A Matter of Faith
Episode First Shown:
The first appearance of Jamie Hunter (later to become Jamie
Cartwright) when he arrives with his late father’s rain making equipment in
drought hit
I was really
interested to see this episode which marks the first appearance of Jamie. My
reaction was mixed: I thought that Mitch
Vogel did a good job, especially taking on such a large role in a world famous
series with very experienced actors. However I found the
Jamie character unappealingly directed, Ben at times out of character and with
so little "Bonanza atmosphere" that I sometimes felt that I was
watching a cross-over western into which Ben Cartwright had strayed!
For me it was one of those episodes that needed better writing and directing.
Lorne, as ever gives an excellent performance, so does Dan with a very nicely
done comedy scene and Michael is only briefly seen twice! Kudos to Lou Frizzell
who does a wonderful job as Dusty Rhoades, making the slightly roguish Dusty
really charismatic. A very nice performance too from the personable Dabbs Greer
as the storekeeper.
The beginning of the episode where Ben, Hoss and Joe re-encounter Dusty (from
Hoss and Joe's previous livery stable ventures with him) and meet Jamie for the
first time sets the scene for a Cartwright connection. Another early scene where
Dusty and Jamie arrive with their rainmaking wagon is intriguing both to the
viewer and the citizens of
specifying the time limit for producing rain.
I really enjoyed the subsequent scene where Hoss is trying on a "dress up
vest" and comments to the friendly, helpful storekeeper
(Dabbs Greer) that $1-75 is very expensive for the item!!! Hoss is quite aghast
at the price! A super scene.
After that I had two problems with this episode: not enough explanation of
Jamie's tragic past and too much focus on the rainmaking supplies and
procedures. If the former had been given more time and explanation, then the
latter would have become clearer and
required less, repetitive, boring screen time.
It is only during long scenes at the rainmaking site on a hillside outside of
Virginia City that we learn through Dusty's conversations
with Ben of Jamie's dreadful recent experiences: his father's death, before
that the horrible tarring and feathering of his father as a
failed rainmaker and Jamie being whipped. I really warmed to Dusty who had
nursed Jamie's father and then taken on responsibility for the orphaned boy.
It would have been helpful to have known about Jamie's traumatic past earlier
on because it is puzzling to see Jamie continuously clutching a book with
rainmaking instructions (his father's), buying large amounts of chemicals and
equipment and spending ages brewing up the chemical rainmaking concoction. If
the viewer had had more understanding of Jamie from the beginning, the boy's
fixation on rainmaking - his strong link with his late father - would have made
more sense.
Ben is partly written out of character in the rainmaking scenes: I can't
imagine Ben being roped in to work on the rainmaking equipment -he might just
have sent one of his hands but I can't see Ben being daft enough to get caught
up in the labour which is what happens. I also felt angry with Jamie's frequent
insolence to Ben and at Ben for taking it. The Ben that I know and love would
have given Jamie "The Look" and then "The Talk". Certainly
I can't imagine Ben letting his adult sons get away with behaviour like Jamie's
even allowing for Jamie's traumatic past. That said the "real" Ben is
apparent with his wise listening, tactful suggestions, patience and compassion
towards Jamie.
There is a nasty scene where some of the aggrieved townsmen beat up Dusty and
Jamie because the rainmaking hasn't yet worked. I felt very angry when their
thuggish behaviour was unpunished at the end of the episode. Fortunately the
rain does come - in torrents! - in the nick of time so Dusty and Jamie have fulfilled
their contract with the mayor. To Jamie this signifies that his father had true
rainmaking skills.
I'm pretty certain that one of the reasons for the poor parts of this episode
(the lengthy rainmaking scenes) was the script which includes John Soward as
one of the three writers. Soward gave us the two dire episodes "The Horse
Traders" and "What Are Pardners For?" so I am assuming that the
very good writer John Hawkins was brought in to compensate and did the good
parts (probably the Dusty lines) along with the third writer D.C.Fontana. (John
Hawkins educated Michael Landon in the art of script writing. Michael would
write sections of script, literally on the arm of his chair, at lunch time and
then John would critique Michael's work.)
There were some touching scenes between Ben and Jamie. When Jamie and Dusty
have been beaten up by some of the VC townsmen, Jamie says to Ben that he
didn't run and he didn't cry. Ben, in his kind, fatherly way says: "No,
you didn't" and you feel that Ben has begun to engage with the troubled
Jamie here. I also found it touching in the final scene where Ben has invited
Dusty and Jamie to stay at the Ponderosa that Jamie says that he always earns
his way and must pay for his board. Ben, understandingly and tactfully, says
that he will arrange that by finding chores for Jamie to do.
One final, light-hearted note. In the final scene where Hoss and Joe appear
very briefly (in slickers to tell us it's really, really raining!), Dan and
Michael both seem to give Mitch some really cheeky smiles. I wondered if they
had already started to tease Mitch on-set as he has subsequently recalled how
hard it was to stay serious through their joking!
In the above comments I have tried to be as objective as possible. My next
comments are somewhat subjective and please know that they are just about the
Jamie character and not the truly delightful Mitch Vogel.
A problem that I had with Jamie in this episode, and in the subsequent ones
which feature him, is that Jamie does have a doleful streak that I find
depressing and unappealing. I don't mean sad and in pain (as the boy should
naturally have been in this episode) but doleful i.e. miserable in a mournful
way. Since I've seen quite a few of the later Jamie episodes I have a broader
and more positive view of him than that but if this had been my first Jamie
encounter I would have been very disappointed with way that this new character
was written. JMHO.
My reaction would have been that I would far rather have had Dusty Rhoades
alone for the new major Bonanza personality as I think that Lou Frizzell is
excellent and appealing as Dusty. I could imagine him getting into quite a few
scrapes as a regular at the ranch but also being a good worker and loyal to the
Cartwrights. JMHO again.
Hilary
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