User Reviews

What I liked about this episode was that it presented the two sides of dealing with a business problem. Heath tries to figure out how to calm a labor problem at a mine by going to the mine. Jarrod tries to figure it out by getting the proxies to control the business decisions of the mine. A nice parallel approach.

Guest characters are somewhat predictable - the Irish rebel miners fighting management, the businessman with his eye only on maximizing stockholder return (though "Uncle Sam'l" is a nicely greasy character). The big drawback is that Lee Majors is not up to the role at this point in his career. He can't pull off the rage he's supposed to when he gets back from the mine, and the man never did know how to act with his eyes and face and not just his voice. He was new at acting in this series and it showed, especially in this episode.

A nasty violent strike comes upon a mine that is partially owned by the Barkley family. Heath is sent to the town to find out the true reason(s) for the riots. Since Heath had worked in a mine, he would have the best knowledge of the strikers intentions.

When Heath arrives at the town there is a marked cause for concern. The reason for the strike is that wages have been cut and updating living standards have not been met. This was against what Tom Barkley had promised the workers years ago. And with the plan to bring in Chinese workers the men resort to violence.

Upon returning from the mine, Heath meets the family and advises that fault lies with Tom Barkley's broken promises. This angers Victoria as she gives her own speech with the picture of Tom Barkley in the background.

When murder happens at the mine- the Barkley family knows something has to be done. But in order for changes to happen- they first must get control of stockholders.

This episode kept the viewer interested the entire running time. But there was some raw acting in this show. Lee Majors gives a six paragraph speech in the middle of the episode which proved that he was a novice actor. He was at his height of handsomeness but his acting had a lot to be desired. Thanks goodness that Barbara Stanwyck delivered the next few lines because we went from raw to perfection with her acting ability.

It's funny because Lee Majors sometimes seems like his Heath character was added on in the second season to gain younger viewers and to provide a more zesty action hero because Peter Breck, let's face it, does most of the real acting on the series, and has to move the story around with tirades that only he's suited for...

In this episode, Breck almost takes the job of going into a mining town to investigate a situation that, at the last minute, Majors' Heath says he's far more suited for, being that he was a blue collar type before moving into and belonging to the central wealthy family (this is also a reminder to the audience about why Heath fits in the series, also weird because he's always been on this series so, it's basically more unnecessary campaigning to suit the show)...

What's strange is that they even had to initially set Breck to do the job because frankly, it's more to his ability as an actor and, no matter how many people are heartbroken that Majors didn't star in MIDNIGHT COWBOY (he was not locked in, the director simply liked his looks), he would never, ever, ever have pulled off the drama that Jon Voight was born for... It's like trying to imagine Michael Landon in THE FRENCH CONNECTION...

Anyhow, pretty good episode, slow-burn, and Anne Helm's always nice to watch, despite her Irish accent being very fake. And the Union-Taking-Action-Over-Their-Crooked-Owners story is par for creator/writer A. I. Bezzerides far-left course, only here curbed by "maybe the strikers are going too far," that Majors as Heath, once poor, now rich, has to keep reminding former friend Sherwood King (once a popular guest spotter before playing Guy #2 on Sheriff Lobo) of.