Bonanza was, in my personal opinion, the best television series of all time. The characters of Ben, Hoss and Little Joe Cartwright (and for the first six years, Adam) were part of American culture for the 14 years of the shows run. For both the fans of its day and those who became fans watching reruns, it continues to be loved and watched in reruns on various channels, particularly since the advent of satelite TV.

The patriarch of the family, Ben Cartwright, is the epitome of what a father should be. He was always there when his sons needed him, whether to save them from some danger, comfort them, give advise or hand out discipline. I particularly admire the frequent references Ben makes to the Bible, as well as his praying on many occasions. It was also apparent that he made sure his family were regular church-goers.

Adam, the oldest son, was only on the show for the first 6 years of its run. There are many Bonanza fans, because of their love of this character, that prefer the first 6 season episodes for this reason. Adam was college educated (A degree in architecture)and an intellectual, but still every bit the cowboy. He could herd and rope cattle, bust a bronc, win a gun fight or get into a bar room brawl, but still read a little poetry on the ride back to the ranch.

Hoss was the 6 foot 4, 300 pound animal lover of the sons. He was shy around women and a little backward on the intellectual side of things, but definitely the one you wanted around in either a fist fight or to whelp a litter of puppies. He was very tender-hearted, but fiercely loyal to his family. Anyone who was out to hurt one of the other Cartwright's, their cook, Hop Sing or any of their friends, would have Hoss to contend with.

Joseph Francis Cartwright, known as "Little Joe", was the youngest son. He had a quick temper, but also could tear up in an emotional moment. He was very handsome and quite the ladies man, often getting him into trouble. Joe also was very athletic and was often seen busting broncs, doing somersaults in the course of a bar fight or shoot out and was the Cartwright most often seen jumping down from and climbing great heights.

All of the Cartwrights were very steadfast in their loyalty and devotion to each other and the high moral standards set by Ben. The series usually had episodes that were morality plays, which was very innovative for the period when the series began its run (1959). This series is definitely a classic for westerns, family shows and television drama.

This is a great Little Joe episode. He displays all of his defining characteristics. He lets his temper get the better of him when allows his brothers teasing of him to push him to take a job as sheriff in the little town of Rubicon. He wants to take the job even before that, to prove he isn't just a kid and the "little" brother. He is also persuaded to take the dangerous job by the pretty girl in Rubicon, Sylvie Ann, who is really the girl of the bad guy, Abe Brock. Fortunately, he also shows that he is brave and resourceful in his defeating the bad guys.

One of my favorite scenes is one in which Joe has figured out that Brock and Sylvie Ann's father really got him to take the job of sheriff because they thought he was just a kid and he wouldn't be able to stop them from pulling off a murder. Joe figures out a way to stop them, which involes having them continue to think he is a dumb kid. Joe comes into the saloon where he acts like a little boy playing sheriff, all nervous and confused. It is a pretty convincing act!

There is also a great fight scene toward the end. Joe confronts a really big gorilla type named Higgler. In the opening sequence, Higgler picks a fight with Joe over Sylvie Ann and Joe knocks him out, pretty much with one punch. Joe stands over him, after he is laying in the dust, and looks at his left hand, in amazement, since this guy is as big as Hoss. When Joe later confronts Higgler in the livery stable, after he is sheriff of Rubicon, Higgler pounds him, but good! It looks as though Michael Landon did almost all of the stunt work for this fight scene, with the exception of a segment where Little Joe is knocked through a window. It is a great fight!

This is a great example of the close knit family relationship portryed in the Cartwrights throughout this series. Ben shows up at the breakfast table with bruises on his face, confessing that he has gotten into a scuffle early that morning, though he won't identify the other party. When their Pa goes upstairs to change his shirt, the boys discuss the fact that Pa still thinks "he's 21 years old" and "as good as the best day he ever saw." They think that Pa should cut down on the "more physical side of things", and spend his time "just supervising". Of course, none of the three wants to be the one to tell their Pa that. The scene in which the boys suggest that the three of them go in search of cattle rustlers who have been plaguing the ranch, with Ben staying home, is not only humerous, but touching, as we see Ben's downcast expression as the boys depart the ranch.

There are also a lot of nice scenes of the closeness of the brothers to each other, as they banter back and forth, while pinned down by the rustlers. We learn that Hoss doesn't like cheese, Adam has been "improving his education" by playing billiards and Hoss can smell Hop Sing's cooking from more than a half days ride away and through a sand storm--even identiying exactly what it is that he is cooking!

We also get a good glimpse of Ben's fatherly instincts for knowing when his boys are in trouble, as well as his determination to find and help them, regardless of the circumstances. Overall, this is a great family episode!

This episode has lots of different elements: Drama, action and lots of comedy. There are also some real history elements thrown in. This particular installment is somewhat unigue, as well, in that a non-Cartwright character plays a larger role than any other the series regulars.

One of the more comic scenes, that is very memorable, is one which takes place at the Cartwright dinner table, after Adam has brought home a boy he found wandering the ranch. After Adam caught sight of the homeless youth, he attempted to run from him, eventually tumbling down the side of a ravine and knocking himself unconscious. Adam bring him home, slung over the front of his horse and hands him over to Hop Sing to clean him up. During dinner, Hop Sing comes in from the wash house, all in a tizzy. It seems the "boy" Adam brought home has turned out to be a girl! Adam's reaction and expressions are priceless!

Another moment that I particularly enjoy, every time I watch this one, is the monologue of Clemens, while the Cartwights are defending him and fighting off the bad guys at the newspaper office. Clemens is thinking out loud about the river boats traveling along the Mississippi River and hits upon his inspiration for his pen name, Mark Twain. I don't know if this is an hisorically accurate account of how he came up with it, but it is a great bit of dialogue!

This first season episode gives some background on Ben's relationship with Marie, Joe's mother. Apparently, just after Ben married her, a man named Simon LaRoche tried to blackmail her to keep "her past" a secret. Ben found out, got in a fight with him, and Ben killed LaRoche when he pulled a knife on him. LaDuke, the policeman from New Orleans, went after Ben and fell as he chased him. LaDuke's gun went off and hit him in the leg, crippling him, and he blames Ben for it.

When Joe learns of the lies LaDuke is itching to tell about his mother, he demands of Ben that he tell him what it is that he knows and what LaRoche was blackmailing Marie to keep hidden. Ben never really says. The scene in which Joe finds out why LaDuke has come to town and tearfully, and heatedly, tries to find out about what is behind it all is a great one. Another is the scene at Marie's grave when Ben latter finds Joe there.

This episode does much to establish the close relationship between Joe and Ben. While Ben is close to all his boys, there is something so protective about his actions toward his youngest. He even withdraws himself as a potential candidate for governor of the soon-to-be-state of Nevada, to try and ensure that there will be no scandal involving Joe's long dead mother. He also asks the sheriff to keep Joe locked up when agrees to leave and return to New Orleans with LaDuke, in exchange for LaDuke telling the truth about a gunfight he witnessed, when Joe outdrew LaDuke's henchman, who tries to gun Joe down. Initially, LaDuke lied and said Joe had gunned the other man down in cold blood, to force a trial of the charge, so he could testify about Joe's mother's past.

This episode probably has more background information about the past of the Cartwrights than any of the other early episodes and is important viewing for fans so that they get some history of the development of the family. It also is a great one to show the personality traits of Joe, such as his hot temper and how emotional he gets about his mother.