zwolf

Watching this episode, I got a strong feeling that Sergio Leone must have seen it sometime and it made an impression on him. Almost the entire episode is guys waiting to draw on each other while tension builds, just like the ending of The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. There are some similar shots -- a low shot from behind a hand over a holster, and close-ups of the men's eyes (something very rarely done in film before Sergio started doing it).

Also, since the men were supposed to draw when a cuckoo clock chimed, I was reminded of For A Few Dollars More, when a gunfight was supposed to start when a musical watch stopped its song.

Anyway, I can't know for sure, but I feel almost certain that the maestro must have caught this episode and liked it, and found things he wanted to use. Watch the climactic duel from The Good The Bad and the Ugly, and then watch this episode. I think you'll see what I mean.

Yeesh. This is one of the kind of movies you pick up at The Dollar Tree on a set with 14 others... and STILL want your money back. I don't know why people keep putting money into projects and then not hiring even basic talent to cover it... it's a waste. When the closest you have to a "name" star is Kristy Swanson, and she gets out-acted by people who've never been in anything else, it's just sad. She's never been good, but now she seems to be having some kind of personal problem and is even worse. Anyway, your time is more valuable than this. The topic is important, but this shabby trash does nothing but try to exploit it for a few sleazy bucks. It feels like it wants to be a Lifetime movie, but couldn't make the cut.

Wow, what a lightning rod for whiny p.o.s.'s this show became when they justifiably fired Roseanne. It'd be nice if they rated the show on its actual merits, rather than their sour-grapes agendas. I don't think most of them have even WATCHED it before they rated. They're just here because Hannity or someone gave them orders, and they don't think, they just obey.

Let's get one thing straight: this show was resurrected because of Sarah Gilbert. NOT Roseanne. Roseanne has been a headcase for years and hasn't been able to put together a successful project of her own because it's not in her to do it anymore. She lost it in the last seasons of the show's original run. Then, because of Sarah's initiative and hard work, she got a second chance... and she blew it for herself, and almost blew it for everyone else in the show in the bargain, all because of her own bigotry and selfishness.

Luckily the show was saved and is now one of the best comedies (and dramas) on TV... and it turns out it was vastly improved by killing off the Roseanne character. Roseanne simply did not have the talent or timing to pull off comedy anymore. It's not all her fault -- she's a sick woman and has been for years -- but she was dragging the show down. Her scenes in the first season were painful to watch, and her character had become overbearingly abrasive and bullying. Without her presence, everyone else has had a chance to shine. And adding Katey Sagal to the cast is an excellent move.

So ignore the critics, very few of whom have actually watched the show and just have an axe to grind. Watch it for yourself, and I think you'll find that it's worthy of the early seasons of the original.