User Reviews

Interesting episode of The Rifleman in regards to its examination of how an educator and parent butt heads over the intellectual growth and discipline of a child. Rarely did the show point a finger at Lucas McCain (Chuck Connors) in how he parents his son, Mark (Johnny Crawford). And rarely did the show question the ethics of Mark, always a mature young man, wise beyond his years. Stuffy, demanding, and driven new schoolmaster in Northfork, Mr. Griswald (Arnold Moss) expects the kids in his class to adhere to his specific educational expectations, doing so well-behaved, mindful, and without unruly backtalk. Mark finds himself often at odds with Griswald, primarily because of certain remarks unintended or not in their direction towards his pa. A rifle falling to the ground immediately has Griswald in a tense discussion with Lucas over the idea of a loaded weapon being in close proximity to a child. Then there's the falling asleep while studying and accepting candy from a school buddy, walking barefoot in class while carrying shoes in hand to keep them from getting dirty, and jelly beans causing a mess in a highly priced teaching book that all land Mark in hot water…the discipline of Mark might could be a debatable topic, along with the demands of Lucas in Griswald helping him find his son who skipped school due to their disagreement over parenting and teaching methods. Mark trapped in a bum cavernous mine while skipping school is the catalyst in student, parent, and schoolmaster coming together to use a lever and fulcrum to help escape from a potentially hazardous mine collapse. While not a real conceptual comment, there's this great bit of active camera work inside the seat alongside Lucas and Griswald while riding horses hard down a path during a search for Mark, locating his pal which creates a cool visual moment in the episode. Lucas and Mark in a dispute over going to school and the methods behind how the schoolmaster conducts his class provides glimpses not often seen between father and son who are so close, rarely arguing or suffering discord. The end was obvious: you had to know that common ground would eventually endure. I thought the suspense at the end was well orchestrated, and how it takes a team effort to avoid catastrophe makes sense considering the unease that built during the length of the episode. As a guise into a different form of education during an era (the late 50s/early 60s) perhaps considered passé and questionable compared to modern times, this might be an episode used as a relic of how things once were and should no longer be.