timothymitchellboone

This is entertaining enough, but you can't ignore the things about Nero that were left out of this story. History has said that he was cruel and depraved as emperor from the get-go. Contemporary historians documented this. Yet, this film would have us believe that he was gradually manipulated into that selfish, blood-thirsty personality by others around him. Some of his most notorious actions (incest, debauchery, arena killings, etc.) may be quietly implied but they are never clearly stated in this version of the story. For all intents and purposes, this is more a story about Christianity in Nero's Rome, than it is about Nero, and even this is somewhat sugar-coated. Again, this meets the criteria for fair entertainment but you can find better representations of this history elsewhere.

I love Bonanza. I grew up in the 60s and 70s, with my Dad a fan of Westerns. He enjoyed Bonanza when he could catch it. I had not seen all episodes myself so a couple of months ago, I decided to watch it from Season 1. I am currently on Season 12. It has been a fun show to watch, some episodes better than others. I enjoy the characters and most storyline.

This episode, however, is one of the worst episodes I've seen. As a previous reviewer stated, this tries to tie the show in with the current events of the 1960s, even though the show is set 100 years earlier. I love that the Cartwrights usually stick up for the underdogs and, even in this episode, it's fine to a point. It's certainly justified when the wrong people are blamed and harassed for a crime they didn't commit, a common theme throughout the show's episodes. But these Weary Willies --- wanderers --- set up camp on other peoples' land, cut down trees to build, and allow others to join, all without asking the owner nor offering anything in return. They are resistant to steady work yet take anything that's offered to them. The Cartwrights are gracious and tell them they can stay for a bit and then the wanderers take advantage of the situation. As if it didn't sound a lot like the hippies of the 60s yet, the leader of the group sings songs more at home in the 1960s than the 1860s. Songs are written by folk/country singer Michael Martin Murphy. Folksy songs, yes, but easily not representative of songs from the 1860s.

This is not meant to deny that the actors did a great job with their characters. It's the storyline that fails with me. I have seen episodes and other shows that try to tie in with current events, and some do it better than others. This is one episode I won't mind if I never see it again.