Bonanza (TV Series) The Hidden Enemy (1972) User Reviews

Medical Malpractice in the old west

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 23 April 2020]

As a result of a stupid practical joke Tim Matheson falls and breaks an arm. The new doctor in town Mike Farrell sets the aem and Lorne Greene is well pleased.

But his next patient the son and brother of David Huddleston and Gary Busey dies from internal bleeding and they want Farrell arrested for murder. The proper venue would have been a suit for malpractice. But that wasn't done in the old west I guess.

Farrell does have a problem, one that is recognized more today. I'll not reveal, but Farrell gives a fine dramatic portrait of a tortured soul.

OMG what a cast in this one!

[lbowdls · 8/10 · 20 August 2020]

Most of the time with Bonanza I just surf and if it looks interesting I'll watch an episode or it's still on after I've finished a previous show. I love seeing all the actors that pop up. Whether that old veteran actors, your usual regular character actors or especially seeing actors at the beginning of their career like this one. How many shows can you find Mike Farrell (actually playing a doctor a couple of years before he did in MASH), David Huddleston, Tim Mathieson and time too it off Gary Busey. Seriously I had to watch this episode to see these performances and I'm really just writing this review because of them. But it's also a really good episode with great performances especially by Farrell as an addicted doctor and another court case Bonanza which is always fairly enthralling.

Important story about the damaging effects of drug addiction

[mduncan-14119 · 9/10 · 1 June 2022]

This is a good story, which I feel has Michael Landon's touch all over it, about drug addiction at a time when there were no treatment programs for it or meetings to go to help a person deal with it. At a time when TV and the media were just beginning to deal with the issue, the doctor becomes seriously and fatally addicted to morphine that ruins a promising career as a doctor along with destroying others at the same time. Great cast and good story writing in dealing with a sensitive but important that we're still dealing with today, such as the current opioid addiction crises that continues to ruin lives. This is a great episode to take a look at to help remind us all how important it is to take control of any addiction before it controls you.