Bonanza (TV Series) Decision at Los Robles (1970) User Reviews

Cue the Spaghetti Western music

[datedgamer · 7/10 · 17 February 2016]

Well here we have one of the "lost" episodes from some of the post Adam seasons. I do like these seasons being an unashamed fan of Candy Canady. In this Joe and Ben episode we see the Cartwrights in Ol' Mexico on business. they run afoul of John Walker and Ben is shot and subsequently kills Walker in self defense. the remainder of the episode sees Joe holed up in the mission trying to thwart Walkers' son Jed's revenge plans. Turns into a pretty formulaic but entertaining Spaghetti Western story at this point. Standout performances from Joe De Santis as the Padre and Lurch himself Ted Cassidy as right hand man Garth. Character actor William Bassett who is normally a fabulous villain is just OK chewing up scenery as the Walker son Jed. Overall an above average episode which reminds us again how much we miss Michael Landon.

Los Robles decides to fight

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 30 January 2020]

Ben and Joe Cartwright stop at the town of Los Robles with a mostly Hispanic population run by a mean father and son Emile Meyer and William Bassett. When Meyer shoots Lorne Greene in the back after an altercation and Greene musters enough strength to turn and fire killing Meyer.

Bassett takes over their gang and wants to finish Ben Cartwright. It's up to Michael Landon to get help from wherever he can find it.

Meyer and Bassett are as mean and lowdown a pair as you can find. Some nice performances from Joe DeSantis as the town priest and George Wallace as the doctor.

I was expecting a Johnny Concho ending and didn't get it. Still a good story about a town finding its courage.

Frightened mice to the rescue?

[clong-31586 · 8/10 · 30 January 2020]

This episode is virtually identical to the Wagon Train "The Jane Hawkins Story"... If you've seen that episode, you'll have seen this one.

My personal favorite Bonanza episode

[filmgoer249711 · 10/10 · 18 August 2021]

This was the fifth episode of Bonanza that Michael Landon directed. He also wrote the teleplay for this episode. This is my personal favorite episode. The reason I believe that I like this episode so much, is that it is really about Michael Landon working out his feelings about God and Man, and Man and religion. He grew up in a dysfunctional family with a Catholic mother that was very emotionally unstable. His father was Jewish, but could also be quite distant. Despite being angered by his parents ways, Michael Landon did love them. He said once that he thought he hated religion, and particularly Catholicism, because his mother would walk around in her night gun holding her Bible praying to god that he would kill Eugene (Mike) because he was Jewish like his father Eli; but that eventually through his writing he realized that he did not hate religion, but his mother and father's behavior. They constantly bickered about religion and would only talk to one another through their children. Michael's mother favored his sister and hated her son, because he was Jewish. In this episode there is a corrupt town boss and this is very much a commentary on the times. There is a corrupt power on main street. This was a time in which both management of companies and labor leaders, such as Jimmy Hoffa were corrupt. There was an enemy within as Robert Kennedy called it, and it was very much there in this episode. Ben is ambushed, but he kills his assailant, the leader of the town. The glorified town bully. The Padre tries to guide Little Joe, but Little Joe is having none of the religious arguments and at one point tells the Padre "Father, don't give me that meek shall inherit the earth stuff!" By the end of the episode Little Joe and the Padre have learned to work together to resolve this issue, and while Little Joe does not convert to Catholicism, there is a mutual understanding and sense of tolerance and appreciation between he and the Padre. Little Joe has learned from the Padre to look for the good in others, even in the worst times, and Joe has taught the Padre to stand firmly and fight back against the forces of authoritarianism and oppression. I believe that this is Michael's way of affirming his Judaism and tolerance for Christianity through the character Little Joe and his relationship with the Padre. I really liked the lighting, the set design, the blocking, the cinematography, and editing in this episode. Also all of the performances were outstanding!

Another fine show wrecked by primadona little Joe

[Thomas001 · 5/10 · 13 December 2017]

What's happening to Bonanza? This series used to be about a father and three sons, living moral lives in the west. But this theme is rapidly changing into something silly. Gun tooting Little Joe in his 2 inch heels is now taking all spotlights and all credits, even as a writer and director? This may explain why the show expired another season later.