Fox, Hound and the Widow McCloud

Sequels don't always hit the mark, truth be told they typically fall into the "disappointing" (or just bad) category. There are some exceptions where the sequel is better then the original...The Wrath of Khan, The Empire Strikes Back, The Godfather pt. II, Aliens...to name a few.

Fox, Hound and the Widow McCloud absolutely falls into this category, it's a great character piece that far exceeds pt. 1 of the story from season 6, "A Bad Place to Die", which was yet another rehashing of the showrunners' most recycled plots where someone from Shiloh is falsely accused of murder. In that episode Luke Nichols (Victory Jory) and Trampas escape from jail, and the last we see of Luke he's headed for Canada. In pt. 2 we find out what happened to him, he's now on the run from a bounty hunter that's nothing short of a murderous sociopath.

Jory is just great in the story, the viewer is invested easily in his character. Luke still has his dream, despite serving 18 years for a killing done while he was temporarily insane with grief. Big-hearted Trampas owes Luke his life, and he's determined to pay that debt any way he can. The Virginian - in a role he played frequently - is there to remind Trampas that although some paths may seem like a solution, in reality they are not.

The interaction between Luke and the widow McCloud (Jean Inness) is well played as her cold heart begins to warm somewhat. The widow may seem outwardly as having an extremely cantankerous personality, but she has her reasons to shun any feelings, and they're good reasons. The scene where Luke tells her he's been watching her hands is exceptionally poignant.

Former teen idol Troy Donahue plays the sneering, sociopathic bounty hunter, utterly rotten to the core in every way, and he's quite believable in the role. Viewers will find themselves yelling in frustration at the Virginian throughout the episode to step aside and let Trampas do what we all wanted him to do.

The writers had two choices for the ending, and some may not agree with the one that was chosen. But the scene at the ending with the flower bed speaks volumes, and it'll stay with the viewer long after the credits run.

All in all, a terrific character-driven episode that captures the essence of the series exceptionally well. My grade: 8/10.

This episode has Doug McClure getting a visit from an old jailhouse buddy. We learn that Trampas did some time in the joint and escaped to Canada with Victor Jory. Both were accused of two separate murders. But while Trampas was cleared, Jory remained a fugitive in Canada.

Now he's come back and he has bounty hunter Troy Donahue on his tail. Jory works for widow Jean Inness, a hardbitten woman who has had a lot of tragedy in her life.

As for Trampas, Donahue is not above a bit of bribery and Trampas starts raising the money against the advice of The Virginian.

Donahue is far from the All American heartthrob of the early 60s. He was graduating into character roles and those bobby sox days were behind him and he knew it. Jory is a delight as charming old rascal.