Top-rated
Thu, Jan 21, 1999
Gloria's best friend, Muriel, makes a surprise visit to the ranch with her new fiancé, Connor McCann, who once asked Gloria to marry him. Although Gloria never had any intention of marrying Connor, she turned him down in part when Rich entered her life. Their visit is in part because Connor has enlisted and will soon be shipped overseas. Gloria is happy to see her friends, but Rich is less than excited to socialize with his old nemesis Connor, especially since he doesn't know the specific details of Gloria and Connor's past relationship. Despite a bumpy start, Pan begins to love their visit, more specifically Muriel's visit. Meanwhile, Pan's latest scheme is to start a horse stud business. They have to do some quick maneuvering to trade their gelding for a stallion.
Thu, Feb 4, 1999
After Rich returns from two weeks on the range, he and Gloria are anxious for some time alone together. Arranging this alone time is even more difficult than usual since their old friend Robert McDaniels has returned to work on the ranch. He is also sleeping in the one-room cabin with the married couple and Pan. Beyond McDaniel's return, the twosome have other issues which are preventing them from their much wanted alone time. They have to protect McDaniels from any intruders as he is still wanted for murder, with a bounty on his head. And they have to deal with Tommy as his under-performance is getting worse due to his hormonal preoccupation with Kit. Pan ultimately learns why Tommy doesn't seem to know anything about being a ranch hand let alone a cowboy. Through all these distractions, Gloria has a feeling that Rich is avoiding being intimate with her for a whole different reason unknown to her. Her carnal desires are made worse by an unusual request from Rupert Mowat.
Thu, Feb 11, 1999
The herd is growing, which has many repercussions on the ranch. Rich, Gloria and Pan have purchased thirty new horses, all of which need to be broken in. One of those horses will be Gloria's new horse. To show up Pan, she chooses the wildest of the bunch, one of which Pan would even admit to being just a little scared. Gloria has to perform magic to tame her new steed, who she's named Steinway (she wanted something "grand"). One other manifestation of the increasing herd is that they need more land converted to hay fields for feed. The entire conversion process is no easy task. They have two weeks - the time of the first frost - to clear the land, harrow the new field and plant the hay. Rich decides that they need to construct a large combination harrow/disker to get that job done faster, an idea which Pan considers hair-brained. If they go through with Rich's plan - one fraught with potential disasters - and it doesn't work, they could lose the herd and their entire dream.
Thu, Feb 18, 1999
After he gets her into a drunken state to ease her pain, Rich brings the Widow Franklin to the ranch since he feels she needs someone to care after her since she received notice that her son, Charles, has been listed missing in action in the war. Rich is hoping that either Gloria or Pan can provide her with some comfort. Despite Pan having a "benefits" relationship with her, Pan doesn't know what to say to her since they don't really have a "friends" relationship. And Gloria would like to provide her some comfort, but the continual criticism she throws back at Gloria over Gloria's lack of keeping a proper house doesn't make it easy for Gloria to provide any kindness in return. The one person who does seem to want to provide Harriet with something is Rupert, who, enthralled with her domestic capabilities, starts to court her, which doesn't sit well with Pan, who has always seen Harriet as his unspoken property. But will Pan be able to provide her with some true comfort and friendship she needs at this time? Meanwhile, Rich and Pan have rented a stud bull to impregnate the herd, but the bull seems less than enthusiastic at the task. And Gloria believes that knocking down an exterior wall of the house will force Rich and Pan to start building the addition to the house.
Fri, Feb 26, 1999
A provincial government employee named Deaver gets lost on the ranch property while on his way to Devil's Thumb to survey for the location of future radio towers. As he is from the city and has no experience in back country travel, he hires Pan and Rich to be his guides, much to Gloria's chagrin, despite the extra money, as she would rather have Rich stay on the ranch and at least start the addition to the house which he promised for so long. Pan and Rich come to the quick conclusion that Deaver isn't all that he seems. Back at the ranch, Gloria decides to start the addition herself with the help of the ranch hands who are as inexperienced in house building as they are in ranching. They in turn are torn between helping their boss and attending to the ranch chores. But when Deaver's boss, a man named Sam Correa, arrives, Gloria gets some help but also fears for their way of life as, as she knows of Correa from her previous society life in Vancouver, Correa is the type of man who gets what he wants.
Wed, Mar 3, 1999
Rich doesn't remember until Pan reminds him that his and Gloria's first wedding anniversary is approaching. What's worse is that Rich was planning on heading off with Pan on that day to go for a multi-day wild horse hunt. Gloria is already angry enough by Rich forgetting and not making any romantic arrangements for their honeymoon, but to make the best of a bad situation, she decides to go along on the wild horse hunt so that she can be with Rich. As such, Pan decides to stay home instead, which ends up making him go a little stir crazy with nothing to do. Rich and Gloria's pursuit of the wild horses ends up yielding nothing, so Rich decides to ask advice on the whereabouts of the wild horses from his not so old friend and neighbor Cora Bartlett, who lives with her cantankerous, straight-talking and acerbic tongued mother Enid Bartlett. The visit with the Bartletts is bad enough in Gloria's eyes as she would rather be alone with Rich, but it takes a turn for the worse when Enid implies that snooty Gloria is the reason why Rich and Cora didn't get married. That visit leads to a fight later between Rich and Gloria. It isn't until the Hobsons have a subsequent visit with the Bartletts - with Gloria and Cora having some alone time, and Cora dealing with a sad situation - that Gloria and Rich see their marriage in a clearer light. Their marriage is also given a surprising boost by Pan.
Top-rated
Wed, Mar 10, 1999
With all the ranch hands gone to do work, Gloria figures it's time for her and Rich to celebrate a proper, albeit late, romantic first anniversary alone at home. Rich is just as eager for this alone time with his wife. Instead of having a romantic time together, they decide to do something else they don't ever seem to have have time to do: talk. Into their conversation, they seem, at least on the surface, to be at different points in where they see their collective lives together. As each threatens to run off, they have to decide if their marriage can survive these fundamental differences. Meanwhile, Pan, who is out on the trail by himself, is pinned beneath a tree that he fell. He is basically unharmed but can't get himself unpinned. As he tries futilely to get his horse Joey to go back to the ranch and therefore indicate to Rich that something is wrong, he must survive the elements, wild animals and time. He hopes that Rich's sixth sense about people being in trouble will kick in this time.
Thu, Oct 7, 1999
With debts mounting, Rich feels the only short term solution is to do what Nelson has done, which is to work at a nearby logging camp where they pay good wages in cash. Rich is willing to leave to work on the camp despite Gloria's currently broken foot and her concern over his welfare. She has reason to become more concerned when life at the camp seems to be more focused on the casual but wagered boxing matches - winner take all - that are organized by one of the other loggers named Danny Doyle. Rich is a former boxer, but who hasn't boxed in close to a decade. The current camp champion, an Irishman named Sean Kelly, is bigger and stronger than Rich, but Rich is willing to take him on for the $60 jackpot on the premise that he probably has more actual boxing skill than Kelly. Despite Rich trying to hide the boxing from Gloria, she too becomes caught up with it when Rich surprisingly wins the bout. But Pan, also there to witness the fisticuffs, thinks that Kelly went down a little too easily. When they figure out what went on with the fight, Rich feels he has to make amends to those that lost money on the bout by having a rematch. Rich, Gloria and Pan all take different approaches on how best to handle the upcoming fight. Meanwhile, Ed and Kit have a philosophical argument over the war, especially as their older brother Frank is stationed in London waiting to be called into battle.
Thu, Oct 14, 1999
It's haying season. Robert and the Georges are coming by to help out. However, Robert and Nelson are temporarily tied up with other tasks, leaving Rita, young Horatio and Francis - who makes an art of getting out of work - as the only people currently available. After the division of labor is decided, a small wrench is thrown into the proceedings when Gloria sprains her ankle, which means she is relegated to the kitchen, much to everyone else's dismay. But a more serious and life threatening accident occurs when Francis is run over by the mower. As they all deal with the immediate issue of Francis' injuries, they can only send notice for Dr. Harvey in Bella Coola - a three hour plane ride away - and hope that he arrives in time to save Francis. Things turn even worse when they receive news that Bella Coola is fogged in, meaning no planes in or out. Against Gloria's wishes, Pan and Rich decide to make the 150 mile round trip horse ride through the treacherous trail to the end of the road to pick up Doc Harvey, and ride him back. The prayers are now not only for Francis' safety, but Rich, Pan and Doc Harvey's as well. This incident shows everyone what they are and aren't cut out for in life, one whose immediate future may be drastically altered because of it.
Thu, Oct 28, 1999
Everyone on the ranch is helping out with the end of season cattle drive to Vanderhoof where they will sell their mature herd. The struggle for ultimate power seems to be reaching a head between Rich and Pan, especially as Rich inadvertently gives away Pan's favorite steed to Nelson as payment for work. Half way through the drive, they make a bet. Rich will take half the herd and Ed and Gloria, while Pan takes the other half of the herd with Kit and Tommy to see who makes it to Vanderhoof first, with the winner to be boss of the ranch for the next year. Beyond the race, they find they have bigger problems once they arrive in Vanderhoof, problems that threaten the very existence of the ranch. This drive is the final piece of work Ed will be doing for Rich and Pan before he hops on a train to Vancouver so that he can enlist. As such, Tommy wants to give him a proper send off and hires the services of Miss Jessie Temple, who would be Ed's first sexual partner. But Tommy ends up having his own female encounter in town when he meets Sally Prentiss, the preacher's daughter.