The Big Valley

second season

"The Lost Treasure" 2-1
9/12/1966

A con-man tells Heath that he, not Tom Barkley, is Heath's father. Heath is determined to find out the truth; if he isn't Tom Barkley's son, he won't let himself be a Barkley, despite the fact that the family says they will not let him leave without a fight.

"Legend of a General, Part I" 2-2
9/19/1966

The Barkleys offer sanctuary to a Mexican general who has fled false arrest. Heath is jailed in Mexico, and the Barkley ranch is invaded by men trying to seize the general.

NickyContent: good balance between all three brothers, hence good NickyMoments. Rating: YY.

"Legend of a General, Part II" 2-3
9/26/1966

The Barkleys refuse to give General Ruiz up for extradition to Mexico, even in promised exchange for Heath's life. Instead, they embark on a plan to save both Heath and the General.

"Caesar's Wife" 2-4
10/3/1966

Therese Marvin has strong feelings for her stepson Will, and a terrible jealousy of Audra, whom she is believes is pursuing Will.

NickyContent: two contrasting scenes with Will. I like the baffled look on Nick's face when he realizes he can't justify fighting with Will!

"Pursuit" 2-5
10/10/1966

A young Payute Indian flees back to his tribal encampment when he learns he has measles, believing that only his medicine man will be able to cure him. Victoria goesb after him, knowing that if he reaches his people the disease may wipe them out.

"The Martyr"2-6
10/17/1966

Jarrod defends a Basque sheepherder, a self-described anarchist, who is accused of murdering a cattleman. He finds that not all of the Basque community wants his client to be acquitted.

NickyContent: a fine, serious NickyMoment early in the episode (sometimes cut).

"Target" 2-7
10/31/1966

Unscrupulous gubernatorial candidate Joshua Hawks claims that Tom Barkley stole all the land he called his own.

NickyContent: very important in first and final sections; these also are contrasting scenes. Rating: YY; looks very nice dusty and with his hair disheveled.

"The Velvet Trap" 2-8
11/7/1966

Nick falls for a woman, not knowing that she is a gunslinger's lover. She sees this as the perfect opportunity to rid herself of a problem: a pursuer bent on revenge.

NickyContent: besides centering on Nick, this episode has some fine NickyMoments, especially two family scenes, one humorous and one in deadly earnest.

"The Man From Nowhere" 2-9
11/14/1966

Jarrod is sent by the state to help mediate in a land dispute. Injured and without memory of his identity, he is taken in by the family involved in the dispute.

NickyContent: vital in the last half of the episode. Particular NickyMoments include a classic funny bit early on, and a moving final scene. Rating: YY.

"The Great Safe Robbery" 2-10
11/21/1966

Three comically inept brothers try hard to crack a railroad station safe.

"The Iron Box" 2-11
11/28/1966

Nick and Heath are arrested by a corrupt sheriff and sent to a road-gang prison. When the warden learns that the two prisoners are of the "California Barkleys", he plans to tempt Nick into leading a breakout so he can legitimately shoot the brothers outside the wire.

NickyContent: central, and effective.

"The Last Stage to Salt Flats" 2-12
12/5/1966

Stage passengers -- including Victoria, Jarrod, and Heath -- are abandoned in the middle of the desert by robbers.

"A Day of Terror" 2-13
12/12/1966

Audra and Victoria are trapped in a church with a Bible School class by an outlaw clan of mother and sons.

NickyContent: two or three scenes only, but they are funny and sweet.

"Hide the Children" 2-14
12/19/1966

When he accuses some gypsy workers of stealing his brandy, and injures one of them in a fight, Nick is volunteered by his brothers to escort the other gypsies and their dowry-wagon to a wedding. On the way, he becomes smitten with the bride-to-be, and learns some lessons about intolerance.

NickyContent: a fine episode, full of a wide range of NickyMoments, humorous and dramatic.

"Day of the Comet" 2-15
12/26/1966

Audra befriends a man she finds camping out on Barkley land; she is intrigued by his cynical, poetic manner. She learns he is being pursued by men out of his past.

"Wagonload of Dreams" 2-16
1/2/1967

The Barkleys help a Greek immigrant deliver his fruit to San Francisco via wagon, when the railroad station manager jacks up the freight price to make a windfall profit.

NickyContent: nice bits; he does a Greek dance -- very well! (should I be surprised? He's physically adept, after all.)

"Image of Yesterday" 2-17
1/9/1967

Victoria learns that the leader of a gang of hired guns - hired to protect ranches against another gang of marauders - is an old flame. She becomes increasingly disturbed by the lawlessness of his men, and challenges him to live up to the ideals he once had.

NickyContent: he and the boys are on a cattle drive, but there's a nice bit in the middle of the episode with the three brothers, nice by-play, good little scene.

"Boy Into Man" 2-18
1/16/1967

Lud, the oldest of three children, refuses to cooperate with the Barkleys who have taken them in. He is determined to track down their mother, who has disappeared.

"Down Shadow Street" 2-19
1/23/1967

Victoria is eyewitness to the murder of a saloon girl -- a murder committed by her godson, the only child of a local judge. When the boy admits his crime to his father, the judge turns to desperate measures to protect him.

NickyContent: good NickyMoments with Jarrod, both clever/funny and dramatic. [note: these scenes are sometimes cut!] I like the way he blocks a punch and doesn't hit back. Rating: YY.

"The Stallion" 2-20
1/30/1967

A ranch hand who has gotten too old for regular saddle work is determined to capture a wild stallion, to prove he is as capable as ever.

NickyContent: some nice active work early in the episode.

"The Haunted Gun" 2-21
2/6/1967

Senator and ex-gunman Jud Robson claims he is being stalked by enemies. Unfortunately it seems that almost anyone can arouse his suspicions.

"The Price of Victory"2-22
2/13/1967

Heath tricks Nick into becoming a sparring partner to a professional boxer. When Nick knocks him down by a fluke, it is discovered that the boxer has a dangerous weakness: a blind side caused by a blood clot. Nick offers him a job on the ranch, and when the boxer insists on re-entering the ring, he becomes his manager for one last fight.

NickyContent: centers around him; funny moments; Rating: YY, and he's wearing that shiny leather jacket!

"Brother Love" 2-23
2/20/1967

Itinerant "preacher" Brother Love tries out his charm on Audra; Heath sets out to prove that the preacher is a con-man.

NickyContent: only two scenes -- but boy, he looks good in leather!

"Court Martial" 2-24
3/6/1967

Armed men occupy the Barkley house, bent on punishing Nick's former general for the destruction of an innocent town during the war. Jarrod convinces them to let the general -- and Nick -- give their side of the story at a 'court martial.'

NickyContent: intense. Rating: YY.

"Plunder!" 2-25
3/13/1967

Heath is sent to a town endangered by a possible dam break. The town has been abandoned except for a few men who are there to guard against looters. Temptation gets the better of them, and they turn on Heath.

"Turn of a Card" 2-26
3/20/1967

Heath must deliver $5000 to his brothers to buy a much-needed mine pump at a government auction. A professional gambler wants to divest him of this money.. and finds Heath's Achilles heel: his chivalry towards the gambler's Tahitian bond-woman.

NickyContent: some nice NickyMoments at the beginning and end, especially showing his bark without a bite.

"Showdown in Limbo" 2-27
3/27/1967

Sheriff Frank Sawyer thinks that all it takes is time to toughen up his young son, newly returned from the East. His attitude is likely to endanger them -- and Heath as well -- as they travel to Stockton to deliver a notorious outlaw.

NickyContent: Nick and Jarrod are arguing loudly about cattle -- and they drop their argument immediately when they realize Heath may be in danger.

"The Lady From Mesa" 2-28
4/3/1967

Long-time Barkley cowhand Sam Williams is badly injured on guard-duty. Feeling guilty for allowing Williams on the job, Nick is determined to bring Sam's daughter to his side. She's a schoolteacher in Mesa, Nevada...or is she?

NickyContent: centers on him, and he's very sleek indeed. Raiting: YY.

Days of Grace" 2-29
4/17/1967

Heath is accused of attempted rape. An old friend, now a nun, breaks him out of jail, knowing that if she doesn't, his trial will be immediate and strictly pro forma.

"Cage of Eagles" 2-30
4/24/1967

Nick hires Patrick Madigan as a dynamiter, despite his likely Fenian background. Tensions rise when a British mining engineer threatens to have him deported.

NickyContent: central..and he's The Boss. Rating: YY.

Text copyright @ 1997-2000 Karen M. Frederickson. All rights reserved.

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