THE DESPERADO

 

 

The Desperado - first shown February 7th 1971

 

'Hoss is held captive by a black couple accused of murder and hiding out from the law'.

 

Guest Stars: Louis Gossett Jr as Buck Walter, Marlene Clark as Liza Walter, Ramon Bieri as Sheriff Solomon, Warren Vanders as Deputy Cal, George Dunn as Andy, Michael T Mikler as Thad, Sandy Rosenthal as Davy.

 

*****

 

Hoss, going about Ponderosa business, is taken prisoner on the trail by a fugitive Black couple, Buck and Liza Walters, on the run and with nothing to lose. The story opens with the Walters capturing Hoss and staying up in high ground to observe the posse on their trail. Their intention is to hold Hoss hostage.

Hoss discovers that the Walters hate White people and with good reason. Someone from the town of Leadbetter poisoned their stock and murdered their son by setting fire to their farm. Buck Walters killed the perpetrator but knows he is highly unlikely to get a fair trial. There is some thoughtful scripting which allows some understanding to be built on both the Walters' and Hoss's side. Also some very touching scenes between Buck and Liza who clearly love each other very much. Yet the viewer knows that it is only a matter of time before the Walters are captured.

The posse features rancour between the sheriff and deputy, the former attempting to capture the fugitives alive, the latter not caring. Meanwhile Ben and Joe are on Hoss's trail, tracking him into the hill country outside of Leadbetter.

Hoss manages to escape from the Walters only to be recaptured and the tragic ending approaches when Buck chooses to die rather than be captured by White lawmen. He knocks Liza unconscious and commands Hoss to carry her down to the waiting posse. In a gunfight, during which Ben and Joe arrive, Buck is killed and Liza is taken away by the posse having lost both her son and her husband.

(It is possible that my episode was cut as the presence of an obnoxious gunslinger, whom Joe verbally outwits in Leadbetter, is
never explained. Nor was there any scene of Hoss trying to get a fair trial for Liza Walters which would have been the likely outcome of the story line.)

This was a good, solid Bonanza episode with excellent performances from Lou Gossett Jr. as Luke and Marlene Clark as Liza.

Comments: I did feel sad about the state of Dan's health in this episode. Facially he did not look well and the increase in his weight was noticeable; many of the scenes seemed to be designed so that Hoss was not required to take any fast action. On a more cheerful note there were some subtle interactions that touched me. When Ben and Joe were riding through the desert (on location in Arizona) there is such an affectionate closeness between Ben/Lorne and Joe/Michael – they were just so comfortable together. This is repeated at the end when the three Cartwrights ride home together. Hoss is in the middle and, having come through recent hardship, seems specifically protected by Ben and Joe riding either side – that Cartwright family feeling. You
can also feel the affection between Lorne, Dan and Michael as they ride away just as a real family would. I was reminded of Linda Greene Bennett's words about Lorne: "Dad loved Dan and Michael as if they were his own family."