Ten Statements About....THE ADVENTURES OF BRISCO COUNTY JR. Episode Three: 'The Orb Scholar' (1993)

"Hey...I remember this metal porcupine!"

"You're afraid, aren't you? You mark your accomplishments walking in the shadow of your father, but how far have you progressed?"

1) This is the first of two episodes directed by Andy Tenant. While this is towards the end of his television career--he goes on to direct such films as EverAfter, Anna and The King and Hitch--he will always have a place in my heart for being one of the key directors of one of my favorite television series of all time, Parker Lewis Can't Lose. While Tenant's direction is a bit more staid than it was when he was with Parker..., there are some moments (like when Brisco tells a story from his childhood, and we cut to a grainy sepia-toned black and white representation) that makes it clear he's behind the camera.

2) The main reason for this episode, of course, is to start moving the Orb sub-plot, and to fill in its mythology. This is done via the character of Ogden Coles, played by Brandon Maggart--Maggart even does the opening narration that accompanies the teaser's outlining of the Orb's history as we know it. And when Coles starts revealing what he is capable of, and what he knows about the Orb, it is a stunner.

3) This is really the first time we get a sense of John Bly as a character--and it's to the credit of Carlton Cuse's script that, while we get a definite sense that there's something decidedly wrong about Bly (mainly because he's being played by Billy Drago, a man whose face is too small for his skull), we don't get a hint of what will be the big reveal about him down the line.

4) Another thing we get a sense of for the first time is Lord Bowler's smarts--this is the first time Julius Carrey is allowed to play him for more than just comedy relief and, like the pro he is, the man steps up in spades.

5) The brilliance of the Orb subplot is that it relies on us to accept one, and only one, idea outside the realm of possibility--all the other steampunk-y things, like Wickwire's diving suit in last episode, are things we know will be perfected given time--and yet, that one idea can be used tyo explain a myriad of insane developments.

6) It is interesting that what is fairly obvious about the town of Poker Flats, which provides the backdrop for this episode--namely, that Brisco's old friend Donovan Joe usurped the sheriff's office so he could turn it into a safe haven for criminals--is so inconsequential to the story Cuse wants to tell that it is resolved without anyone spelling it out for us.

7) While everything that happens in the abandoned saloon, from Brisco's first confrontation with Bly on down, the best scene is the one with Bowler conforting the dying Brisco. Not only does it allow us to see our two bounty hunting heroes begin to gain a respect for each other, we learn more about Bowler's background and get a little hint of his true nature. Plus, Julius Carrey sings 'Amazing Grace.' You don't get this kind of stuff on Gunsmoke.

8) I suppose I should make some mention of Voyager fan fave Robert Picardo's role as Donovan Joe's henchman Puel....but, truth be told, he doesn't actually do much of anything, and ends up coming off as a third rate Pete Hutter.

9) We continue to get a number of modernisms snuck in, like Brisco unwittingly inventing hitchhiking...but they're still done with a subtlety that is lost once we reach the Action Pack phase of Campbell's career.

10) You'll notice Christian Clemenson only has one scene, and apparently it's a scene designed only to show Cuse' contempt for golf. You'll notice a number of these 'contractual obligation' scenes with Socrates as the series progresses.

In short...an excellent episode that may start slow, but rapidly picks up steam once we reach The Abandoned Saloon. A lot of stuff gets put in play for future episodes--and even if there wasn't, the performances by Maggart, Drago and Carrey--in addition to Campbell's usual solid anchor of a turn--would make this one to watch.

Ten Statements About....THE ADVENTURES OF BRISCO COUNTY JR. Episode Two: 'Socrates' Sister' (1993)

"What's that sucking the excitement out of the episode...oh,
it's just Judith Hoag...."

"Gravesend? That town's buried under fifty feet of water."

"That's right."

"So how in the Hell are we gonna get your plate? With a fishing pole of hope and delusional fantasies for bait?"

1) It's nice to see that, with the second episode and the pesky need for it to look like a feature film for the European audiences out of the way, the series' 'trade dress' still retains that pulpy/serial flavor. Little touches like giving a title seqience credit to Comet the Horse and retaining the chapter titles at the twenty minute or so marks (roughly the same length as a chapter of an old serial) keep the show close to its roots as an old school adventure.

2) While this show continues to do what will become the stock in trade trick of the Renaissance Pictures' Action Pack shows--namely, putting modern quirks and concepts in an old world setting--they feel more authentic here. Part of it is just the language the characters use, but part of it is how they don't draw much attention to, let's say, talk of civil rights in the middle of their story.

3) You know...I understand why Judith Hoag, who plays the titular sister of Socrates and was the first April in the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, didn't have much of a career. She's not a very good actress, and can't really carry the weight of her role. And on top of that, she has no chemistry with Campbell--and Campbell has chemistry with everyone--which kills the romantic subplot.

4) I guess I was mistaken--Pete Hutter returns in this very episode, although he seems to be shorn of that strange mixture of old-west gibberish and new age intellectualism that made him so endearing. Still, Pyper-Ferguson makes this character so vital that it doesn't surprise me that Cuse and Boam determined we needed him back, like, now.

(Luckily, Cuse and Boam must've felt they needed to give Hutter a little rest before his revival...see point 9 below)

Every time John Astin shows up, the series
like gold.

5) God, I love Astin's Professor Wickwire, who's a lot deeper than the 'addled scientist' archetype he's supposed to be portraying. There's a definite warmth in his performance, and the way his face seems to light up when he start expounding on life lessons with Brisco--as if this is a man physically excited by the idea of debating and examining real life issues--is amazing. The lack of Amanda, however, is curious.

6) Sadly, Christian Clemenson ends up playing the comic relief in this episode, sitting in a mess of bags while people comment 'too much weight.' He deserves better, especially figuring that this episode should focus at least partially on him.

7) This episode continues the tradition the show has of being true steampunk--we may take deep sea diving as a given now, but to the world of the Old West it was still a weird and out there idea. And making sure that the 'Inner Space Suit' was of the clunky old variety and not something sleek and science fictiony (something I suspect a more modern treatment of the same themes would do) keeps the trueness of the concept intact.

8) You know, William Russ was not very interesting as a villain. As we'll learn very rapidly, we can pick out who will be the recurring villains and who won't by how much of a backstory and personality they have.

Yes, Pete's back.  Yes, he was shot dead in
the pilot.  Just deal with it for now....

9) I can understand why, according the the imdb trivia page, this was the episode of the show that was initially shown out of order. It feels like a breather episode to be placed between two mythology-heavy programs. Watching it in its original position in the series, I kept wondering where the Orb stuff was....

10) To the best of my knowledge, this is the first and last time we hear about Socrates' sister, and about their less-than-high-class upbringing. And this is a good thing.

In short...a bland follow-up to the pilot that is enlivened by some character bits, it's not surprising it got shuffled deeper into the season.

Ten Statements About....THE ADVENTURES OF BRISCO COUNTY JR. Episode One: 'Pilot' (1993)

If you can resist the sight of Bruce Campbell
dressed as Bat Lash riding a Rocket--with a
saddle, no less--then you can no longer be
my friend....

"You're not quite what I expected, Mr. County."

"Well, expectations lead to disappointment, Socrates. That's why I try not to have any."

1) It is a shame that R. Lee Ermey has spent the bulk of his acting career playing variations of his drill sargent in Full Metal Jacket--because here, as Brisco's father, we see him stretch a little, giving us a surprising amount of grace to what could be a very standard, regulation sacrificial lamb.

2) I had forgotten that they didn't introduce Brisco himself until over ten minutes into the pilot--at which point the whole premise of the series has been set up save for some of the deeper parts of the mythology. And, since Brisco is a fusion of modern and pulp western sensibilities, when we meet him, he's about to hang for something he didn't do (which makes me think what I bring up about one of Brisco's spiritual godfathers two points down is true)...

3) This show never loses sight of the fact that this is a fusion of two genres in a steampunk setting...but it does so very subtlely. Even setting it in 1893--like 1993, not long before a new century begins--is a key to understanding that the show is going to jump between the now and the then, using the past to illuminate the future while telling a cracking pulp adventure. It's not an easy task, but it's to the credit of Jeffrey Boam, Carlton Cuse and David Simkins.

4) Those people who say Bruce Campbell has a very limited range--namely, that he only plays Bruce Campbell--never have seen this show. Yes, Brisco is a Campbellian hero--but one whose a lot more cerebral and thoughtful than Ash, Autolycus, and the others. He has his own philosophy, and seems to want to think his way out of things rather than bull through them. And incidentally, I have to wonder if Brisco's look, with the ornate pattern vest and blue shirt, was not a nod/shout-out/whatever to the DC hero Bat Lash, considered one of the first 'modern' western comic book characters.

5) How can you not love a television series that, in its pilot, gives significant roles to Julius 'So 'Nuff' Carrey, James 'Lo Pan' Hong, and John 'Gomez Addams' Astin? If that doesn't make it clear that it wears its genre love on its sleeve, I don't know what does...

Why am I putting a photo of Kelly Rutherford as Dixie Cousins
here?  Why are you asking this question?

6) It's kind of hard to explain just how much of an impact Kelly Rutherford had in this series--especially given how she never quite matched the whole 'sex on a stick' quality she had as Dixie Cousins in any of her successive roles in shows such as Melrose Place and Kindred: The Embraced. But...wow.

7) It's easy to see why John Pyper-Ferguson's Pete Hutter quickly outmatched all the other bad guys--even the supposed main baddie, Billy Drago's John Bly--and became a fan favorite. His strange mix of intellectualism and Old west gibberish is unique and endearing, and unlike anything else in the show. It's not a surprise at all that his death in this episode is retconned a few episodes later.

8) I absolutely love how this pilot is structured like an old serial, with each act preceded by a chapter card, and ending with a cliffhanger.

What happens when you let a gun-obsessed outlaw go off
on rants about French impressionists and existentialism?
You get one of the show's most popular characters....

9) I know I have sung the praise of Christian Clemenson elsewhere--and I will do so here again. As Socrates Poole, Clemenson has taken what should have been the thankless role of the clueless sidekick/facilitator and given it a life and energy of its own. Poole is much more in the vein of the original John Watson, and not the Nigel Bruce version that I despise so much. His smarts are applied in ways that make him a vital part of the series. But then....

10) This is the charm of what Cuse and Boam have in mind with this series. Every one of the characters they've set up to be recurring is not who they seem to be, from Lord Bowler on down to Professor Wickwire. There are logical twists that make them resonate with modern themes while remaining true to the Wild West context of the show. And given how well the show is cast, it just adds fuel to the series' momentum.

In short....a brilliant pilot that allows us to have a done-in-one adventure if we choose to go no further...but sets up a wonderful world of pulp adventure and steampunk tomfoolery to explore in if we decide to go further.