Call me a sucker for all season finales because of the flashbacks. It was really touching to see flashbacks of Season 2 AND Season 1 chronicling the journey so far for the F29D-ers. It was great to see everyone slowly cracking, like they should be (I mean, it's all been a little Utopia so far, hasn't it, no real conflicts). Nathan and Eric fighting and the tension between Daley and Abby really surfacing. My favorite part was when Jackson finally admitted to wanting something more than what was being offered with Daley and the others on the beach. As the two groups separated, it was good to see the actors portraying the pain at separation that they all felt. A great conclusion to a great season with Jackson's final lines "I'll see ya soon, and if not, see ya later."

I'm surprised that so few people have actually rated this episode very highly. I enjoyed it...not the best, but still thoroughly enjoyable. It takes a quite even pace throughout the episode. No really ploddy parts, but no heartracing thrilling sequences. I think this episode was a real attempt by the writers to tackle racism, and in a way I don't think they really succeeded much. I think (much like the little summary on LikeTelevision.com), it's ironic that they're trying to fend off a racist lawyer yet all the Chinese wear coolie dress. I get where they're coming from, yet it still seems a tad...ironic. Hahah. Anyway. It's interesting to see one of Adam's ex-es (what did he mean by "We used to have a lot of fun in this house"?) and of course, the lovely Pernell Roberts is stunning as usual. I would have liked to have had a little bit more development on the Adam/Jesse complication...but I suppose that's a different story and will be told some other time. Otherwise, I found it quite enjoyable...and definitely recommend it over some of the others that I've watched.

I must say, this episode really disappointed me. I class it next to the other disappointments like Dark Star. Although I can't fault it for being out of character, it became kind of ploddy in parts. It does seem like quite a stock storyline in the Bonanza world (friend of Cartwrights/Cartwrights themselves is unjustly accused of a crime), but the only high part in this episode came from the "twist" that the Marshall was actually good and the Cartwrights were just sorely mistaken about him. (Okay, maybe not *that* great a twist, but I was tired when I watched it...) Other than that, the ploddiness seemed unforgiveable, and what really annoyed me was the girl - Andrea. Although she served some purpose in the end, it *did* just seem as though the writers just wanted some female eye candy in the episode. Her only purpose to me was to annoy me to no end. I *don't* recommend this episode over others (although...it is very very VERY marginally better than Dark Star...god, I hated that episode); I'm pretty sure the writers/directors were having an off day with this ep.

Well, well well...I just watched this episode yesterday, and I must say, I am very impressed. I gave it a perfect rating...and although this might sound a little ambitious, I definitely rank it up there next to 'The Crucible' and 'The Gamble'. Although the plot and script is not stellar (a la 'The Gamble') I really enjoyed this episode primarily for the brotherly interactions you see between the three boys. I must admit I'm a fairly new Bonanza fan, so I haven't covered all the ground that most people here have, but seeing Adam, Hoss and Joe actually acting like brothers (especially, Adam not always being a brooding, sulky man) is really refreshing. And the best bit is that there's almost equal screentime for all the Cartrights, even though Joe is the one who (almost) gets the girl. :D