The Wild Wild West (TV Series) The Night of the Plague (1969) User Reviews

Nice Trick Ending

[aramis-112-804880 · 8/10 · 9 February 2023]

This episode has a nice trick ending but I won't reveal it. You'll have to wait for it.

West is dressed down for this episode where Lana Wood (Natalie's less talented sister, but not by a ton) is kidnapped by a gang of robbers. West has to rescue the money and the girl. And Wood is a very spoiled girl who doesn't want to be rescued by West.

Meanwhile, Artie learns the gang has a contagious disease and unless Jim and the girl get shots they'll all die alike. But he doesn't know where they are.

Then a captured member of the gang kicks the bucket quoting Shakespeare. It's a slender hope, but it's the only one he's got.

A nice little episode that would have made a suitable finale to a great series, but it's the penultimate episode.

BAND OF THIEVES OR ACTING TROUP OR BOTH?

[rms125a · 7/10 · 18 January 2021]

Masquerading band of thieves led by a pair of Shakespearean thespian brothers with a disconcerting tendency towards ruthlessness.

Reviewer searchanddestroy-1 is correct that there is no fantasy aspect but a good Western procedural. And as far as West (Conrad)'s attire, it is true that (aside from the last few minutes at the end) he does not dress as usual but the skimpy beefcake attire only makes him that much sexier. Lucky Lana Wood!

The "Play/gues" the thing!

[lbowdls · 8/10 · 12 May 2023]

I actually love this episode. I think it's very thrilling, and yes different in the fact it's not different in the Wild Wild West way.

But I'm watching this in 2023 while we've had a plague - of Covid. So to me it is so relevant that there is a plague that needs inoculation as soon as possible and they're trying to track people down for their own good. Plus there's a robbery and kidnapping and a spoilt upper crust lady - played wonderfully by Lana Wood. Also has the usual comedy in it too.

And then there's Artie who is actually putting his disguise and acting skills to 'legitimate' theatre. Also interesting that he uses the the name Kimble - the Fugitive!

Dressing on a budget

[dieforgergal · 9/10 · 7 February 2024]

In this episode Jim West is not dressed in his normal classy attire. And that is probably because they used a sequence from a previous episode, The Night of Jack O' Diamonds, where he is up on a cliff and he's looking down at the camp and then descends down by a wire that he anchored into the rock cliff. So he had to be in the same clothes that he was wearing in the sequence that they used from the previous episode. They would often use the same clips in several different episodes like of Jim riding his horse or the train on the tracks to save time and money. They had a very limited budget to make all of these episodes so they cut costs wherever they could.

Bland episode.

[searchanddestroy-1 · 5/10 · 10 April 2019]

The first thing I want to tell is that you don't find in this episode Jim West with his usual clothes. He wears a normal cow boy pant and shirt. Maybe for the next and last episode of the show, it will be the same; we'll see. Second, this episode is far from being the best of the series. Every body feels the end of the show. Good scene of a man falling from a cliff, with the camera showing him falling back on rocks. Plus, this is a common western scheme here. No fantasy nor any kind os sci-fi, which was the trade mark of the show. Good stunts from Bob Conrad, as usual. Worst climax of the whole show, at least ONE of the worst.