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Reviews
The High Chaparral: The Terrorist (1967)
Episode Plays Fast and Loose with History
Set in the mid-1870s, The High Chaparral is at its best when it doesn't try to incorporate actual historical events in its story line. In this episode it attempted to do so and absolutely mangled the facts, setting up a fictional conflict between the French-backed Emperor Maximilian and the native political leader Benito Juarez. The French were driven out of Mexico in 1867 and Maximilian was executed by firing squad that same year. Juarez recovered the rulership of Mexico at that time (he really only ever lost it in the regions controlled by France) and maintained it until his death by natural causes in 1872. So, by the time The High Chaparral's timeframe rolled around, both men were long deceased. It's common for TV Westerns to warp actual events in order to support a story line, but this episode's ignorance of history seems especially egregious.