Francy Wilcox could be the poster child for enablers in this day and age when enabling has been taken to a whole new level. Cheyenne Bodie falls for her and she for him, not knowing that one of the most notorious outlaws in the territory is her twin brother Blaney. When she finds out, instead of standing by the honorable man she's fallen in love with, she lashes out at him and at her sheriff father (the granddaddy of enablers) for not being more supportive of her poor, misunderstood, narcissistic brother. Looking up into Cheyenne's anguished blue eyes, ignoring the whip marks on his face inflicted by sweet little Blaney, she accuses him of mistreating her brother and passes well beyond the 'don't say things you can't take back' point. I'm all for family loyalty, but this one takes the cake.
Although the episode is well-written, well-directed, well-produced, and well-acted, "Born Bad" is near the bottom of my list of all-time favorites. That's not saying much since my list of all-time favorites includes all 107 episodes of the series because Clint Walker is the most watchable man ever in a television series for more reasons than his stunning good looks. He's a natural, basically playing himself. The camera loves him, which no doubt made the director's job easier. He brings authenticity to each script because he's portraying a man of honor and loyalty, which from all accounts is exactly what Clint Walker himself was. In this particular episode, he does an excellent job of conveying empathy ('your pain in my heart') and kindness while maintaining a firm determination to see justice done. Cheyenne Bodie is no enabler. Knowing that the sheriff would never be able to forgive himself, Cheyenne nobly prevents him from killing his own son, a fact that even Francy acknowledges at the end. But she still let him go. Frankly, it was a good call. In the parlance of the old West, I think Cheyenne Bodie dodged a bullet with that one.
Although the episode is well-written, well-directed, well-produced, and well-acted, "Born Bad" is near the bottom of my list of all-time favorites. That's not saying much since my list of all-time favorites includes all 107 episodes of the series because Clint Walker is the most watchable man ever in a television series for more reasons than his stunning good looks. He's a natural, basically playing himself. The camera loves him, which no doubt made the director's job easier. He brings authenticity to each script because he's portraying a man of honor and loyalty, which from all accounts is exactly what Clint Walker himself was. In this particular episode, he does an excellent job of conveying empathy ('your pain in my heart') and kindness while maintaining a firm determination to see justice done. Cheyenne Bodie is no enabler. Knowing that the sheriff would never be able to forgive himself, Cheyenne nobly prevents him from killing his own son, a fact that even Francy acknowledges at the end. But she still let him go. Frankly, it was a good call. In the parlance of the old West, I think Cheyenne Bodie dodged a bullet with that one.
