Palms of Glory

[mr_breckenridge]

The first episode of Big Valley is set six years after the death of Tom Barkley, according to several lines of dialogue. And the date on Barkley's tombstone is 1870, so we can assume it's now 1876.

The Barkley's once again are battling The Railroad, a favorite villain of ranchers and homesteaders (often used as the deciding force that turned Jesse

Comments

[intheyear2004]

So, I re-watched the Delilah-episode for you and took some notes:

On April 27 of whatever year it was Jarrod receives a telegram from Julia Saxxon telling him she's coming to Stockton and he should pick her up at the train station. Which he doesn't. Apparently they have met in Washington during the war and fell in love. Jarrod told her he loved her when they spent a night together (doing whatever...). She then realized she couldn't use him for gaining information from him and he realized it was information she was after. No idea how he concluded that. Anyway, she left him and turned to his friend Matt Parker with whom she was successful re the info thing. He was found out and a court martial was held and Jarrod defended him. Jarrod takes her to Matt's grave site and the headstone says, " Matthew Parker - 1843 - 1873". Matt tried to drink himself to death and when that didn't work he died in an "accident" cleaning his gun. When the family discusses the whole thing, it is Heath who remarks that the war has been over for so long and why can't people stop fighting? To which Audra answers that some things just can't be forgotten - which is really idiotic in view of the Matt Bentell episode.

Really, on the WD they always go on about how great those writers were and such, but I can't help feeling that they really made a mess of everything in the later episodes.

[mr_breckenridge]

Thank you for taking the time to watch this and share the details. I have to wonder whether the show had a decent bible that gave the writers any backstory, or whether the producers cared if details got mixed up. I always wonder what the actors--who should have remembered best how their characters acted in a particular instance--felt about doing or saying something that just didn't make sense. Did Lee Majors say, 'Boy Howdy, Heath is one to talk!'

Well, knowing a little about actors, I suppose most of them deliver their lines and don't agonize too much. The ones who make a stink get painted with a 'trouble-maker' brush.

Still ... it makes you appreciate shows like Trek's Next Generation that actually solicited screenplays from fans and tried to keep a tight rein on canon.