A selection from the useful volume 52 Weeks 52 TV
Westerns [also reviewed on this blog.]
For those new to the show, Robert Horton plays an
amnesiac Civil War veteran who wanders the West in search of his identity,
along the way we have the requisite weekly encounters that must be resolved in
dramatic fashion.
An intriguing premise, and I had seen a few episodes
in the past. The value of the aforementioned book is that many entries offer a “Best
Episode” sidebar, and for this series that episode was “The Verdict”
written by Daniel B. Ullman.
Admittedly, I find Horton fine, if a bit of an
underplayed lead that does not compel this viewer, but there is strength in
this episode and that comes from its two guest stars.
A young Bruce Dern providing a weaselly loathsome
callow performance as only he can do, and Ed Asner as attorney Sam Chance.
Asner is so storing here he carries the show and led this
viewer to play, “What if, this led to a series called Sam Chance, Frontier
Lawyer.”
The first two acts are well-played and buoyed by the
co-stars, the third act must have the required gunplay and is a bit of a
letdown.
Overall, grateful to have the guide to point to a
single “best” to allow a taste.
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