The Wagon
Episode First Shown:
Hoss runs into trouble away from The Ponderosa. He is captured and ends up on a wagon bound for prison. The real prisoner has escaped and, as the wagon master gets paid for each prisoner he brings in, he takes Hoss as a substitute.
This is a really
good episode with a well constructed story line: a crooked sheriff who uses
Hoss as a replacement for a lost prisoner (Quinn) a woman (Madge Tucker)
wrongly convicted of a crime against a
former suitor and a real prisoner (Kyte). The wagon of the title refers to the
prison wagon in which the incarcerated people are travelling from Yucca Wells
to the state penitentiary. Interleaved with Hoss's entrapment is the earnest
search by Ben and Joe to find him.
This is a dramatic Hoss centred episode with sufficient inclusion of Ben and
Joe to make it a real Cartwright family adventure. Denver Pyle as Sheriff
Buchanan and Salome Jens as Madge Tucker give fine supporting performances.
There is also a small but wonderful comedy scene by Lorne and Michael. I need
to be totally honest and say that for the first time in Bonanza I felt that Dan
had some problem which caused him not to give us entirely the Hoss character
that we know and love. (See the end of this review.)
As the prison wagon travels across country a prisoner, Quinn, escapes and comes
across Hoss camped out. He steals Chub and shoots at Hoss causing him to have a
light head wound. The prison group then discover Hoss stumbling along and
Sheriff Buchanan decides that any man will do in place of Quinn. Hoss's fury
and confusion are very well portrayed by Dan. Buchanan had been involved in the
mysterious escape of a gang years before and he cannot risk a promotion by losing
any other prisoner. The plot thickens as another prisoner, Kyte, baits Buchanan
about this.
The action then moves to
Michael provides a memorable scene which brings light relief to the unfolding
drama. There is a subsequent lovely scene where Ben and Joe are walking along
the street and Ben puts his arm affectionately around Joe's shoulder and they
laugh together. This is also a real Lorne/Michael connection.
Things turn serious when Ben and Joe see Chub at a hitching rail and take Quinn
to jail. They then set out to the outskirts of Yucca Wells where the prison
party was last seen. By coincidence they encounter
the party but Hoss and the other prisoners are being held at gunpoint inside
the wagon and cannot alert the Cartwrights.
Numerous dramatic scenes follow with some very good interactions between Hoss
and Madge. Each is trying to decide whether they can trust the other but they
team up to escape to the desert, eventually
taking refuge in an abandoned shack. Their escape is short lived as Sheriff
Buchanan plus Kyte catch up with them and then two of Kyte's gang also arrive.
A shoot out leaves Buchanan wounded, Kyte's gang
flee and then Ben and Joe arrive to discover that Hoss is safe.
There is a very satisfying penultimate scene where the Sheriff of Yucca Wells
agrees to re-open the case against Madge on Hoss's advice and with a predicted
good outcome. Madge is impressed with Hoss's
generosity and honesty but Hoss just modestly says that you have to give a
little to get a little. A very memorable Hoss line. After that Ben, Hoss and
Joe ride home together and all is well.
Additional comments:
The location scenes were filmed at the Big Sky Ranch in the Simi Valley of Los
Angeles and at the well known Vasquez Rocks in
The new opening scenes for Season 12 are, I think, very effective. An individual
action shot of Ben, Hoss and Joe, is each frozen and then turned from normal Technicolor
into an unusual blue and white frame.
I think that this gives individual focus and emphasis to the three stars.
Something that disturbed me a little in this episode was Dan's approach and I
was left feeling that either he had some serious personal problems or that he
had had a really bad day on the set. Although the episode is a serious one and
there are some excellent Hoss scenes, I definitely felt that Hoss's warmth was missing
and that at times there was an aggression which just wasn't Hoss. I don't mean
in the way that the episode was directed but in Dan's portrayal of Hoss. At
times, Dan seemed to be somewhat disgruntled and somehow not totally involved.
Here are some scenes in which I felt that this happened:
Early on Hoss and Madge have gained control with guns and Hoss tells Madge to
"Kill him!" if one of the characters moves. This was said in a very
aggressive way quite unlike Hoss. Later on when they have
escaped to the desert Madge is exhausted and Hoss merely pulls her up by the
arm and coldly tells her to "Try harder!" Now I can't imagine Hoss
treating someone with less strength than himself like that.
I found the "wrong" Hoss to be particularly noticeable when he is reunited
with Ben and Joe outside of the desert shack. When he sees them coming he is
surprised but shows no sign of pleasure. He then
goes to meet them and whereas Ben is smiling warmly and Joe dismounts quickly
to greet Hoss, there seems to be no warm response in Hoss's body language. In
fact when Joe spontaneously pats his arm Hoss
responds with pats on Joe's arm but it seems a perfunctory gesture.
Now I hold both the real Dan and the fictional Hoss in very great affection so
my comments are just honest ones. My feeling was one of concern for Dan not
negative criticism. I would be very interested to
know what others feel about this.
Hilary
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