Bonanza (TV Series) Justice (1967) User Reviews

It's the quiet ones

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 17 December 2015]

Another Cartwright involved woman bites the dust in this Bonanza story. It's Shirley Bonne, daughter of town banker Roy Roberts who Michael Landon has already bought the ring for. She works as a teller at her father's bank along side Beau Bridges who is shy and retiring and really can't summon up the courage to ask her for a date.

But later Bonne is killed and the chief suspect is Bridges. However his landlady Lurene Tuttle alibis him to the max. That's not however cooling off public opinion against Bridges and Deputy Sheriff Bing Russell has a nasty homicide to solve.

Bridges gives a fine multi-layered performance as the shy kid with some nasty secrets. Tuttle is also good as the landlady who sees Bridges as a substitute for her own dead son who would be the age of Bridges had he lived.

Unsettling episode

[kellielulu · 6/10 · 4 July 2022]

Horace us a shy awkward man who is a teller at the bank. Sally is the daughter of the bank's owner and she works there too . A little unusual for the time but I liked that she wasn't just a society girl. She's also quite beautiful in a Linda Evans way.

Horace is drawn to Sally but she becomes engaged to Joe so we know this can only end in one of two ways. Sally either ends up with someone else or she dies. She has no interest in Horace but he is determined to change that . She doesn't want to let him into the house she shares with her father but he pushed his way in . She tries to get him to leave and attempts to call out he puts his hands over her mouth and neck and she quickly drops dead. This is problematic as it seemed like a weak scene and he didn't appear to use that much force.

The rest of the episode Joe pretty much dogs him and is relentless. Horace was questioned about a similar murder in another town and Joe knows he did or is sure he did . Horace's landlady is protective of him she knows the loneliness Horace does . She berated Joe he has more love than he knows what to do with. He is quite cruel and mocking of Horace . The story should make Joe sympathetic it doesn't he's hotheaded and entitled. Horace is more complex here because his limitations make him sympathetic but he is mentally unstable he didn't mean to kill Sally and I don't think he did. I don't mind that it wasn't one of the more cut and dried episodes but it's missing something. More about Horace , maybe too if you really thought Joe and Sally would be a good couple you would be excited for them and feel badly for Joe when she was killed. I did feel bad for Sally's dad and the landlady and wish Horace would have had help but there wasn't much available to help people like that back then.

Weak, and No Conclusion

[samwa-27311 · 6/10 · 31 August 2018]

It must be understood, that this was the old West.

Occasionally, a reputable citizen then, could, and needed to, pursue the truth, in determining who the criminal is.

There were dozens of Bonanza episodes like this, plus one must remember that Sherriff Coffey was not present.

Of course Little Joe had every reason to pursue this.

He didn't hurt Horace, only sought the truth.

Further, no one seems to have seen just how sickening the Horace character was, almost mentally ill.

1. He knew the girl was engaged to Joe.

2 He was so messed up, to think that somehow he owned Sally, just because he wanted her, though she did nothing to encourage this.

That landlady has got to be one of the weirdest, and dysfunctional characters in any Western, knowing Horace was so unstable, but constantly defending him.

A perpetual liar, she was.

But the ending was so empty.

We did not fully see what happened and there was no justice.

Joe is Bent on Justice

[Scififan54 · 9/10 · 22 July 2021]

A very good video. Joe's fiancee, Sally, is killed and Joe is on the hunt for the murderer. He shows a grim, ruthless side to himself in this episode which is quite at odds with his usual happy-go-lucky and warm demeanour.

A shy and troubled bank clerk, Horace (Beau Bridges), is also in love with Sally but he has a rock-solid alibi for that evening. Joe decides to set out to find the truth.

There is a particularly intense scene between Michael Landon, Bridges and Lurene Tuttle (Mrs Cutler, Horace's landlady). It explores the issues of loneliness, social rejection, agonising psychopathy and the pains of unrequited love. Tuttle gives an excellent and moving performance in the last but one scene, one that sticks in the memory, but all three actors are superb.

A very touching episode and well worth watching.

Loser Gets Sympathy?

[netflixnkill · 27 November 2023]

Now maybe I'm heartless or maybe I just don't feel for killers but the Horace character wasn't sympathetic to me in the least bit, even before that it was more pathetic than anything. I don't get what others are seeing. This socially inept weirdo chokes the living daylights out the poor girl and people are like "awww but he was so lonely" ...as if that's an excuse to kill and not take the hint that you're not wanted. Also, he actively and consciously LIED about killing her the entire episode. I can see if he did it then confessed but he KNEW what he did was wrong and continued to lie about it. Oh wait but he was soooo lonely and sooo scared let's give him a great big hug.

Little Joe is better than me. I understand he can be hot headed at times but here he needs a medal for controlling himself by not going beyond the law to get a confession and standing firm when nobody believed sweet innocent Horace could kill.

All that's not to say Bridges didn't play the part extremely well. I mean he really made me hate the guy and obviously had others sympathize with him even after murder, so that says a lot about his performance.

Vengeance

[jpgarcesv · 3/10 · 8 November 2017]

This episode should be titled "Vengeance" instead of "Justice". Little Joe is no hero here. He transpires hatred and thirst of vengeance. Nobody is entitled to torture a person psychologically and physically like Joe does with Horace, less so without any proof. The presumption of innocence is valid for anyone until proved guilty. The one that really acts with justice is the landlady, because she realises the loneliness of Horace and tries to make up for it with her love.