Episode Guide - The First Born
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Title: The First Born
Episode No: 101,
Season: 4
You’ll Like This If: You enjoy a good family story, love
vulnerable/maimed Joe, hunger for bare-chested Joe, yearn for a peek at his
(sock-clad) tootsies and relish JPMs: this episode has all of the above!!!
In a nutshell: What a turn up for the books! Joe has another brother! And
it looks like he’s going to be a bad lot. Well, Clay sports a moustache, which
was usually a bad sign back in the 1960s…
Next thing we know, Clay has got Joe drunk and hung over (amid much exciting
talk of Mexican lovelies), got the miners annoyed, and is the direct cause of
Joe being beaten up, too. But of course, we know that Clay’s really all right
underneath, as he proves by leaving at the end of the ep, never to be seen
again. There is a tantalising hint of a return visit, when Joe presses a locket
containing their mother’s picture into Clay’s hand, but sadly, no sequel was
ever made to this episode. (Many fanfic writers have tackled this oversight,
including Rona, who has done so twice. Always best to get it exactly right.)
Synopsis: There’s a new man in town – and of course, he starts off by
having a shave. Like you do. Always best to be spick and span when meeting the
relatives. No sooner are the grooming preparations complete than our three
heroes (Ben, Hoss and Joe – no sign of Adam) ride into town, hiring hands for a
roundup. Clay is taken on, although we are aware that he already has some prior
knowledge of the Cartwrights, as he asks the barber which one is “Little Joe”.
It soon transpires that Clay is somewhat of a ne’er do well, a restless,
impetuous and footloose drifter. He seems to spark a similar feeling of
wanderlust in Joe, who begins to talk of leaving the Ponderosa, thus arousing
all Ben’s protective instincts. Hoss seems rather unimpressed by the new hand’s
fancy “slip holster”, while cautious Adam is determined to seek out as much
information about Clay as possible, especially after the latter shoots a man
dead after an argument about cards in the saloon. Seems there is a reason behind
that trick holster after all…
Roy Coffee is not interested in the fact that Clay shot a man in self-defence,
being more concerned with the claims of cheating. He expounds his credo to Ben
and Joe: “the best way is to avoid trouble is to avoid it.” In other words, he
likes to bury his head in the sand. Not terrifically inspiring is it? An
incredibly unorthodox attitude for someone who is supposed to uphold the law.
Hasn’t he ever heard of the saying “prevention is better than crime”? However,
this does explain exactly why the Cartwrights take part in so many posses, get
enrolled as Deputies etc. If this sort of attitude was really prevalent in the
Old West, it would be up to them to uphold any kind of law and order. Ben is
anxious to avoid trouble, but Joe disagrees vehemently with this ethos and
informs Roy that his attitude is “not right and it’s not fair!” Bravo to that!!
For much of this episode, Ben calls his son “Joseph” – showing the stress he’s
under. The “Sunday Name” normally occurs when Ben is highly exasperated or
deeply worried – and he’s both for much of this episode.
The relationship between Joe and Clay is interesting – for once Joe is portrayed
as the responsible brother, urging Clay to exercise restraint when they are
cornered by a group of miners out for revenge for the shooting. Yet, Joe stands
by his brother and even demonstrates what a great shot he is, scaring the miners
off. However, impulsive, reckless Joe soon re-emerges when Clay introduces him
to the nasty-sounding polque in a late-night drinking session.
However, the brother with the real drinking problem seems to be Hoss. The minute
Harry is hired, Hoss beetles off to the saloon with him for a beer, even though
it is still morning. Then, in the saloon scene, Hoss calmly requests a pint
glass for his whisky – a positively stomach-churning concept.
Despite his fondess for a drink, it is Hoss who notes the dichotomy in Ben’s
attitude, when he looks at the splendidly hung-over Joe the next morning and
remarks to Adam “If you and me had brought Joe home in the state he was in last
night, we’d never have heard the end of it.” Of course, Clay does treat Joe as
an equal (even if he can’t hold his drink!), whereas Adam and Hoss tease their
little brother unmercifully, in the annoying way big brothers do…Joe is in no
position to retaliate and ends up sprawled on the ground, looking incredibly
cute!
Later on, Joe is ambushed by the miners and badly beaten, only just managing to
make it back home to the Ponderosa, where he collapses and is carried inside.
Ben shows what an admirable nurse he is, tenderly looking after his son, but
Clay realises that his folly has resulted in Joe’s injuries and resolves to
leave.
Of course, we are alerted to the fact that Clay is a bit of a rotter by the fact
that he’s kipping in the downstairs bedroom, which is always a bad sign: most
inhabitants of that room are mad, bad or dangerous to know. And yup, he runs
out, forcing poor, maimed Joe to ride out after him. There is a touching
farewell scene between the brothers, with Clay redeeming himself in the viewers’
eyes by refusing to tell Joe the real reason he is leaving. For once, Clay’s
motives are selfless – he’s been searching for his family all his life, only to
realise that his presence is jeopardising his brother’s safety. He does leave
with one memento – Joe’s treasured picture of his mother.
Of course, Ben waits up for his missing son and leaps to his feet, full of
fatherly concern. One look at Joe is all he needs, and his voice is full of
tender concern when he asks Joe if he is alright. Clearly, he isn’t. No further
words are spoken as Joe falls into his father’s arms, Ben gently strokes his
hair and then the camera pans back and up, framing one of the most memorable
shots of the entire show, amply demonstrating the qualities Bonanza stood for:
unfailing love and support.
Clothes: No exciting variants on the normal outfits, sadly enough.
Joe: tan shirt, stone coloured pants and ubiquitous green jacket. An
pulse-raising moment during the porch scene, when Joe is a little more than hot
under the collar and emerges with his shirt open down to the navel. Bandages and
bare chest do feature later though, as do his socks…yippee!
Ben: Aubergine shirt, tan waistcoat (complete with conchos. Why? What are
they for?) and navy neckerchief. Wears his hat pushed back off his forehead.
Adam: basic black.
Hoss: brown waistcoat and cream shirt.
Clay: starts off looking quite spiffy in a dark jacket and grey trousers.
Soon changes into a dark blue shirt but keeps the grey trousers. He tells Harry
that he wears gloves – could this be where Joe gets the idea from?
JPM: A couple of good moments, including a wonderful JPM, of the first
quality. The occasion when Ben slaps the hung-over Joe on the back is not the
kind of JPM that first springs to mind, but it is good. Then when Ben sees
darling Joe sprawled across the porch, beaten up by the miners, he bustles to
Joe’s side. (It’s just a pity they then pick the poor sweetie up like a sack of
tatties! Why on earth does it take four of them to carry him, when he’s so
slim?) In the final scene, Joe staggers in the door at the end, his face shining
with sweat, a heart-broken look in his eyes and we get the famous ‘clutch’. Ben
holds Joe to his manly chest while his gorgeous boy sobs on his shoulder. Get
the hankies! Rewind the tape!
Marvellous Medicine: some rather haphazard looking bandages and a bowl of
broth that must be luke-warm by the time Ben finally gets upstairs.
Where Am I? Joe’s bedroom now features a window directly opposite the
bed, with the door to the hall in a northerly direction. Regular viewers will be
relieved to note that the bed is still too short and there is still no sign of a
mantelshelf. And why can’t Ben get some old dear to make his son a nice
patchwork quilt, rather than the scabby blue candlewick bedspread that is faded
and ready for the bin? Those of us obsessed with Joe’s feet are delighted to see
his little black sock, although purists may argue that Ben really should have
removed all his clothes…
For Your Eyes Only. Studmuffin overload. Best to watch this while lying
down. Have a glass of water ready too…
We see Joe, stripped to the waist, dousing himself with water, then deciding to
eat his breakfast while still only half-dressed. Yummy! It’s nice to be able to
confirm that he has a taut tummy and the sweetest “innie” belly button.
Later on, we see that lovely, smooth, golden chest, cunningly accessorised by
some bandages, which only serve to highlight how gorgeous it is. Ben seems a bit
concerned about the effect of all this manliness and pulls the covers right up
to Joe’s chin.
On a less-than-attractive note, Adam indulges in a tooth-picking session after
learning that Clay and Joe are half-brothers. This is something that really
should be done in private, preferably kept behind closed doors. Hoss wisely
chooses not to look too closely and paces up and down instead.
Token Female Interest: None in this episode, unless you count the unseen,
but oft-mentioned Rosita and Conchita…A pair of floozies, unless I’m very much
mistaken.
Food, Glorious Food: the notorious polque, which appears to be some sort
of tequila; some burnt beans; revoltingly fatty bacon and coffee. Lots of coffee
in this episode – Joe drinks no less than three cups, two of which he takes
black, with no sugar.
Guest Star: Barry Coe, who starred in many different films, including
Love Me Tender and Jaws 2, and was sporting a sleekit little moustache as Clay.
Quite good looking, but not in Joe’s class. Obviously modelling himself on Errol
Flynn, he cuts quite a dash and has rather nice hair.
Have you been following the plot? For once, we get to see the Cartwrights
actually engaged in some honest to goodness ranch work – a round-up. This is
more unusual than you might think…for such a big place, the Ponderosa usually
seems to run itself quite nicely.
Joe tells Clay that Ben built the house with his bare hands (there is no mention
of Adam playing any part in this, far less designing the place!) and says that
he was “born in that little room upstairs”.
Observant viewers will see a foreshadowing of things to come when Clay looks at
the picture of Marie and murmurs “Sure wish this was mine.” Quite poignant,
really. Pity it seems to be a picture of Great Aunt Agnes, taken when she had
reached the sourest bit of her boiled sweetie.
Continuity: What Continuity?
Where do the Cartwrights get the terribly handy table and chairs they set up in
the main drag of Virginia City? And aren’t they in dire danger of getting run
over by the stagecoach as it careens into town at high speed?
How does Clay know Joe’s name? He states that he went to the Hall of Records and
found Ben and Marie’s marriage entry, but Joe wasn’t born in New Orleans (see
above) so there would be no entry for his birth.
Adam is nowhere to be seen during the evening at the saloon – surely he isn’t
upstairs “chatting” to a saloon girl? Tsk tsk tsk.
Clay tells Joe that his father died of the fever…which makes us wonder why Ben
made that long journey to New Orleans in the first place. Or did he just fancy a
holiday?
How on earth does Adam know the name of the judge in New Orleans? Is he
omnipotent or something?
When Adam comes downstairs, Ben implies that Clay is sleeping in one of the
first floor bedrooms, yet later on, he goes into the downstairs bedroom.
Whoops!!
In the saloon scene, Joe is wearing a white shirt. Moments later, in Roy
Coffee’s office, he’s back in his familiar tan one.
Watch out for the ‘now you see it, now you don’t’ wall behind the front door
when Joe staggers in. And the chair sitting there appears to be dark blue
leather. Where does it normally live? Why is it sitting in such an awkward
place?
You Can Quote Me On That!
“What’s right is right.”
“He came out of nowhere.”
“He’s not just a friend – he’s my brother!”
“Are you alright, son?”