The puma attack occurs AFTER Paladin has received the $2500 reward in Santa Fe. He is heading back to San Francisco. The key to the story is the complicity of the entire population of the small town, Prarie (sic) Orchard. Everyone lies in order to share in the culpability. The money was distributed in payment for debts among the towns people, as is shown in the final scene. In retrospect it is amazing how elaborate the people went to create the deception. The opening is a dilemma in itself. Paladin is playing a chess game against himself based upon the strategies of Napoleon and Hannibal. As he states, after making a move, he has to block out the strategy of the previous player and assume that of the other. His deductive skills are put to test from the observations after the attack while he is in a semi-conscious state, of the two men who found him, but leave him to die - a ring, spurs, boots, a gun holster, and voice accents.
4 Reviews
The Puma Died, or, A Bad Day at Prarie Orchard
lexyladyjax29 August 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This episode opened in the usual manner at the Hotel Carlton. Paladin needed only travel to another location and identify a suspect to connect him with a crime in order to collect a $2500 reward. Presumably this went off without a hitch until the return journey, when a puma (mountain lion) decided Paladin was on its dinner menu.
Pay attention to the horses. The use of stock footage never fails to amuse. There were three different mounts in the scenes leading up to Paladin's abandonment in the desert: a horse with one rear white leg, one with two white legs, and finally the horse stood by while Paladin is prone by the waterhole, had no white on its legs. In the days before colour and HD television, perhaps audiences were unable to distinguish one horse from another.
With Paladin injured two Naughty Samaritans happened upon him. Unfortunately they decided he wasn't long for the world...so short a time had Paladin, in fact, that they helped themselves to his food, weapons and horse. Riding off, they left him in the desert to die alone without offering him so much as a cool sip of water. Paladin was unable to see their faces and could only identify them by their hands, voices and boot styles.
Our Hero whispered something while his supplies were being horsejacked, but this writer was unable to read his lips in the scenes. Water? Food? Help me? I'll kill you both? Knowing Paladin, it could be any combination of these, or none.
Fortunately, the thieves had let slip their destination, and Paladin (of course) survived his ordeal in the desert. On foot and in pain, he managed to find his way to Prarie Orchard (sic) where he investigated the crime and searched for his property.
Well worth watching, it's spiced here and there with sardonic bits of humour. Watch as Paladin gets a whiff of himself as he's about to have a bathe. His 'I'm trying not to' (kill you) line is dead funny. Unfortunately, dry wit lacks wide appeal, and not everyone gets the joke.
Pay attention to the horses. The use of stock footage never fails to amuse. There were three different mounts in the scenes leading up to Paladin's abandonment in the desert: a horse with one rear white leg, one with two white legs, and finally the horse stood by while Paladin is prone by the waterhole, had no white on its legs. In the days before colour and HD television, perhaps audiences were unable to distinguish one horse from another.
With Paladin injured two Naughty Samaritans happened upon him. Unfortunately they decided he wasn't long for the world...so short a time had Paladin, in fact, that they helped themselves to his food, weapons and horse. Riding off, they left him in the desert to die alone without offering him so much as a cool sip of water. Paladin was unable to see their faces and could only identify them by their hands, voices and boot styles.
Our Hero whispered something while his supplies were being horsejacked, but this writer was unable to read his lips in the scenes. Water? Food? Help me? I'll kill you both? Knowing Paladin, it could be any combination of these, or none.
Fortunately, the thieves had let slip their destination, and Paladin (of course) survived his ordeal in the desert. On foot and in pain, he managed to find his way to Prarie Orchard (sic) where he investigated the crime and searched for his property.
Well worth watching, it's spiced here and there with sardonic bits of humour. Watch as Paladin gets a whiff of himself as he's about to have a bathe. His 'I'm trying not to' (kill you) line is dead funny. Unfortunately, dry wit lacks wide appeal, and not everyone gets the joke.
Chess Match
alydar2112 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Episode proves the value of good writing. First scene shows Paladin in an imaginary chess match. After his study of battle tactics of Hannibal and Napoleon, he recreates the chess games these two unseen opponents may have played against each other.
Fast forward to a different unseen opponent, a puma that attacks Paladin. He survives only because he shot it, fed on its meat and warmed himself with it's pelt. This information isn't disclosed until much later.
Then a 3rd encounter with unseen opponents happens. As he lay near death, he is robbed by two faceless men. They take his horse, gun, cash and food while making excuses why they cannot help this dying man.
But Paladin does survive and he struggles his way on foot into a western town. He uses his own chess tactics in an attempt to regain his possessions. The ending explains all and is well scripted.
I was so impressed by the care taken in presenting just another 1950s-60s western series show. Don't miss this chess match!
Fast forward to a different unseen opponent, a puma that attacks Paladin. He survives only because he shot it, fed on its meat and warmed himself with it's pelt. This information isn't disclosed until much later.
Then a 3rd encounter with unseen opponents happens. As he lay near death, he is robbed by two faceless men. They take his horse, gun, cash and food while making excuses why they cannot help this dying man.
But Paladin does survive and he struggles his way on foot into a western town. He uses his own chess tactics in an attempt to regain his possessions. The ending explains all and is well scripted.
I was so impressed by the care taken in presenting just another 1950s-60s western series show. Don't miss this chess match!
Muddled
dougdoepke8 June 2010
Paladin is robbed of $2,500 by two unknown men following a puma attack. Now he scours the nearest town for the culprits and his money.
Average episode, at best. The screenplay never generates needed suspense or tension, coming across instead as rather muddled in development. Perhaps the most interesting feature is the puma attack. It's not shown. Instead, we segue from Paladin on a horse to flat on his back and being robbed. So we wonder what happened and only find out later. Perhaps the producers lacked a stock shot of a big cat attack and staging one was too expensive. Anyway, our knight- without-armor goes through the rest of the entry with a shredded shirt and a load of mad. In the acting department, Moreland makes a rather poignant impression as the sympathetic saloon girl. Otherwise, it's a forgettable episode.
Average episode, at best. The screenplay never generates needed suspense or tension, coming across instead as rather muddled in development. Perhaps the most interesting feature is the puma attack. It's not shown. Instead, we segue from Paladin on a horse to flat on his back and being robbed. So we wonder what happened and only find out later. Perhaps the producers lacked a stock shot of a big cat attack and staging one was too expensive. Anyway, our knight- without-armor goes through the rest of the entry with a shredded shirt and a load of mad. In the acting department, Moreland makes a rather poignant impression as the sympathetic saloon girl. Otherwise, it's a forgettable episode.
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