THE STRANGE ONE – First shown
‘A wagon train abandons one of their members, Marie. Her family think she’s a witch. She touches Joe’s mother’s music box and knows all about the Cartwrights. A diphtheria epidemic Marie had predicted hits, and even her mother and father want her hung.’
Guest Stars: Louise Sorrel as Marie, Robert McQueeney as Jeremy, Jean Engstrom as Francine, Michael Barrier as Luke, Jean de Val as Rene, Willard Sage as Wynn.
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This unusual episode deals with the topic of psychic powers
after Hoss and Joe find a woman lost near the Ponderosa. Ben's wise actions
ultimately save her life and give insight into her abilities. Bonanza was again
ahead of its time in dealing with unusual events.
While Joe and Hoss are tracking a mountain lion, members of a nearby wagon
train have abandoned a woman named Marie because of their
irrational fear of her ability to foretell the future. She tells them that
children on the wagon train will become ill but to no avail. Joe killing the
mountain lion saves Marie's life and he and Hoss take her back to the
Ponderosa.
During her convalescence the Cartwrights observe more of her psychic powers.
She touches a music box owned by Marie Cartwright and
immediately "knows" many details of the Cartwrights.
Next morning at breakfast the Cartwrights discuss their different views of
Marie. She disturbs Hoss considerably but Joe thinks there might be some
perfectly ordinary explanation. Ben is already convinced that Marie has an
unusual ability and is very open minded about it.
Later Marie "sees" an image of a fish, an arrow and something black –
all associated with Joe. Having been told that she is evil by the wagon train
members, she believes that she will bring harm to Joe, despite Ben's
reassurances to the contrary.
While Hoss and Joe are out on errands, they encounter a couple from the wagon
train, with a sick child, en route to Doc Martin. This causes the Cartwright
sons to think more about Marie and they report the event to Ben. Ben dispatches
Hoss to visit the wagon train and learn more and Joe is sent with a letter for
Doc Martin.
When Hoss returns he tells Ben that there is diphtheria at the wagon camp and
that the people blame Marie for causing the illness.
A black horse with an arrow and fish brand (as in Marie's premonition) appears
in the yard but Hoss is unable to catch it. When Joe returns he is puzzled by
Ben telling him to stay clear of the black horse.
The next day, when the Cartwrights are away from the ranch, Marie is captured
by a gang from the wagon train. They have arrived, with her parents consent, to
kill her because of their terror and hatred of her psychic powers. Just as they
are about to hang her, Ben arrives and saves her life, telling the superstitious
thugs that they are living in the Dark Ages.
Hoss comes back to the ranch and confirms that a flash flood that Marie had
foreseen has hit the wagon train. Marie becomes distraught, thinking that her
gift only brings harm to people and fearful that she has killed Joe by knowing
about the black horse. In fact only Joe's arm is hurt as he tries to lasso the
horse.
At the end Marie's mother comes to the Ponderosa to beg forgiveness and the two
are reunited. Ben explains that Doc Martin has written to him about European
research being conducted into a gift like Marie's.
At the end Ben says to Joe: "Wouldn't it be wonderful if everybody made a
real effort to understand whatever's strange and unfamiliar rather than try to
destroy it?"
I found this episode to be, like the proverbial curate's egg, good and bad in
parts. The story line was innovative with Louise Sorrel showing fine acting
talents as Marie but at times undermined by poor directing. I also felt that
her character was over portrayed at the expense of Cartwright time. Mostly Ben's
part was well written and in character with one major discrepancy but I thought
that Hoss and Joe were too often poorly written in terms of their characters
and the actual script. Sometimes I felt that they were there virtually as supporting
cast. Marie's parents were very badly written though the
wagon train members were well portrayed.
While the case of Marie was interesting I felt that far too much screen time
was given to her with tediously long bouts of exaggerated trance which I found
irritating. (I was reminded of Tirza and "I am a tree" in "Dark
Star"!)
I thought that Ben's wise, open minded view was excellent and very much in
character. However I found it totally out of character when he found a gang of
thugs about to hang Marie and he let them go with a warning. The Ben I know
would have captured them and sent them off to jail and trial for trying to hang
anyone let alone a woman.
It was also completely unbelievable that Marie's parents would have consented
to her being killed. Only if they had been portrayed as deranged (which they
were not) would that have been remotely credible.
There were not nearly enough scenes where the Cartwrights should have been
featured and only one good, typical, family scene over breakfast where three
different views are aired. Hoss is disturbed by Marie, Joe thinks her
statements are reasonable and Ben thinks something more profound is happening.
For the much of the time Hoss seems to keep leaving and returning to the ranch
and Joe seems to stand around doing nothing.
I also found two Hoss and Joe scenes badly out of character. After Marie
arrives Hoss wants to get rid of her and Joe speaks quite rudely to her. I'm
sure that any son of Ben's would have been helpful and polite. Also when, Hoss
and Joe encounter the couple with a sick child on the road, they say little and
offer no help. The Cartwrights had a buckboard and the family a wagon. I'm sure
that one of the Cartwrights would have immediately gone ahead to
Overall I thought that this episode was marred by bad writing and direction and
certainly lacked understanding of the Cartwright characters. "Second
Sight" is a much more credible, well written and well directed episode on
the subject of psychic gifts.
Trivia:
Joe successfully kills a mountain lion without being attacked by the animal or
getting shot by his brother LOL! (c.f. "My Brother's Keeper"!)
Most of the location scenes were shot at the Iverson Ranch and the
The black horse is seen running wild at
While Hoss looks rather dashing in his slicker, it always seems dry despite
heavy rain!
I'm not sure if Marie Cartwright liked to collect music boxes but the very
large one in this episode bears no resemblance to her music box in
"Forever".
There is a very funny but incongruous scene at the end where Joe rolls his eyes
and tells Hoss that he foresees a horse race in
Hilary