Blind Start: Season Premiere or Finale
Once again back in the old west with the blind sheriff, played by John Wesley Shipp and created by David Gregory—this unexpected second season picks up a few weeks or months after the finale of season one. “Unexpected” meaning, in the intervening months, it’s hard to tell if they were on hiatus or if the first season was completed. Based on the opening of this episode, it sounds like the latter.
Performances, Politics and American History
Shipp returns with his well enunciated southern drawl and A+ acting to the role of Sheriff Emmett Burns. The blindness angle has lost some of its appeal and novelty even with how they make his disability into a strength. It comes across as more confusing than being a “wow” factor for the episode.
The story of this episode is straight forward, with a theme and viewpoint that’s portrayed as one-sided on one hand and falling back on the “straw man” trope on the other. The issue is slavery. Considering the setting of the post-Civil War era becoming more of a plot point than simply backstory for the characters, it makes sense to have an entire episode dedicated to the subject.
Moving away from the political aspect of the episode, the focus of the narrative is split in two. The second half deals more closely on the issue of slavery in a post-13th amendment society with a trial as the main way of portraying both views. Again, a bit one-sided and definitely preachy in some parts, but the writer’s philosophy was not lost. He’s correct in his view that slavery’s evil, but a better job could’ve been done regarding the other side.
The first half is the set up for the main event and starts off strong with well acted and believable-enough dialogue, but as soon as the slaver enters the picture it becomes a a picture perfect example of straw man logic and confirmation bias.
Aside from the political philosophy lecture, the only other problem was how they got to the aforementioned trial scene in the first place. Upon first listen, it was about as confusing as a fight hidden in a cartoon smoke cloud as to what happened. The main character is blind, but that doesn’t mean the listener needs to be confused as to what’s happening in the scene.
4/5 Stars