Normally I don't write a review to counteract another review, because I understand we all see things differently and all have our own preferences. But I thought this was a great later episode of 'Bonanza.' Yes, director Leo Penn and his cinematographer go a bit overboard with the fancy, dizzying camera work but the atmospheric touches, with a lot of scenes filmed at night, give it a noirish look and feel which I appreciate.
I don't think we needed a very complicated plot. There didn't need to be a huge mystery about the culprit's identity. This is a double character study, involving Ben and the woman who actually pulled the trigger. The gist of the story is Ben realizing what had happened and the woman finally taking responsibility for it.
I would have been disappointed if the script hadn't given Hoss lines of dialogue reminding Ben he is no murderer, even if he gets angry enough to kill. It would have been completely against Ben's character to suggest he had it in him to commit such a heinous act. I guess this is why the story has to take place in another town, where those people and their sheriff don't know Ben or his reputation.
Some of the scenes with Ben nursing a concussion are a bit overdone, but we need to know why he's disoriented and what had happened to him when he came into this town. I love how carefully it all builds. But the best part in my opinion is how Hoss has gone home to bring Joe here to help, and Jamie has tagged along. To me, that is what this show is about at its core...a man like Ben who can always depend on his sons to support him in a crisis.
I don't think we needed a very complicated plot. There didn't need to be a huge mystery about the culprit's identity. This is a double character study, involving Ben and the woman who actually pulled the trigger. The gist of the story is Ben realizing what had happened and the woman finally taking responsibility for it.
I would have been disappointed if the script hadn't given Hoss lines of dialogue reminding Ben he is no murderer, even if he gets angry enough to kill. It would have been completely against Ben's character to suggest he had it in him to commit such a heinous act. I guess this is why the story has to take place in another town, where those people and their sheriff don't know Ben or his reputation.
Some of the scenes with Ben nursing a concussion are a bit overdone, but we need to know why he's disoriented and what had happened to him when he came into this town. I love how carefully it all builds. But the best part in my opinion is how Hoss has gone home to bring Joe here to help, and Jamie has tagged along. To me, that is what this show is about at its core...a man like Ben who can always depend on his sons to support him in a crisis.
