User Reviews

Poor Ben. His hometown really sucks. I mean it was funny in many ways. Especially Ben's facial expressions. But the whole town seems jealous of him and only welcoming when he threw money at them, yet his money is part of the reason they are jealous of him. That, and they are resentful of him leaving the town for greener pastures.

This is a review of both parts. I think the opening scene of the first part makes it intriguing. The 3 little boys 15 years ago seeing that man getting shot and then the body disappearing after they went to fetch the sheriff made the premise interesting. I think a letdown for me was the wrap-up of the story. I kind of wanted them to find that body. I kind of wish they had a flashback of what specifically went down 15 years earlier which led to the murder. I dislike that 2 of the three boys were killed in the present scenes. All because they were trying to find out about the murder after seeing the same tattoo on Lucas who had the same tattoo as the dead guy they saw 15 years earlier. The sheriff, Ben's cousin, doesn't get enough blame for being a lousy law enforcement officer. If he had investigated what the boys saw, then they might still be alive today.

Anyway, some great interactions with Ben and the other characters. Intriguing mystery. Ben is funny, charming, and cranky as usual. Glad Julie was along with him and later Conrad showed up. 8/10.

This solid, predictable yet engaging series led by the great Andy Griffith, delivers one of its best in this two part episode. It captures the essence of "going home again, ": the pettiness, the jealousy, the guarded view of an "outsider" even if he grew up there but went away to a successful life. The relatives wanting a hand out, the old flame still angry over being dumped, the resentment that someone had the gall to leave are amusing and realistic reflections of small town living. If you grew up in such a town or visited, you'll relate. And the legal system of small towns is spot on. The judge, district attorney and sheriff are on first name basis even in the formal setting of the courtroom. Even perjury for reason of friendship seems acceptable. There are more than the usual twists and turns with a plot line that is intriguing with enough suspects to carry it through to conclusion. If you enjoy Matlock, be sure to watch this one!