"Witness" is a pretty standard Western, updated for 1998. A nameless banker ("Frank", according to the closed captioning on a flashback: his last name is never given) killed Mary's husband while her son Billy was in hiding and looked on. A year later, Mary brings Billy back to Four Corners after sending him away. Because bringing your traumatized son back to the place where he got his trauma is always a good idea.
Fortunately, Chris is now there and has lost a son of his own. So he and Billy bond, and Mary looks on tearful and smiling. And Frank is involved in some land deed scam (the town property is worth that much?), and he killed Mary's husband and Billy's father. So he provoked Billy into remembering by terrorizing Billy as soon as he arrives in town. Smooth move, Ex-Lax. That sets the whole thing off, and soon the Seven are protecting Billy from Frank and his hired guns.
Meanwhile, it's 1998 so we have to have a subplot. Ezra's mother Maude (Michelle Phillips) comes to Four Corners and it turns out the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. She's a conwoman, and Josiah soon develops a thing for her and gives Ron Perlman a chance to act. Maude isn't happy with Ezra because he seems to have found honest work, and he's not happy with her because she's never been a decent mother to him. They come to an understanding of sorts by the end of the episode and resolve their differences. And I do like Anthony Starke as Ezra, who just manages to stay on the good side of unlikeable.
Buck goes on about his "animal magnetism", J.D. isn't too thrilled with it since Buck keeps taking his women away. Nathan and Vin don't have much to do. And that's about it. The bad guy gets captured at the end, along with his three thugs. I guess everything is resolved, although we never see Billy in Four Corners again. I'm not sure why, since Mary brought him there to live with her. But... he doesn't? I guess child actor Justin Cooper didn't have the draw power of Robert Vaughn, who at least returned once.
The Ezra/Maude relationship is interesting, mostly because of Starke's performance but also because of Phillips. The whole con thing gives the episode a nice "Maverick" touch. Michelle Phillips is no great actress, but she's enhanced by Starke and Perlman. She doesn't get a chance to interact with anyone else.
"Witness" sets up the Chris/Mary relationship, and has some backstory on Chris and Ezra. And that's about it. But hey, it was 1998: that's all it really needs.
But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What to do you think?
Fortunately, Chris is now there and has lost a son of his own. So he and Billy bond, and Mary looks on tearful and smiling. And Frank is involved in some land deed scam (the town property is worth that much?), and he killed Mary's husband and Billy's father. So he provoked Billy into remembering by terrorizing Billy as soon as he arrives in town. Smooth move, Ex-Lax. That sets the whole thing off, and soon the Seven are protecting Billy from Frank and his hired guns.
Meanwhile, it's 1998 so we have to have a subplot. Ezra's mother Maude (Michelle Phillips) comes to Four Corners and it turns out the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. She's a conwoman, and Josiah soon develops a thing for her and gives Ron Perlman a chance to act. Maude isn't happy with Ezra because he seems to have found honest work, and he's not happy with her because she's never been a decent mother to him. They come to an understanding of sorts by the end of the episode and resolve their differences. And I do like Anthony Starke as Ezra, who just manages to stay on the good side of unlikeable.
Buck goes on about his "animal magnetism", J.D. isn't too thrilled with it since Buck keeps taking his women away. Nathan and Vin don't have much to do. And that's about it. The bad guy gets captured at the end, along with his three thugs. I guess everything is resolved, although we never see Billy in Four Corners again. I'm not sure why, since Mary brought him there to live with her. But... he doesn't? I guess child actor Justin Cooper didn't have the draw power of Robert Vaughn, who at least returned once.
The Ezra/Maude relationship is interesting, mostly because of Starke's performance but also because of Phillips. The whole con thing gives the episode a nice "Maverick" touch. Michelle Phillips is no great actress, but she's enhanced by Starke and Perlman. She doesn't get a chance to interact with anyone else.
"Witness" sets up the Chris/Mary relationship, and has some backstory on Chris and Ezra. And that's about it. But hey, it was 1998: that's all it really needs.
But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What to do you think?
