I don't think I've ever watched 'Kojak' before but I have seen Telly Savalas guest starring in other series before and he usually puts out a wonderful performance. This episode isn't an exception. He does a terrific job with the role as a greedy jerk. I'd use a stronger word than jerk but I sincerely doubt the review would be published.
Telly's character is greedy. He wants the Ponderosa and will use all that's available to him to get it. Seems like his hobby is breaking people in order to get them under his thumb. He has an assistant and the assistant explained he used to be as rich as Charles until Charles ruined him. But Charles picked him up and took him on as an assistant. It truly surprises me Charles didn't have more people trying to gun him down over his actions. I'm not so sure I buy what his wife was saying at the end of the episode. I'm going through something right now in my personal life where I feel like love has been destroyed between me and another person. There's a lot of pain, bitterness and resentment going on in my head and it's ugly. Charles has a heart problem and takes medicine for it. Charles is having an attack and is wanting his pills. The wife took the pills from the usual location and is claiming ignorance on not knowing he has a heart problem. She eventually turns the medicine over so he can take this pill, keeping him alive. I feel like enough damage had been done that I feel like it's a tv ending turning the pills over instead of watching him die. Same for the assistant. He got shot because of Charles. I feel like realistically Charles has done enough damage that people wouldn't try and defend him or save his life. They'd stand still and do nothing because of all the hatred they have inside because of his actions or the love they used to have for Charles has turned into bitterness and anger. So the end of the episode tells that Charles and his wife rode off together and I guess the greedy jerk is changing his stripes. I have a hard time buying it because I don't really believe bad people are capable of changing for the better.
All in all, this was a pretty good episode. I'd also like to give credit for something off the wall. I watch this series and very rarely can I say hair pieces or wigs look good. Pernell had an excellent looking toupee. I feel the toupee Lorne's wearing looks better than the one he started the series with. I think of an episode with Fay Spain guest starring and she had a pretty convincing looking ponytail extension that looked believable enough to be her real hair. I don't think it was because I've seen her guest starring in other things and her hair wasn't anywhere close to being that long or thick looking. I'm used to seeing this show and seeing weaves that don't really match the person's real hair color. I don't think that looks good tbh. I found it refreshing when Kim Darby made a guest appearance and they didn't try to slap a weave or wig on her very short hair. I feel the same about Telly's bald head. They could've easily given him a wig to wear to cover his bald head up. I'm not picky about stuff like actors and actresses not having 'appropriate' hair styles for the period we're watching. It's a tv show and not a documentary. I feel the same way about 'Little House on the Prarie' and the people criticizing the 1970s/80s hair styles on people that's playing people from the late 1800s. It just doesn't matter to me. I realize there's not too many people that'd probably go that far for a role. And I think Kim's short hairstyle suited her character and Telly's bald head suited his character.
*sighs* And I must end this review on a downer note. Looks like this might be Pernell's last appearance. Gonna miss his fine, sexy self. I do feel like Bonanza still kept the same guide after Pernell left. You still have a mixed bag of watchable and unwatchable episodes. I don't think Bonanza went so far downhill that a person stops watching by a certain point and waits for season 1 to roll around again.
Telly's character is greedy. He wants the Ponderosa and will use all that's available to him to get it. Seems like his hobby is breaking people in order to get them under his thumb. He has an assistant and the assistant explained he used to be as rich as Charles until Charles ruined him. But Charles picked him up and took him on as an assistant. It truly surprises me Charles didn't have more people trying to gun him down over his actions. I'm not so sure I buy what his wife was saying at the end of the episode. I'm going through something right now in my personal life where I feel like love has been destroyed between me and another person. There's a lot of pain, bitterness and resentment going on in my head and it's ugly. Charles has a heart problem and takes medicine for it. Charles is having an attack and is wanting his pills. The wife took the pills from the usual location and is claiming ignorance on not knowing he has a heart problem. She eventually turns the medicine over so he can take this pill, keeping him alive. I feel like enough damage had been done that I feel like it's a tv ending turning the pills over instead of watching him die. Same for the assistant. He got shot because of Charles. I feel like realistically Charles has done enough damage that people wouldn't try and defend him or save his life. They'd stand still and do nothing because of all the hatred they have inside because of his actions or the love they used to have for Charles has turned into bitterness and anger. So the end of the episode tells that Charles and his wife rode off together and I guess the greedy jerk is changing his stripes. I have a hard time buying it because I don't really believe bad people are capable of changing for the better.
All in all, this was a pretty good episode. I'd also like to give credit for something off the wall. I watch this series and very rarely can I say hair pieces or wigs look good. Pernell had an excellent looking toupee. I feel the toupee Lorne's wearing looks better than the one he started the series with. I think of an episode with Fay Spain guest starring and she had a pretty convincing looking ponytail extension that looked believable enough to be her real hair. I don't think it was because I've seen her guest starring in other things and her hair wasn't anywhere close to being that long or thick looking. I'm used to seeing this show and seeing weaves that don't really match the person's real hair color. I don't think that looks good tbh. I found it refreshing when Kim Darby made a guest appearance and they didn't try to slap a weave or wig on her very short hair. I feel the same about Telly's bald head. They could've easily given him a wig to wear to cover his bald head up. I'm not picky about stuff like actors and actresses not having 'appropriate' hair styles for the period we're watching. It's a tv show and not a documentary. I feel the same way about 'Little House on the Prarie' and the people criticizing the 1970s/80s hair styles on people that's playing people from the late 1800s. It just doesn't matter to me. I realize there's not too many people that'd probably go that far for a role. And I think Kim's short hairstyle suited her character and Telly's bald head suited his character.
*sighs* And I must end this review on a downer note. Looks like this might be Pernell's last appearance. Gonna miss his fine, sexy self. I do feel like Bonanza still kept the same guide after Pernell left. You still have a mixed bag of watchable and unwatchable episodes. I don't think Bonanza went so far downhill that a person stops watching by a certain point and waits for season 1 to roll around again.
