One of the great things about Rawhide is how it handles controversial topics in a sensitive manner. It was decades ahead of its time in terms of things like racism and depictions of Native Americans. Here it covers a topic that is definitely ahead of its time: drug abuse.
The episode follows the Rawhide non-judgemental formula with a sympathetic view of the person in question. This largely works and is quite engaging and refreshing in its treatment of the subject.
Up to a point.
That point comes when the drug addict kills one of the drovers. You think, well, sympathy's all good and well but he's now a murderer. Yet, they carry on as if the drug addict is the victim and just shrug their shoulders at the senseless, unnecessary death of one of their comrades. The ending fee's incredibly hollow and smacks of injustice.
There were plenty of other ways the writers could have had the plot play out with us still being sympathetic towards the drug addict, some sort of light dawning in his life and him not being a murderer but they chose to go down that path.
Very clumsy, unrealistic, unengaging writing that leaves you feeling not a little bit cheated.
The episode follows the Rawhide non-judgemental formula with a sympathetic view of the person in question. This largely works and is quite engaging and refreshing in its treatment of the subject.
Up to a point.
That point comes when the drug addict kills one of the drovers. You think, well, sympathy's all good and well but he's now a murderer. Yet, they carry on as if the drug addict is the victim and just shrug their shoulders at the senseless, unnecessary death of one of their comrades. The ending fee's incredibly hollow and smacks of injustice.
There were plenty of other ways the writers could have had the plot play out with us still being sympathetic towards the drug addict, some sort of light dawning in his life and him not being a murderer but they chose to go down that path.
Very clumsy, unrealistic, unengaging writing that leaves you feeling not a little bit cheated.