"Incident at Borrasca Bend" is certainly one of the more comedic episodes of Have Gun – Will Travel; it doesn't hurt to occasionally break from more serious minded methods normally applied to Paladin's bounty-hunting travels. Here, he's riding through mining country, near some "town" (a tepee with a wooden board says "Palace Saloon"! Also, tents make up buildings!) where gold prospectors are winding up dead. The miners of Borrasca rarely see women (we see here that the knowledge that a woman was seen in the nearest city of Juniper causes such a stir that the prospecting men collect in a frenzy upon the wagon of supplier/transport, Sugie (Perry Cook)) and are notorious for holding "Kangaroo Court" for all "newcomers" who just so happen to move through their territory (as Paladin soon realizes when they consider him the murderer of a local prospector, Circle Jives). Paladin joins forces with Sugie (the only one with a mode of transport due to the lack of horses in the area (Natives steal them, along with properties of the miners!)) to determine the killer of the area of the prospectors (and, especially, Circle Jives). Jacques Aubuchon has some fun as the self-appointed judge (Judge Wesson) of Borrasca, understanding all too well Paladin's innocence (when Jives was killed, Paladin was in Santa Barbara) yet willing to keep him on "trial" (using this loosely since their "court" is a bunch of the prospectors, some "picked" to be jurors, others the audience, determined basically when the judge draws a line in the sand using a stick!) for kicks (to keep his men entertained!). When the boys get all worked up and board Sugie's wagon (the only one demanding Paladin's hanging is Jackson (Ben Wright), which might be a sign of his potential guilt), the court is adjourned with Wesson informing Paladin that his case was dismissed! Again, this is a light-hearted affair, with the most absurd town you're likely to see in a western, show or movie. Good chance to see Paladin loosening his seriousness a little and playing along with these yokels. The murder-mystery part of the plot is resolved rather quickly once the Kangaroo court fiasco is dissolved through the news of the "yellow-haired" woman in Juniper, and Paladin and Sugie discover details involving one particular miner. The wet gun draw at the end on Paladin fits right into the goofy approach of the whole episode. Good fun that passes by really quickly. Boone never looked so relaxed; he even gulps away from a moonshine jug!
4 Reviews
Fun episode
barrows-097908 August 2020
What To Do When There's No TV
dougdoepke1 February 2010
In a fur-cap, Paladin journeys to a mountain mining camp in this all-outdoor entry. The trouble is Paladin has innocently picked up the effects of a murdered man, and when the bored miners discover that, they set up a Kangaroo court, putting Paladin's life ostensibly on the line.
It's an offbeat entry with a scenic setting. However, it's hard to know how seriously to take Paladin's predicament since there's a tongue-in-cheek air to what's happening. In fact, there're a couple of real belly laughs when the script gets down and dirty about what happens with a bunch of woman-less roughnecks. We sort of wonder who really killed the murdered man, but that's incidental to the interplay. Actor Aubuchon has some good moments as the hard-to- figure Judge Wesson and is a good foil for Boone to play off of.
All in all, it's an entertaining and unpredictable 30 minutes that seems to say that hanging juries could be just another way to pass time in the old West.
It's an offbeat entry with a scenic setting. However, it's hard to know how seriously to take Paladin's predicament since there's a tongue-in-cheek air to what's happening. In fact, there're a couple of real belly laughs when the script gets down and dirty about what happens with a bunch of woman-less roughnecks. We sort of wonder who really killed the murdered man, but that's incidental to the interplay. Actor Aubuchon has some good moments as the hard-to- figure Judge Wesson and is a good foil for Boone to play off of.
All in all, it's an entertaining and unpredictable 30 minutes that seems to say that hanging juries could be just another way to pass time in the old West.
Film Location
Cuppajoe2go10 March 2021
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
