Tough-as-nails drive foreman Kelso Prather has never met a man like Cheyenne Bodie, and that infuriates him. Prather had just tried to force himself on Susan Doonevan and Cheyenne stopped him. From then on, the two men share a mutual antagonism that will lead to more than a fistfight. But that's getting ahead of the story.
Cheyenne has been hired to help Major George Early move 600 head of cattle north. With the snow approaching, the major decides to winter the herd in the valley until spring. Along with Prather and a greenhorn named Bushrod, Cheyenne agrees to stay to look after the herd. Before the rest of the crew leaves, Major Early introduces Cheyenne to a valley homesteader, his former Army sergeant Tom Doonevan and his young wife Susan, a "pretty little thing" who has never met a man like Cheyenne Bodie either. Her reaction to him is not unusual. When he notes that she obviously loves living in that out-of-the-way place, she says wistfully, "Livin' out here is simple. You're not always sufferin' from seeing things you want and can't have." She looks up at him, a look he has no doubt seen before, and it makes him uneasy.
In another ominous bit of foreshadowing, Cheyenne and Early also meet the Dutchman, a sly criminal boss with a reputation for taking advantage of every opportunity to appropriate property that doesn't belong to him. Early warns him to leave that herd alone and the Dutchman agrees after being assured that Cheyenne Bodie is on the Major's side. "How tall do you stand, mister?" he asks. "I don't know," replies Cheyenne. "I haven't measured myself since last week, and I grow a little every day." An obviously astute criminal, the Dutchman will be leaving Major Early's property alone. But that doesn't mean this is the last time we see the Dutchman.
In no time, the bully Prather has chased inexperienced Bushrod away, leaving two men to look after the herd through the winter. But it doesn't start out well when a drunken Prather decides to get too friendly with the neighbor's wife. That's when Cheyenne saves her with one well-aimed fist; but not only does this incur Prather's wrath but a traumatized Susan shows her gratitude in a way that her husband Tom misconstrues. It was only a heartfelt embrace, but Tom's the jealous kind and is ready to pull the trigger. During a tense confrontation, Susan stands up for her rescuer and for herself.
Honorable as ever, Clint Walker's Cheyenne Bodie never did do anything wrong, certainly not in this episode. If he's tempted like other people, he tends to keep it to himself. Bodie actually has us believing that a man could keep his word and remain true to his principles, even at great cost to himself. The supporting cast is very good. Robert J. Wilke's Kelso Prather is sufficiently vile, Hayden Rorke's Major Early is spot-on, Stacy Keach Sr's Dutchman is quietly menacing, and Fay Spain's Susan Doonevan is a model of self-control and fidelity in the face of extreme temptation. Malcolm Atterbury's wily storekeeper Armstrong is a welcome change from all the drama. And we can't forget that full credit goes to "Mule" as our hero's one constant link with reality during that very long winter; she handled the part like a stallion.
This is another episode at the top of my list of favorites, with so many rewindable scenes that I have trouble getting through the entire episode without pausing to relive an attention-grabbing moment. Cheyenne's thoughtfulness in saving those zinnia seeds for Susan, his touching joy at seeing the smoke from their cabin after months of being alone, Susan's understandable admiration from the get-go, the tense moment when she's fitting a new shirt on that masculine torso, his "goodbye" wave. And so many more. Drawing inspiration from this episode, our own winter days might not seem quite so long.
Cheyenne has been hired to help Major George Early move 600 head of cattle north. With the snow approaching, the major decides to winter the herd in the valley until spring. Along with Prather and a greenhorn named Bushrod, Cheyenne agrees to stay to look after the herd. Before the rest of the crew leaves, Major Early introduces Cheyenne to a valley homesteader, his former Army sergeant Tom Doonevan and his young wife Susan, a "pretty little thing" who has never met a man like Cheyenne Bodie either. Her reaction to him is not unusual. When he notes that she obviously loves living in that out-of-the-way place, she says wistfully, "Livin' out here is simple. You're not always sufferin' from seeing things you want and can't have." She looks up at him, a look he has no doubt seen before, and it makes him uneasy.
In another ominous bit of foreshadowing, Cheyenne and Early also meet the Dutchman, a sly criminal boss with a reputation for taking advantage of every opportunity to appropriate property that doesn't belong to him. Early warns him to leave that herd alone and the Dutchman agrees after being assured that Cheyenne Bodie is on the Major's side. "How tall do you stand, mister?" he asks. "I don't know," replies Cheyenne. "I haven't measured myself since last week, and I grow a little every day." An obviously astute criminal, the Dutchman will be leaving Major Early's property alone. But that doesn't mean this is the last time we see the Dutchman.
In no time, the bully Prather has chased inexperienced Bushrod away, leaving two men to look after the herd through the winter. But it doesn't start out well when a drunken Prather decides to get too friendly with the neighbor's wife. That's when Cheyenne saves her with one well-aimed fist; but not only does this incur Prather's wrath but a traumatized Susan shows her gratitude in a way that her husband Tom misconstrues. It was only a heartfelt embrace, but Tom's the jealous kind and is ready to pull the trigger. During a tense confrontation, Susan stands up for her rescuer and for herself.
Honorable as ever, Clint Walker's Cheyenne Bodie never did do anything wrong, certainly not in this episode. If he's tempted like other people, he tends to keep it to himself. Bodie actually has us believing that a man could keep his word and remain true to his principles, even at great cost to himself. The supporting cast is very good. Robert J. Wilke's Kelso Prather is sufficiently vile, Hayden Rorke's Major Early is spot-on, Stacy Keach Sr's Dutchman is quietly menacing, and Fay Spain's Susan Doonevan is a model of self-control and fidelity in the face of extreme temptation. Malcolm Atterbury's wily storekeeper Armstrong is a welcome change from all the drama. And we can't forget that full credit goes to "Mule" as our hero's one constant link with reality during that very long winter; she handled the part like a stallion.
This is another episode at the top of my list of favorites, with so many rewindable scenes that I have trouble getting through the entire episode without pausing to relive an attention-grabbing moment. Cheyenne's thoughtfulness in saving those zinnia seeds for Susan, his touching joy at seeing the smoke from their cabin after months of being alone, Susan's understandable admiration from the get-go, the tense moment when she's fitting a new shirt on that masculine torso, his "goodbye" wave. And so many more. Drawing inspiration from this episode, our own winter days might not seem quite so long.
