This is a pretty cool episode because it is off the rails insane. In today's world, it would not be filmed. The guest star is John Alderson, a British actor who often played crude characters or criminals. In this one, he is both.
Troop and McKay are escorting Chris Alcaide back to Laramie, for his trial and probably execution. A big thunderstorm happens on them and they seek shelter at the first house they find, which is owned by John Alderson.
He welcomes them, and immediately starts verbally abusing Anna Navarro, who plays his Native American wife (squaw). Throughout the episode, Alderson is trying to beat her, and is constantly abusive to her, and talks about her like she is an animal.
Chris Alcaide is trying to get Alderson to admit that he is also a criminal, escaped from the Australian prison system.
I always wonder how a barely literate character like Chris Alcaide could know so much about the Australian prison system, British prisoners, and the amnesty act in Britain and Australia? It sounded like he (and the writers) had done a lot of research on the issues at the local library. After all, there was no Google back in the 1870s.
Once Alcaide gets Alderson upset with his accusations, all hell breaks loose. Troop and McKay end up as prisoners, and Alderson and Alcaide are planning their demise.
In too many Westerns of this era, the sidekick was often getting kidnapped, compromised, waylaid, etc., and I always found that a bit annoying. Why was the sidekick always the weakest link? I kept hoping that Troop would shoot through McKay, just to teach him a lesson to be more alert in the future.
Troop and McKay are escorting Chris Alcaide back to Laramie, for his trial and probably execution. A big thunderstorm happens on them and they seek shelter at the first house they find, which is owned by John Alderson.
He welcomes them, and immediately starts verbally abusing Anna Navarro, who plays his Native American wife (squaw). Throughout the episode, Alderson is trying to beat her, and is constantly abusive to her, and talks about her like she is an animal.
Chris Alcaide is trying to get Alderson to admit that he is also a criminal, escaped from the Australian prison system.
I always wonder how a barely literate character like Chris Alcaide could know so much about the Australian prison system, British prisoners, and the amnesty act in Britain and Australia? It sounded like he (and the writers) had done a lot of research on the issues at the local library. After all, there was no Google back in the 1870s.
Once Alcaide gets Alderson upset with his accusations, all hell breaks loose. Troop and McKay end up as prisoners, and Alderson and Alcaide are planning their demise.
In too many Westerns of this era, the sidekick was often getting kidnapped, compromised, waylaid, etc., and I always found that a bit annoying. Why was the sidekick always the weakest link? I kept hoping that Troop would shoot through McKay, just to teach him a lesson to be more alert in the future.
