Not trying to review any particular episode, but the series:).
I saw most of "The Big Valley" during syndication in the early 1970s, and have lately been watching it again on Me TV. I still believe that it is one of the best Westerns produced by American television.
The initial plot is intriguing, because Heath (Lee Majors' character) is the illegitimate son of the late Tom Barkley. The wealthy yet hard- working Barkleys eventually concede the evidence and acknowledge Heath as one of their own. Thereafter, we see Jarrod, Nick and Audra Barkley gradually accepting Heath as their brother, as he begins to accept them as his close siblings.
Also interesting was Heath's evolving relationship with Victoria. She was not his biological mother, although her late husband was Heath's father. Even so, she promptly begins thinking of him as her son, even as he starts calling her "Mother." During the first season, there's an episode in which Heath and Victoria take a long trip that turns disastrous when he's virtually buried under the wagon. Victoria fights like hell to save him, enlisting an escaped convict (Bruce Dern) to help her. Throughout, she calls Heath "my son."
The last scene shows Heath -- exhausted but not seriously injured -- ensconced in Victoria's arms.
The late Richard Long portrayed Jarrod, the Barkleys' eldest and a licensed attorney, as strong and steady. Middle son Nick was big, strong and fearless, although emotional and impulsive as well; Peter Breck conveyed those qualities superbly.
Linda Evans was at the peak of her young and overwhelming beauty as Audra Barkley. Evans played Audra as an impetuous young woman -- perhaps gullible with potential lovers (like Robert Goulet's Brother Love), yet quite as fearless as the other Barkleys.
Then there's "Miss" Barbara Stanwyck as Victoria Barkley. I am such a Stanwyck fan that I should probably recuse myself here. Suffice it to say that this role required strength and force, balanced by charm, humor and at least some vulnerability (some characters -- usually played by Bruce Dern -- slapped or even punched Victoria; yet she kept fighting for the freedom that she eventually won:))
BS was also damn sexy, even in her late 50s and early 60s (she was born in 1907). Those splendid cheekbones and that laser-like gaze can still buckle a strong man's knees:).
I saw most of "The Big Valley" during syndication in the early 1970s, and have lately been watching it again on Me TV. I still believe that it is one of the best Westerns produced by American television.
The initial plot is intriguing, because Heath (Lee Majors' character) is the illegitimate son of the late Tom Barkley. The wealthy yet hard- working Barkleys eventually concede the evidence and acknowledge Heath as one of their own. Thereafter, we see Jarrod, Nick and Audra Barkley gradually accepting Heath as their brother, as he begins to accept them as his close siblings.
Also interesting was Heath's evolving relationship with Victoria. She was not his biological mother, although her late husband was Heath's father. Even so, she promptly begins thinking of him as her son, even as he starts calling her "Mother." During the first season, there's an episode in which Heath and Victoria take a long trip that turns disastrous when he's virtually buried under the wagon. Victoria fights like hell to save him, enlisting an escaped convict (Bruce Dern) to help her. Throughout, she calls Heath "my son."
The last scene shows Heath -- exhausted but not seriously injured -- ensconced in Victoria's arms.
The late Richard Long portrayed Jarrod, the Barkleys' eldest and a licensed attorney, as strong and steady. Middle son Nick was big, strong and fearless, although emotional and impulsive as well; Peter Breck conveyed those qualities superbly.
Linda Evans was at the peak of her young and overwhelming beauty as Audra Barkley. Evans played Audra as an impetuous young woman -- perhaps gullible with potential lovers (like Robert Goulet's Brother Love), yet quite as fearless as the other Barkleys.
Then there's "Miss" Barbara Stanwyck as Victoria Barkley. I am such a Stanwyck fan that I should probably recuse myself here. Suffice it to say that this role required strength and force, balanced by charm, humor and at least some vulnerability (some characters -- usually played by Bruce Dern -- slapped or even punched Victoria; yet she kept fighting for the freedom that she eventually won:))
BS was also damn sexy, even in her late 50s and early 60s (she was born in 1907). Those splendid cheekbones and that laser-like gaze can still buckle a strong man's knees:).