The Big Valley

fourth season

"In Silent Battle" 4-1
9/23/1968

War hero Jonathan Eliot intrigues Audra, but her brothers feel there is something more than slightly off-center about his obsession with "purity."

NickyContent: a charming scene with Jarrod, Victoria and Audra, with Nick at his most ebullient.

"They Called Her Delilah" 4-2
9/30/1968

One-time Confederate spy Julia Saxon visits Stockton to much vilification. She is accused of murder, and Jarrod agrees to defend her despite his own mixed feelings: he was once in love with her.

NickyContent: Nicky takes control of things! Excellent scene with the hapless Mr. Staley..unfortunately a poorly filmed fight scene follows.

"Presumed Dead" 4-3
10/7/1968

Victoria loses her memory when injured in a stage accident. She is nursed to health by a rustler, who can't resist telling her that she is his (late) wife whom he misses so much.

"Run of the Cat" 4-4
10/21/1968

Nick is attacked by a mountain lion. His physical injuries are bound to heal, but he suffers from terrible nightmares. Despite his condition, he is determined to track down the cat himself, to face his demons.

NickyContent: very effective acting, and I like the way the girl likes him!

"Deathtown" 4-5
10/28/1968

Jarrod arrives at a town to handle a land transaction, only to find that the men he was to meet have disappeared.

"The Jonah" 4-6
11/11/1968

Things start going wrong with the fruit harvest when Waldo comes on the scene. The ranch hands firmly believe he's "jonah" and pressure Nick to fire him.

NickyContent: Not the well-rounded Nick of the best episodes; still, he is put through the ringer, and that can be pretty funny. Rating: YY.

"Hell Hath No Fury" 4-7
11/18/1968

Gang-leader Dillie falls in love with Heath and wants to settle down with him. Her brothers don't approve, and Heath has no wish to marry her.

"The Long Ride" 4-8
11/25/1968

Audra witnesses a brutal killing, and goes into a catatonic state. The killers trail the stagecoach on which Victoria is accompanying Audra home. They destroy shelters and salt wells to force the passengers to surrender Audra.

"The Profit and the Lost" 4-9
12/2/1968

Heath saves the life of a hired killer, who is on the way to Stockton to kill ...Heath.

"A Stranger Everywhere" 4-10
12/9/1968

Nick inadvertently causes problems for the town dressmaker when, as a joke, he tells a gullible ranch hand that the woman is a missing member of an outlaw gang. When Nick realizes what he has done, he tries undo the damage.

NickyContent: dare I say sweet? Yes. Abashed and concerned and lovable. Rating: YY, especially at the party.

"The Prize" 4-11
12/16/1968

The Barkleys take in the infant son of a wanted man. The baby's father is searching for him, and a bounty hunter lies in wait.

NickyContent: typically reacts against taking in the baby -- also typically changes his attitude completely!

"Hunter's Moon" 4-12
12/30/1968

On his way to buy stock in a county he has never been in before, Nick is arrested and accused of having an affair with the wife of a local landowner.

NickyContent: a sweet and touching subplot about his aging horse - adorable.

"Top of the Stairs" 4-13
1/6/1969

Victoria wonders if she is being lied to: she is told her brother-in-law has gone insane, but is refused admittance to his sickroom, even when he is sedated.

"Joshua Watson" 4-14
1/20/1969

Nick is relieved when -- after betting $5000 on a rodeo against a rival ranch -- he hires a brilliant all-'round cowboy, ex-slave Joshua Watson. When the rival Mortons learn how good Joshua is with a gun, they claim he is an outlaw and say that if he doesn't turn himself in, they'll take him or kill him.

"The Secret" 4-15
1/27/1969

Adam Howard believes that his wife has been having an affair with Jarrod. He buys a neighboring ranch and sets out to harm the Barkleys in every possible way.

"The 25 Graves of Midas" 4-16
2/3/1969

Nick and Heath travel separately to a mining town to investigate a collapsed mine. When Nick arrives, he finds a hostile populace, and no Heath.

NickyContent: central, no-nonsense. I call it "the episode where Nick doesn't smile even once."

"Lightfoot" 4-17
2/17/1969

Modoc Indian Tom Lightfoot returns from Harvard to find that not everyone is willing to treat him with respect. His bitterness leads him to turn against even his long-time friends the Barkleys.

"Alias Nellie Handley" 4-18
2/24/1969

Victoria impersonates a sneak thief, so she'll be sent to prison and can gather evidence on the terrible conditions there.

"The Royal Road" 4-19
3/3/1969

Jarrod's headstrong ward Laura Haydon falls in love with a Punjabi "prince," unaware that he's a confidence artist.

"A Passage of Saints" 4-20
3/10/1969

Jarrod rents a farm to a Mormon man and his two wives, who have wandered the West since being expelled from Utah when polygamy was outlawed.

NickyContent: The episode opens with Nick coming upon the younger wife bathing! I like it that he has no prejudice against Mormons. Amusing puppydog expression at the table, when Jarrod warns Nick to stay away from the supposed daughter of the family.

"The Battle of Mineral Springs" 4-21
3/24/1969

After learning how the town of Mineral Springs has been ruined by the "boss" of a neighboring town, the Barkleys open a freight business connecting Mineral Springs with Stockton and the rest of the valley.

"The Other Face of Justice" 4-22
3/31/1969

Legendary Stockton sheriff Harry Bodine picks up his guns again when a brutal gang terrorizes the countryside. His motives, however, are not as they seem.

"Town of No Exit" 4-23
4/7/1969

Heath stumbles upon a ghost town apparently ruled by the mad.

"Danger Road" 4-24
4/21/1969

An English "tenderfoot" is tricked into driving a wagonload of whisky to an Indian reservation. He joins forces with Victoria, who is delivering medicine, when they find the road filled with more peril than could be expected.

NickyContent: he doesn't appear, but the explanation for his absence is a riot! (it would be helpful if they didn't cut the scene that appears in! --grrrr!)

"Flight From San Miguel" 4-25
4/28/1969

An old girlfriend of Heath's asks his help to rescue her husband, a Mexican revolutionary leader. The family agrees that he should, though if he is caught the Barkley mines will be confiscated..and Heath may lose his life.

"Point and Counterpoint" 4-26
5/19/1969

Jarrod jeopardizes his possible candidacy for Attorney General by defending an accused murderer. Little does he know that he was approached to be counsel as part of a complex plot for revenge on Victoria.

NickyContent: only a few scenes, though the last comment of the show (and the series) is about him!

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

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