, and while Little Joe does not convert to Catholicism, there is a mutual understanding and sense of tolerance and appreciation between he and the Padre. Little Joe has learned from the Padre to look for the good in others, even in the worst times, and Joe has taught the Padre to stand firmly and fight back against the forces of authoritarianism and oppression. I believe that this is Michael's way of affirming his Judaism and tolerance for Christianity through the character Little Joe and his relationship with the Padre. I really liked the lighting, the set design, the blocking, the cinematography, and editing in this episode. Also all of the performances were outstanding!