EPISODE: Different Pines, Same Wind

Reviewed by Sherri

Season 10 September 15, 1968

Guest Stars: Irene Tedrow, John Randolph, Herbert Voland, G.D. Spradlin, George Murdock, John L. Wheeler

Written by Suzanne Clauser

Directed by Leon Benson

The episode starts of with the Cartwrights and another man (Jenks) looking a timber that is being cut from the hillside and they discuss how Milburn is using all the land.  Listening to the conversation, Joe looks at the map and turns to Hoss, telling him that he will toss a coin as to whether or not he gets a piece of land that Joe currently owns in Nevada.  If they are able to get a quarter section of land close to the river, then they can block any further progress by Milburn and his crew.  Flipping the coin and without even looking at it, Joe declares Hoss the winner, thus making him free to seek out that quarter section of land.  So he rides off, with the knowledge that he will make improvements on the land and then will meet up with them on the third day at the Carson land owners office to file a claim.

On his way out to the area, he is riding along on Cochise when a gunshot startles both him and Cochise.  Hidden in the trees is an older woman, who when she sees Joe (who looks so young in this episode) says, “Yes, I do believe I caught me one at long last.” Struggling to control his horse, Joe brings it back around under control and is confronted by an older woman. In one hand she holds a two barrel gun while her other hand has a heavy bandage covering it, demanding that he get down off his horse. Hands up in the air!

Joe asks, “It sure would help me, ma’am, if I, if I knew what this was about.”

 Her reply to that is, “I told ya. I’m fixing to catch myself a man, that’s all.”  (The look on his face while she feels his shoulders and then muscles is priceless.) “You’ll do real fine, with the muscles you got.”  Motioning for Joe to follow her, he again protests so she fires off her gun once more and threatens to shoot him again if he continues to fuss. “Not aiming to shoot ya, but I’m shooting with my left hand and unnatural. And this gun has got a hair trigger.”

Grinning, Joe answers, “It’s also empty.”

“No it ain’t,” insists the old woman.

Crossing his arms, Joe nods a reply, “Oh yes it is.”

Looking down, the woman thinks then realizes her mistake. “I guess I did fire both barrels. Kind of a fool thing to do wasn’t it?”

Laughing, Joe asks about a house she mentioned earlier, then the next scene they are seen approaching the cabin.

Tying up his horse and listening to her demands that “there are chores that need to be done”, Joe looks around the place, then studies the map and goes inside to speak with the old woman, who he learns goes by the name Carrie Pickett.  Her husband Amos died three years earlier, and she refuses to move from her land.  While Joe tries to show her the map, she consistently changes the subject, and gets him to fix beans for supper while she heads to her bed and collapses out of exhaustion.  Taking the map over to her, Joe realizes that she isn’t paying attention so he reaches down and pulls a blanket from the edge of the bed, tenderly covering her with it.  Then he tucks the map away into his jacket pocket.

Later, it is at supper that Joe finds out that an animal has “chawed” on her hand while she was out with her traps.  Insisting that she needs a doctor, he tells her that she needs to ride into town with him to file a claim. Protesting, she says that she doesn’t want to lose her land.  As Joe tries to reason with her, she continues to refuse to listen.  She sends him over to the doorway, and tells him hear outside, then during the conversation he mentions how he has different pines from where he is, but same wind.  Finally, after arguing with her for a while he demands that she will file the claim and that she will do it tomorrow.  Stunned at the proclamation, she sags against the fireplace; all energy sapped from her body as Joe helps her over to the table. Sitting there, she begs for Joe to stay, stay long enough for her to get her strength back.  But Joe (we know his character) is just as determined to take her in to town.  As she talks, he realizes that she is afraid that the doctor will lop off her hand, and she doesn’t want that.

Concerned, Joe realizes her injury must be worse that she is letting on; however she turns the attention away from her hand by continuing to refuse to go in to town.  Settled with the issue, Joe turns to her saying that they are going into town the next day to file a claim and see the doctor. Believing that she has finally listened to reason, Joe settles down to eat as she heads off to bed.  Pulling the curtains closed around her bed, she has the last word: “We'll talk about it when tomorrow comes.” The look of shock that he is able to portray to the viewers is great.

The next morning Carrie has trouble rising from bed, weak from her injured hand. Stumbling to the door, she cradles her right arm as she looks out and sees Joe carrying his saddle and gun to his horse.  Following after him, she demands to know where he is going.  Telling her that they are going into town, he tells her to go inside and pack her things when she admits that she is to sick to ride a horse.  So, he tells her that he will file the claim and bring the doctor out.  Unfortunately that is not the answer she was seeking, and pushes him aside and hits him on the back claiming that he is trying to steal her piney woods.  As he turns to finish saddling his horse, Carrie tells him to go fill up a bucket of water being as her well has been dry for over a year, which is the “least you can do for leaving a poor old lady to fend for herself.” Watching as she walks away, Joe shoves the gate closed to the corral and takes the long walk to the waters edge.  Carrie then moves over to the corral, and goes in to shoo Cochise out.  Once the horse is free, she moves back up to the house and watches as Joe returns.  Halfway back, he looks up and sees his horse gone.  Dropping the water bucket, he runs up to Carrie and asks, “What kind of a stupid trick was that?” Her reply is, “Your horse got loose.”   Later with his horse caught and saddled, he rides up to the house and tells her that he is headed into town.  She then puts on a sad face and tells him that she doesn’t have enough food left to make it to the next day.  Frustrated, he hops off his horse to go inside, warning her “my horse had better be there when I get back.”  Moments later, he comes back outside and listens to her as she placed guilt on leaving a poor old lady to starve, while he leans against the doorframe in frustration, saying, “I hate you.”

In the meantime, Ben and Hoss have invited Jenks (man from the claim office) to ride along with them to check on Joe.  Hoss pushes the idea of trout fishing, while Ben takes the conservation angle of saving trees.  Jenks ends up joining them.

Then we see Joe chopping wood (a lost opportunity for him to be shirtless) when he looks over at the cabin and sees smoke billowing from the cabin, while Carrie leans against the building ignoring the smell.  Running inside, he grabs a pot of meat (partridge that he spent hours trying to flush from the brush) and tosses it outside.  Coughing, he realizes that she intentionally let it burn and announces that he is going into town to file the claim whether she wants him to or not.  She begs for him not to go, then accuses him of being a claim jumper, trying to steal her piney woods.  Then he looks back at her and sees that she has fallen to a faint on the ground.

Thinking that she is faking it, he goes over to her and tells her that her tricks are not going to work on him this time, when he discovers that she has indeed fainted.  Carefully he picks her up and carries her inside, never knowing that there was a stranger in the woods watching them.

In town, Jenks, Hoss and Ben are eating and resting from their ride, ready to get a room for the night.  They go up to the bartender and learn that there is one room left in Crescent City, and it has a double bed and cot. Unfortunately, Ben and Hoss must share a bed, causing Ben to comment that is fine as long as Hoss leaves him half the bed.  As they go up the stairs, the stranger (goes by the name Marks) goes to Milburn's table and tells him that Mr. Cartwright is in town.  Apparently Milburn has never met the man or his family, and claims that he hears that Ben is a man of principle and conservation.  Marks then reports that a young man and old woman live on the land that he is wanting.  Getting up from the table, in the knowledge that they will ride out at first light, they see a commotion at the door and Marks comments that the young man coming in is the young man from the land.

Walking over to the bar, Joe seeks out a doctor and Milburn offers the services of Dr. Belden, even though he hasn’t practiced in years.  After following him to his room (always wondered how close he was to his brother and pa’s room at that point) and demanding his services, Belden unwillingly agrees to accompany Joe to the cabin. 

Back at the cabin, Belden voices his concern that Carrie may have to lose her hand.  Carrie then demands of Joe to promise her that she won’t lose her arm, to do anything to prevent amputation.  Kissing her lightly on the forehead, Joe promises and goes to help the doctor.

After the surgery (she keeps her hand), Belden finds out that Joe is planning on filing a claim for Carrie and Belden tells him that Milburn and his men won’t allow him to file the claim.  In the conversation, Belden admits that he works for Milburn and that he gets more money from Milburn than he ever did being a doctor.  Apparently his job for Milburn was filling out claim papers and he happened to have one on hand for the quarter section.  As they talk, they hear a horse neigh and look out to see Milburn and Marks coming down the trail.  Buckling his gun belt on, Joe goes out to greet the men.  Milburn tries to make an offer to buy the cabin, so that medicine and medical help can be given for the sick woman. 

Basically, Milburn tells him that the land isn’t his and when Joe refuses to budge from his stand, Milburn motions for his hired men to surround Joe and tie him up.  While Joe is on the ground, hands pulled behind his back Belden then comes out of the cabin holding a gun, telling him that he is quitting his job and that this is one piece of land he is not getting. Marks tells him to put the gun away, while Milburn points the gun at Joe threatening to kill him.  When Belden drops the gun, Milburn tells the men to tie them all up, while Joe protests that there is a sick woman inside who needs the doctor.  Carrie then appears at that point, claiming that she has filled out the claim papers causing Milburn to demand that she be put up on a horse.  Seeing everything that was going on, Joe starts a fight with the men who were to tie him up.  Soon outnumbered with three men using him as a punching bag (poor Joe!), Belden attacks one of the men. Belden is knocked to the ground again, and all three men turn their attention to beating up Joe, when shots ring through the air. We now see the appearance of Ben, Hoss and Jenks riding in with dust flying in the air

Demanding that everyone move away from the man on the ground, Ben demands water. Milburn, making pleasantries, tries to excuse away what Ben has ridden upon, by explaining that he was trying to make a business proposition.

 However, Ben tells him that he knows what he was doing and that he was trying to steal timber.  As Milburn protests yet again, Ben looks up to him and tells him there is something that he needs to understand, and that “this is my son that you have beaten up.” Realizing that his cause was lost, Milburn looks over at his men as though asking, why didn’t I know this? 

Ben helps Joe stand up, who reaches over to Milburn and grabs the claim paper and gives it to Mr. Jenks. (do you notice that now his shirt is gaping a bit, allowing some viewing access to his chest).  Carrie then hands over a bag of gold dust to Jenks, who says that he doesn’t think there is enough there. But Joe jumps in to say that by the time they arrive in Carson City there will be more than enough.  Joe then turns to Milburn and demands that he get off the property. 

Belden stays behind, a changed man determined to go back to his honest doctoring ways.  Carrie goes over to Joe and thanks him for saving her piney woods.

REVIEWS:

"A great episode, one that I truly enjoy watching. This is one of the few times that I noticed the music in an episode, used to highlight points in the show usually where Carrie is being overtly stubborn and cantankerous. This is a definitely a Joe episode. I enjoyed seeing how he interacted with someone who could be so annoying and obstinate, yet he was able to show her tenderness and care." Sherri P.

"There is so much to love in Joe's relationship with Carrie. He's finally met a woman who is every bit as stubborn and crafty about getting she wants as he is himself, and it's amusing to watch poor Joe dealing with that and trying unsuccessfully to convince Carrie to do either of the things she needs to do for her own good -- file on the land and see a doctor. The last scene where the two of them say goodbye is tender and moving. Like with Miss Dobbs in "The Stillness Within", the fact that the lady is too old for the usual romance-of-the week relationship allows Joe to show a different, yet equally loving, side of his personality." Helen

"An all-time favorite episode, which gives us a peek at the characteristics Joe really values in a woman: courage, feisty stubborness, crafty conniving and a distrust of doctors -- in short, a girl like Joe himself! Watching the developing relationship between Joe and Carrie is a delight from beginning to end." Puchi Ann

"I think it also shows a part of how Joe was brought up to respect women and to help her even though she could sure get him riled...Plus the love they both shared for those piney woods was so well written yet so simple. You knew Pa had done a good job instilling in his youngest son the love he had for the land and wanting to keep it preserved. And Miss Carrie didn't wear a blue dress!" Jan

"I love this ep. If I had my druthers, I'd have waved a magic want and made Carrie young again, just right for Joe." Barb K.

"I just wish that they had found a young woman like Carrie for LJ, she was just the kind of woman to be a mate for a Cartwright - tough and feisty, but with a warm heart, not like the vapid wimps that they usually had playing the boy's love interest. The two of them were great together." Lynne

"It is funny that the producers and writers felt the fans wouldn't accept one of the Cartwrights getting married but they always had them having romances with vapid wimps. If we couldn't be the wives or girlfriends, we wanted substantial intelligent women on par with those guys...It was funny that the few times they had solid pioneer women, they were elderly." Robin

"The chemistry between LJ and Carrie is wonderful! Her and Joe married (if not for the 20 years)? There would have been fireworks over the Ponderosa on a daily basis-but it would have been fun to watch!  I can smell the pines when they're shown in the breeze and I could watch it daily." Judy

"I think what I liked best was Joe dealing with the cantankerous old lady. It showed his temper but moreso his soft side so well. They didn't have many episodes where Joe got to show this depth -- and how hard he would fight to defend someone he didn't even know....I like it when he says to her "they don't make them like you -- I know, I've looked." Ahhhh." Wrangler

"I had the pleasure of meeting the writer, Suzanne Clauser, at the Bonanza Convention in 1998 in Tahoe and I mentioned to her how much I loved the line near the end where Joe and Carrie are expressing their affection for each other. "Ooh, if I were 20 years younger..." Carrie sighs, looking lovingly at Joe. "And if I were 20 years older. They just ain't making girls into women like you anymore," [Joe answers]. When I mentioned that line to Suzanne, she smiled broadly and said, "Yep, I wrote that!" " Gina

My favorite line (and delivery!) in the whole episode is when the exasperated Joe, having found she has hidden all of the food, comes out of the cabin and mutters "I hate you". Sue W

"One of my favorite scenes is when Pa rescues Joe after Millburn's men have beat him up. You can see Ben's concern for his son by the way he literally leaps off his horse and runs to Joe, threatening Millburn's men with his gun, before he immediately begins to try to tend to his son. Millburn is trying to mollify him when Ben growls "This is my son you've beaten up." There's no question in anyone's mind that Ben is angry and upset. Just another example of Ben acting as the "mother bear" when one of his cubs is hurt." Susan Grote

"Those words by pa ["this is my son you've beaten up"] are some "famous quotes" that tend to stick with you!" Prairie Susan