Michael Landon as Little Joe takes center stage in this Bonanza episode which involves a daring topic for its time, mercy killing.
It's not any Dr. Kevorkian doing in terminally people, but Richard Rust who during a mine cave-in kills his future father-in-law. Little Joe who heard the shot was the only witness. Rust tells him that he did it because the man's back was broken in the disaster and that he was in agony. He did it like anyone would do for a suffering animal.
This was certainly an unusual topic for a western, but Landon goes to Lorne Greene for some sage advice and if there's one thing Ben Cartwright was always handy with was sage advice. He talks quite seriously about the difference between people and animals and the force of nature in a struggle to survive.
It might have been a better episode if the plot hadn't been tilted towards the fact that the killing was not as it appeared to be. More I won't say, still this is an interesting and thought provoking Bonanza episode.
It's not any Dr. Kevorkian doing in terminally people, but Richard Rust who during a mine cave-in kills his future father-in-law. Little Joe who heard the shot was the only witness. Rust tells him that he did it because the man's back was broken in the disaster and that he was in agony. He did it like anyone would do for a suffering animal.
This was certainly an unusual topic for a western, but Landon goes to Lorne Greene for some sage advice and if there's one thing Ben Cartwright was always handy with was sage advice. He talks quite seriously about the difference between people and animals and the force of nature in a struggle to survive.
It might have been a better episode if the plot hadn't been tilted towards the fact that the killing was not as it appeared to be. More I won't say, still this is an interesting and thought provoking Bonanza episode.
