Any episode with Morgan Woodward -- especially when he's bearded, grumpy, and gruff-voiced -- is worth watching.
Yes, this is yet another episode about someone on the wrong side of the law (or who appears to be) who wants to reform, but is blocked. Several things make this a better-than average example of such stories.
For one, the dialog is un-clichéd, and gives the impression of 19th-century speech. The writer seems to have done his homework.
Another thing is the well-written "unnecessary" scene another reviewer disparages. Woodward's cattleman -- rather surprisingly -- sees himself, like the Indians, as a preserver of the land. He argues that -- as cattle do little more than eat the grass, which grows back * -- he isn't tearing up the land as the farmers are. This is the sort of dialog Woodward delivers so well. (I added this idea to a rethinking of "The Virginian" I'm working on.)
More-sentimental than I'd like, but excellent performance all around (even in the smaller roles). Worth seeing.
* This was also the point of contention between cattlemen and sheep herders. The sheep tore the grass out by the roots, while cattle only cropped the leaves.
Yes, this is yet another episode about someone on the wrong side of the law (or who appears to be) who wants to reform, but is blocked. Several things make this a better-than average example of such stories.
For one, the dialog is un-clichéd, and gives the impression of 19th-century speech. The writer seems to have done his homework.
Another thing is the well-written "unnecessary" scene another reviewer disparages. Woodward's cattleman -- rather surprisingly -- sees himself, like the Indians, as a preserver of the land. He argues that -- as cattle do little more than eat the grass, which grows back * -- he isn't tearing up the land as the farmers are. This is the sort of dialog Woodward delivers so well. (I added this idea to a rethinking of "The Virginian" I'm working on.)
More-sentimental than I'd like, but excellent performance all around (even in the smaller roles). Worth seeing.
* This was also the point of contention between cattlemen and sheep herders. The sheep tore the grass out by the roots, while cattle only cropped the leaves.