User Reviews

Though they were once friends, it seems Adam and Todd McMurrin have grown out of that phase in their lives and become rivals for the land. Mr. McMurren and Ben Cartwright have always been friends, but it's time to hand the reins over to Todd. The problem is, Todd is letting the wrong people influence him. He's in love with a decent girl who has a father that is not decent. Her father does several things to prove himself not to be the father of any girl.

I think the sulfur bath for cows is the most interesting thing. We see other westerns tackle this concept, but in this episode it's Ben's suddenly unique idea. He got the idea from a flea bath that Hoss was giving...go figure! Who knew that Ben was the first to think of it...

Dead: 4

It is a basic premise of the Bonanza series that the Cartwrights are wealthy and honest and upright citizens. They are respected by most of the other members of their community. Which naturally leads to the recurring plot device of others being jealous and resentful of their wealth and prestige. That is the basis of the plot of this episode. One of the neighbors of the Cartwrights is an old friend of Ben's and by mutual agreement, they share water rights to a stream that runs through both properties. Todd, the son of the friend, is now an adult and determined to make his own way in the world. One thing he wants to do is to sell off his father's land to the father of his fiancé, an unscrupulous man that is interested in mining silver. If this were to be done, the stream would be poisoned and there would be no water for the Ponderosa cattle. The jealousy in Todd for Adam Cartwright runs so deep that it comes to a fight between them, despite the fact they grew up together. Not for the hand of the woman, but simply because Todd feels inferior and considers it necessary to engage in acts of false bravado. The mining man is so unscrupulous that when he discovers that some of his cattle are infected with the deadly Texas Fever plague, he has his men drive them onto the Ponderosa so that the Cartwright cattle will also be infected. While there is gunplay, the focus is on the interrelationships between Todd, his father, the fiancé, her father the mining man and the Cartwrights. Of course, when they are challenged, the Cartwrights stand their ground, even when the odds are against them. One of the outstanding features of the best television westerns is that while there is the standard western action of guns firing and fists swinging, the focus is on the relationships. The viewers care about the main characters, forming bonds with them through the screen. In this episode, it is easy to understand why that is the case for this popular series.

A few familiar character players are in this Bonanza episode which has a strain put on the relationship of Lorne Greene and Rhys Williams, neighboring ranchers and long time friends. That's because Williams has turned the running of his ranch over to son Don Dubbins. And Dubbins has come under the influence of mining magnate Robert F. Simon and he's selling a piece of land of his where the Cartwrights have water rights. The influence is pretty substantial when it involves the pretty Merry Anders who Dubbins is courting.

But it gets real bad when some Cartwright cattle come down with plague. Lorne Greene is giving the cattle sulfur baths as a preventive, but the others won't listen.

Dubbins both on the big screen and small played callow youths until he was well in the upper 20s. I'm not sure how the climax and what happens there would have led to some rather more bitter feelings than shown.

Still the cast and guests perform well.