The Big Valley (TV Series) Deathtown (1968) User Reviews

Any three Mexicans will do

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 10 October 2015]

The spotlight is on Richard Long in this episode as he is the only series regular in this story. Jarrod Barkley is visiting a nearby town to arrange a purchase of some Barkley real estate to three Mexican brothers and finds they have been lynched for the rape/murder of Antoinette Bower and the beating of her husband Jason Evers. Evers recognizes the trio when they come to town and the Mexicans are lynched all before Jarrod arrives.

But he's got a letter the tone of which convinces him that these people could not be sex criminals. More important there's a piece of information there that casts doubt on Evers's version. He and sheriff Frank Marth do some investigating and I have to say the conclusion was at some variance to how I thought it would come out.

This story is an Oxbow Incident type lesson against the evils of mob violence. That's always a good lesson that bears repeating.

Despite the Political Correctness of this episode......Comparisons to a typical Mannix episode

[pannyfrank · 9/10 · 2 May 2020]

This episode had some similarities to a Mannix episode. That is, it was Jarrod (Mannix) coming to town to arrange a purchase of Barkeley land only to find that some facts do not add up. So he goes into private investigator mode (he has to; he's an attorney) and tries to add all the pieces together, kind of like what Mannix does. The music background is very close to the music you hear in a Mannix episode too (Lalo Schifrin did the music for the final season of The Big Valley). When he solves the case, it's everybody tying up all the loose ends together.

Overall, an enjoyable episode even if the subject matter may have indeed led to the demise of this series at the time. If this show was shown today, there would've been more viewers that would've made this show last longer and put it up there with Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and even Mannix. See the episode yourself, and see if you find anymore comparisons to Mannix.

Nothing Jarrod is led to believe is true

[mlbroberts · 10/10 · 7 May 2020]

Jarrod Barkley goes to Baker City to close a land deal with three brothers from Mexico, but he's lied to, told they came and went. First he is curious, then suspicious, then he finds out what really happened to them, except the reason he's given for it turns out not to be true either. Wounded and bedraggled after riding for more than 50 miles after other men, he finds out even more isn't true. Twists and turns all the way to the end.

I'm a little disappointed that a couple commenters find the episode "politically correct." It was actually correct in that Mexicans were unjustly lynched, just as many other people were. Richard Long (Jarrod) had a good reference for finding out actual history of the US West - his brother was a professor of the subject at SMU. Historical accuracy seems to be something some people can't swallow, or at least don't want to see it on TV episodes.

Another political correct story- that was hard to watch

[kfo9494 · 4/10 · 16 November 2012]

With the other Barkley's on vacation Jarrod has to take the lead in a script written just for Richard Long. Since it was often difficult to get Jarrod in the weekly plot, the writer always had an unique story to be able to get Richard Long as the main characters in the story.

Jarrod is sent to Baker City to approved a sale of Barkley's land to a group of three Mexicans. But when he gets to Baker City there is a cloud of suspicion concerning the men Jarrod was to see.

The town has already lynched a gang of Mexicans because they heard they raped and killed one of the most prominent citizens of the town. But is Jarrod getting the entire story?

The Mexicans may have had nothing to do with the killing but that did not matter to the townsfolk. It will be up to Jarrod to get to the truth of the matter.

Another story that perhaps cause the demise of the series. From prison reform to Confederate hatred and then to a National disrespect of immigrants - this was not the topics for a weekly series in the late 1960's. A difficult watch that was doomed to capture the watching public.