Maverick~Pappy
This is an episode I have very mixed feelings on. On one hand it is a Bret & Bart episode where they both have pretty lengthy screen time and for me any episode with both Bret and Bart is a rare treasure.
I also think this episode has a slew of great guest stars especially Henry Daniell, and there are a lot of individual scenes I enjoy here and there.
However despite the fact that this episode has a lot of fans I don't really think the script of this episode is all that special. What is worse Pappy is really a mundane character (sorry but I don't think Garner's portrayal was anything special). This is probably the gravest sin of the episode. I agree with Roy Huggins that Pappy should only have been heard not seen. Showing us Pappy takes a lot away from the mystique of character and this Pappy in this episode is really not all that interesting. If they were going to introduce Pappy they really should have made sure they had a compelling story and character to show us. Expectations are a heavy burden and honestly I don't think anything would have lived up to them but I actually think a strong guest character actor would have worked better than Garner.
Either that or if they were going to introduce someone from Bret and Bart's family I would have chose their mother. Of course the episode leads us to believe she is no longer alive but that didn't have to be necessarily true until the episode said so. And because we know very little about Mrs. Maverick and she isn't talked about throughout the series (she is mentioned a couple times such as in the season 4 ep the Ice Man, Bart says she was the romantic one) I actually think they could have done more with her character then they could do with Pappy without taking away from Pappy's characterization. And I would have liked to know the woman who put up with someone like Pappy, Bret and Bart. I imagine she was a very strong and interesting woman in her own right. This was a missed opportunity.
I also think this episode has a slew of great guest stars especially Henry Daniell, and there are a lot of individual scenes I enjoy here and there.
However despite the fact that this episode has a lot of fans I don't really think the script of this episode is all that special. What is worse Pappy is really a mundane character (sorry but I don't think Garner's portrayal was anything special). This is probably the gravest sin of the episode. I agree with Roy Huggins that Pappy should only have been heard not seen. Showing us Pappy takes a lot away from the mystique of character and this Pappy in this episode is really not all that interesting. If they were going to introduce Pappy they really should have made sure they had a compelling story and character to show us. Expectations are a heavy burden and honestly I don't think anything would have lived up to them but I actually think a strong guest character actor would have worked better than Garner.
Either that or if they were going to introduce someone from Bret and Bart's family I would have chose their mother. Of course the episode leads us to believe she is no longer alive but that didn't have to be necessarily true until the episode said so. And because we know very little about Mrs. Maverick and she isn't talked about throughout the series (she is mentioned a couple times such as in the season 4 ep the Ice Man, Bart says she was the romantic one) I actually think they could have done more with her character then they could do with Pappy without taking away from Pappy's characterization. And I would have liked to know the woman who put up with someone like Pappy, Bret and Bart. I imagine she was a very strong and interesting woman in her own right. This was a missed opportunity.