EPISODE: The Bloodline  

Reviewed by Michael
 

Episode 47, Season 2, Originally aired December 17, 1960

Guest stars: David Macklin, Lee Van Cleef, Jan Sterling

SUMMARY:

The story opens in Virginia City.  Ben and Hoss are in the Mercantile shop when a man and his lady friend enter. Luke Grayson, who obviously has been drinking, tries to buy some sweet wine, saying it was recommended by his doctor.  Shunned by the storekeeper, Luke knocks the merchant out so he could get what he wanted. Ben tries to reason with him to get him to stop, but you can't tell a drunk what to do. He tries to shoot Ben. Ben fires back in self- defense. Sheriff Coffee deems Ben shot him in self defense.  

A little while later, the stage arrives with Luke's son, Todd, who has come to stay with his pa.  He is accompanied by a bodyguard. Todd is under the impression that his father is well off, when, in reality, he is supported by his lady friend, Diane Jordan. Unfortunately, Todd's first vision of his father is at the funeral parlor. It is there he meets Diane. She is a bitter woman, who blames Ben for Luke's death.  The owner of the funeral parlor gives Luke his father's gun, without realizing the instability of Luke. 

At the graveside service, Luke tries, unsuccessfully, to kill Ben. Sheriff Coffee apprehends him before he can fire a shot, however.   

Later, Sheriff Coffee tries to figure out what to do with this 16 year old kid.  In waiting for the judge to get to town to determine what to do with the young boy, Sheriff Coffee was going to keep Todd in jail until such time when the judge can determine what to do with him.  Ben feels responsible for the young boy, perhaps thinking of his own boys and how much attention and love a young boy needs in order to get a good start in life. Diane Jordon has different ideas. She wants custody of him. It is while the boy is in jail that Todd finds out that his father didn't have any money. But Ben insists, however, that Todd should go with him to the Ponderosa.

Todd's bodyguard visits Diane, supposedly an old friend. We find out that him really a gunfighter. He senses Diane would like to see Ben dead and sees an opportunity to earn some money.  He sees that Diane hates Ben and that she might hire him make her wish come true. She, however, is hiding something - a secret.  What can that secret be? Don't go away - except for some popcorn and a drink - and see what it is.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Hoss is trying to acclimatize Todd to living on a ranch. Todd has, however, becomes even more bitter than before. Ben is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Todd might still try to kill Ben. On the other hand, if he takes Todd back to the Sheriff, he admits defeat. It also puts the boy in the hands of the manipulative Diane Jordan. Not gonna happen though. 

That evening, Todd steals the gun Ben keeps in his desk drawer. Ben knows it is empty.  A scuffle ensues and Todd runs out the door.  

Back in town the scene shifts to the saloon.  Diane reminisces with the bartender about what kind of man Luke was.  Apparently, Luke was a ladies man. 

Todd has now made it back to Virginia City. He tries to buy a gun from the same Mercantile shop.  When the shopkeeper refuses to sell him one, Todd clobbers the poor store owner and makes off with a gun and some bullets. Todd sneaks over to the hotel and meets Diane, who takes him to her room.   

The gunfighter tries to cash a bank draft at the bar in the hotel. The bartender asks Ben if he knows anything about bank drafts.  The man becomes agitated.  Ben realizes this was money that maybe Diane gave him to shoot Ben. Ben walks off to see Diane and see what is really going on. The gunfighter draws on Ben. He misses. Ben shoots back; he doesn't miss. 

Diane hides Todd outside her window. In a few minutes, Ben confronts Diane with the draft. Ben has a heart to heart conversation with this heartbroken woman. He tells her, “Don’t you realize that the whole town knows that
anything Luke ever had, you gave to him.  Don't you think everyone knew that you clothed him, fed him and gave him his drinking money?”  When Ben asks where Todd is, Todd climbs back into the room ready to shoot Ben. Todd, scared and disillusioned, says that the things Ben said to Diane about his father were a lie. Diane finally breaks down and tells Todd that everything Ben said was true.  His father was just plain no good, that everything he "sent" to Todd, she sent it.  She cried as she revealed to Todd how much she loved his father and how she tried to get him to love her, but that he didn't even know she was alive.  She tried to get him to change but she couldn't. Ben's belief that the boy was just scared and needed someone to understand him paid off. Todd finds the love he needed from his father in the woman who loved his father. 

REVIEWS:

 
“A beautiful story about a woman who couldn't find love as a saloon keeper and a young boy who looked to find the love of a father he expected to find. Bitterness over never being able to "corral" the love of Luke shifted to bitterness toward Ben for shooting him. It was only until she was able to confess her love for Todd's father inspire of him being no good that she was able to make peace with herself. Her confession opened her heart to give Todd the kind of love that a young boy really needs.  She came away a winner in that she could now love the son of the man she loved so much plus give Todd the love of a mother, a very natural and beautiful instinct.” Michael

“Although I'm disappointed by the absence of Adam and Joe in this episode, I always liked this one. You can see Ben struggling both to overcome his guilt as well as to help a misguided young man. I always thought Ben shows more emotion in this episode than in some of ones in later years.” Susan Grote

“It was very good of Ben to offer the boy a place to stay, after what he tried to do, but then I suppose Ben felt it might be safer having him where he could see him, rather than hiding behind a tree, trying to shoot him. The ending was rather predictable, having Diane adopt the boy, but it was nice, nevertheless, as they needed each other. Ben was very understanding throughout this ep, proving what a great father he was.” Lynne Little Joe forever

“A tragic episode but one that show through pain and perseverance things can work out. Todd really did find what he was looking for in the most unlikely source and so did Diane.” Nancy