John Postley (James Whitmore) is freed from prison after someone else confesses to the bank robbery he was convicted of committing. Ben Cartwright had been a key witness in his trial.
James Whitmore is a good actor and with Bonanza's standard cast this episode is well acted.
SPOILER: Postley has decided to secretly seek revenge and has dug a pit in a mine to make Ben "feel what he felt" in prison. Candy accompanies Ben and is also trapped. Postley wants to keep Ben (and Candy) alive to suffer. In a twist Postley is seriously injured (two broken legs and a concussion?) and Hoss finds him and nurses him through a coma. When conscious again Postley realizes the only way he can save Ben and Candy from starvation is to confess. He does so to Hoss, and when Ben and Candy are rescued (barely, of course), Postley can't remember why he wanted to hurt Ben so much. Is Postley regretting his actions or is his revenge complete? The question remains, did Postley intend the punishment be temporary, never resulting in death for Ben or did he change his mind?
James Whitmore is a good actor and with Bonanza's standard cast this episode is well acted.
SPOILER: Postley has decided to secretly seek revenge and has dug a pit in a mine to make Ben "feel what he felt" in prison. Candy accompanies Ben and is also trapped. Postley wants to keep Ben (and Candy) alive to suffer. In a twist Postley is seriously injured (two broken legs and a concussion?) and Hoss finds him and nurses him through a coma. When conscious again Postley realizes the only way he can save Ben and Candy from starvation is to confess. He does so to Hoss, and when Ben and Candy are rescued (barely, of course), Postley can't remember why he wanted to hurt Ben so much. Is Postley regretting his actions or is his revenge complete? The question remains, did Postley intend the punishment be temporary, never resulting in death for Ben or did he change his mind?
