Daniel is asked by ailing Delaware chief Teduskan (Harry Bellaver)to bring back his daughter Lawana (Adrienne Hayes) from life among the whites to her people; he had sent her east years back after her mother's passing to protect her from the danger of a rival matriarch. Dan undertakes the mission, but the rival's son Catoga (William Smith) will accompany him.
Some interesting elements at play here; we see rival tribal interests clashing, the story recalls and reverses the notable Texas frontier story of Comanche captive Cynthia Parker's recovery and subsequent unhappy refusal to reenter white society, and this is a more sophisticated retelling of Season 3's "The Matchmaker." Regular 1960's guest starHays offers far more depth as a woman whose role is required for intratribal peace, and Smith combines strength with the quiet menace he deployed as Falconetti in the ur-novel for TV "Rich Man, Poor Man." Underused is Ben Andrews as Lawana's nominally decent stepbrother and white fiance. The audience is just expected to nod along as his future dissipates when Lawana turns to the more muscular breechcloth-clad Catoga with Boone's abetting. It would have been better drama to see him go down fighting.
Unfortunately for a tribal-centered script, period research is too much of a travois to bear for the writers room. The Delaware were originally centered along their namesake river in the NY-NJ-Pa. Area, but by the time of the Revolution had been forced into northern Ohio. The episode would likely have to take place in the mid-1780's; picking the losing sides at the Fallen Timbers battle and in the War of 1812 resulted in their dispossession to Oklahoma by the 1830's. Here, they are another group that falls heir to the same Great Plains props likely used as well in "F Troop," and a specially gratuitous scene depicts a leadership test that looks straight out of a low-budget silent era film. Hayes is bound to pulleys that will open the cage of a hungry bobcat if she drowses, and lest we miss the belabored point, the contrivance is surrounded by poles mounting human skulls. Even during the 1960's everyone would have been better served by simply fabricating a fictional tribe rather than introducing pseudo-history for a tribal organization that remains active today.
At this point Fess Parker was likely doing what Johnny Carson accomplished in the 1990's, namely taking on more behind the scenes while leaving more of the scripted time to the supporting cast. His Boone character here gradually leaves the screen as attention turns to the tribal roles, and near the end he's only along for pro forma rescue work. Note there is no "Star Trek" Prime Directive for Boone - in order to avert a general Indian war he is usually ready to meddle in tribal politics. Such individuals did exist, notably Sir William Johnson on the New York frontier, but the historical evidence is thin that the Great Lakes tribes assigned the real Boone such a role.
Historical over-shooting aside, the episode is a colorful one with some production values, and a slightly above-average hour for the DB series.
Some interesting elements at play here; we see rival tribal interests clashing, the story recalls and reverses the notable Texas frontier story of Comanche captive Cynthia Parker's recovery and subsequent unhappy refusal to reenter white society, and this is a more sophisticated retelling of Season 3's "The Matchmaker." Regular 1960's guest starHays offers far more depth as a woman whose role is required for intratribal peace, and Smith combines strength with the quiet menace he deployed as Falconetti in the ur-novel for TV "Rich Man, Poor Man." Underused is Ben Andrews as Lawana's nominally decent stepbrother and white fiance. The audience is just expected to nod along as his future dissipates when Lawana turns to the more muscular breechcloth-clad Catoga with Boone's abetting. It would have been better drama to see him go down fighting.
Unfortunately for a tribal-centered script, period research is too much of a travois to bear for the writers room. The Delaware were originally centered along their namesake river in the NY-NJ-Pa. Area, but by the time of the Revolution had been forced into northern Ohio. The episode would likely have to take place in the mid-1780's; picking the losing sides at the Fallen Timbers battle and in the War of 1812 resulted in their dispossession to Oklahoma by the 1830's. Here, they are another group that falls heir to the same Great Plains props likely used as well in "F Troop," and a specially gratuitous scene depicts a leadership test that looks straight out of a low-budget silent era film. Hayes is bound to pulleys that will open the cage of a hungry bobcat if she drowses, and lest we miss the belabored point, the contrivance is surrounded by poles mounting human skulls. Even during the 1960's everyone would have been better served by simply fabricating a fictional tribe rather than introducing pseudo-history for a tribal organization that remains active today.
At this point Fess Parker was likely doing what Johnny Carson accomplished in the 1990's, namely taking on more behind the scenes while leaving more of the scripted time to the supporting cast. His Boone character here gradually leaves the screen as attention turns to the tribal roles, and near the end he's only along for pro forma rescue work. Note there is no "Star Trek" Prime Directive for Boone - in order to avert a general Indian war he is usually ready to meddle in tribal politics. Such individuals did exist, notably Sir William Johnson on the New York frontier, but the historical evidence is thin that the Great Lakes tribes assigned the real Boone such a role.
Historical over-shooting aside, the episode is a colorful one with some production values, and a slightly above-average hour for the DB series.
