Exactly what IS this episode supposed be? Starts with a whimsical, almost slapstick scene with Festus and Ben Cooper in the abandoned room, then shifts to a wild and crazy brawl outside the Long Branch (during which Ben Cooper demonstrates his fighting abilities..which could have been used effectively in the show); then the plot turns dramatic with the drunk Sorrells, and Elisha Cook swearing vengeance against Kitty for firing him.
So far, we have a promising show.
Then comes the conflict between the dandy-ish, East Coast whippersnapper, pain-in-the-neck lawyer (Cooper) and the rough, tough, wise and fair Matt Dillon, which is nicely resolved by the Judge. Cooper and Miss Kitty then hint at a possible cozy relationship between them, followed by the "conspiracy" scene with Sorrells and Elisha Cook (loved the placement of the kerosene lantern in that scene).
Then, the entire show goes straight to hell, becoming another "Kitty is Kidnapped" drama which I absolutely HATE (Kitty, as usual, in her bouffant hair-do, big eyelashes, fancy make-up and long-trained dress being roughed up and manhandled in the wild while we all wait for Matt to catch up with them. As I said, I hate these plots...though there's a VERY convincing shot of Kitty falling off her horse and tumbling down the roadside; GREAT stunt-double work that looked exactly like Amanda Blake).
Anyway, it's just a matter of time: will Kitty be molested by the bad guy before Matt shows up? And the director's handling of the big climatic scene near the end is poor; why didn't Cooper and Matt split up, to give them an advantage when Sorrells emerges, holding Kitty hostage?? Why did Matt wait a full 8-10 seconds to move while the pooch was chewing on Sorrells' arm? The tension and realism were just deflated.
Actor Ben Cooper, who was fabulous in the great Season 7 episode "Apprentice Doc", here is saddled with a script which cant' seem to figure out who-or-what his character is supposed to be, being reduced to a tag-along with Matt, and a silly final scene that attempts to patch together a poorly-plotted script.
NOTE TO WRITER CRUTCHFIELD: next time, have Ben Cooper, the "social justice, by-the-book warrior" be forced to shoot and kill the thug he was so hot to defend in order to save Miss Kitty, thereby teaching him the realities of administering justice in the violent, dangerous emerging society of the Old West; now THAT would have been a good ending!
Instead, we get this silly, lame' "whimsical" scene at the very end, a real eyeball roller. Just plain bad.
And speaking of eyeballs, how about Hank Patterson's mouthful of dry corn..expanding in his mouth 'til his eyeballs were going to pop outta' his head..... Now THAT was weird!
LR.
So far, we have a promising show.
Then comes the conflict between the dandy-ish, East Coast whippersnapper, pain-in-the-neck lawyer (Cooper) and the rough, tough, wise and fair Matt Dillon, which is nicely resolved by the Judge. Cooper and Miss Kitty then hint at a possible cozy relationship between them, followed by the "conspiracy" scene with Sorrells and Elisha Cook (loved the placement of the kerosene lantern in that scene).
Then, the entire show goes straight to hell, becoming another "Kitty is Kidnapped" drama which I absolutely HATE (Kitty, as usual, in her bouffant hair-do, big eyelashes, fancy make-up and long-trained dress being roughed up and manhandled in the wild while we all wait for Matt to catch up with them. As I said, I hate these plots...though there's a VERY convincing shot of Kitty falling off her horse and tumbling down the roadside; GREAT stunt-double work that looked exactly like Amanda Blake).
Anyway, it's just a matter of time: will Kitty be molested by the bad guy before Matt shows up? And the director's handling of the big climatic scene near the end is poor; why didn't Cooper and Matt split up, to give them an advantage when Sorrells emerges, holding Kitty hostage?? Why did Matt wait a full 8-10 seconds to move while the pooch was chewing on Sorrells' arm? The tension and realism were just deflated.
Actor Ben Cooper, who was fabulous in the great Season 7 episode "Apprentice Doc", here is saddled with a script which cant' seem to figure out who-or-what his character is supposed to be, being reduced to a tag-along with Matt, and a silly final scene that attempts to patch together a poorly-plotted script.
NOTE TO WRITER CRUTCHFIELD: next time, have Ben Cooper, the "social justice, by-the-book warrior" be forced to shoot and kill the thug he was so hot to defend in order to save Miss Kitty, thereby teaching him the realities of administering justice in the violent, dangerous emerging society of the Old West; now THAT would have been a good ending!
Instead, we get this silly, lame' "whimsical" scene at the very end, a real eyeball roller. Just plain bad.
And speaking of eyeballs, how about Hank Patterson's mouthful of dry corn..expanding in his mouth 'til his eyeballs were going to pop outta' his head..... Now THAT was weird!
LR.