JOURNEY FROM SAN JUAN

• I really don’t think Heyes could possibly look any cuter than he does in the close up as he gets the bull to mosey away with his tone of voice. And Kid is very appealing as he looks on with an appreciative smile at Heyes' antics.



• I guess perfection really does soothe the savage beast. Oh, wait a minute. That’s music…
• And what an adorable one-horned bull he is. I bet he’d have some stories to tell…
• I like episodes where Heyes is full of sarcasm and dry wit. It is fitting on him, because he is intelligent with a quick mind and he is quite adept at cute yet caustic retorts. His smartass comments to the bandido questioning them about why they are out there rounding up cattle are point on—sharp, swift, and dripping with sarcasm. Superb.
• That bandolero with the huge sombrero is mighty familiar…I am certain he goes on to play the Mexican bandit in nearly every western movie or TV show known to man. Somehow, he loses some of his machista when you look at the odd slider on his stampede strings, however. Does that look like a daisy to you?? And it has matching pieces above his ears…I have to say, not so masculine…



• Of course there is the slight invasion of reality as the bandido tells Heyes, “that is much hard work, and you could maybe die before your time.” But Heyes lets us escape quickly with his reply…”I feel all right. You feel all right?” he asks Kid.
• Very, very funny as Heyes climbs into the chuck wagon and we hear a blood curdling woman’s scream…Kid pulls his gun, Heyes jumps out of the wagon…“What is it?” asks Kid. “I don’t know, but it sure sounds wild!” Yep, these are worldly men, all right.
• Suddenly who should reveal herself but a doe-eyed, heavily accented, fetching Claudine Longet. I don’t know for sure, but I have a feeling this is the type of woman men fantasize about. A flutter of her kohl-lined eyes and they want to take care of her. Hell, I want to take care of her. She just gives off an air of dependency.



• I love the exchange between our boys as they discuss whether Michelle looks or sounds Mexican. When the woman counters that she is American, Heyes says “Nope. You’re not that either.” It is all very charming. There is nothing at all offensive about it, but in this day and age this scene could never have gone this way. People would be up in arms that it is too politically incorrect.



• Claudine Longet may do the best innocent little girl act I have ever seen. When she first says, forcefully, “I’m not hiding!” but then lowers her eyelids and looks up at the boys all coy and childlike and admits, “I’m hiding…” the portrayal is just perfect. Now, I have an inkling, although I try to avoid any insight into other fans’ feelings about the episodes or guest stars—that this actress is widely disliked by most of Alias Smith and Jones fandom. This is one of the times I will take the road less traveled. I think she does quite well in the role; I think she is attractive in a wispy, baby bird sort of way; and I love her heavy French accent. I also never hated her for her personal life.
• Uh-oh, Kid seems a tad bit smitten already, and Heyes is unable to: first, quit staring, and second, quit grinning. Men are such suckers for needy women. Hey, Heyes…over here….I’m needy….
  
• Boys, promise us you won’t embarrass us with those goofy grins every time you lay eyes on Michelle.
• Hey, I recognize that bag!! My god. Did they have no budget at all on this poor show??
• It is strange how Peter enunciates the words “take a look” with his teeth held tightly together and a kind of gangster movie affect to his mouth. [:nancye I am not sure what it is meant to say to us.
• It is cute when Heyes asks Michelle if she sees any sign of McRavish” and she doesn’t understand at first and says, “oh, you were making a small joke…” to which Heyes replies, with a laugh, “smaller than I figured.” I love that Heyes can laugh at himself. He isn’t always brilliant, but he accepts that about himself and actually finds humor in it.



• I am not sure what is going on with Peter’s hair in this episode. It looks freshly washed, but unkempt—like he just woke up. I am not complaining, mind you—I happen to be quite fond of the tousled look. It just looks different than I have seen it before.
• I love the interaction between Heyes and the Kid as Heyes tries to dissuade Kid from pursuing Michelle, but I can’t quite read the emotion behind it. Is Heyes jealous, not that Kid gets the girl, but that the girl gets Kid? For me, it is one of those moments where we know one of them will love a woman, but always come back to the other in the end. It is what their relationship is based on. They can not ever become committed to any woman, no matter how much they may want to, because they will always remain fully committed to each other. ®

• I laugh every time the little Mexican guy comes up and just stands there staring at our boys. It is just a little touch that really doesn’t seem to signify anything in the storyline, except that the boys are being watched, but adds this wonderful charm and humor to the scene.
• The actress playing Blanche, Susan Oliver, is pretty but she seems older than the part to me. She seems in her late thirties, if not early forties but I get the feeling the character is closer in age to our two ladies men, in her late twenties.



• When Heyes flirts with Blanche after first meeting her, she tilts her head, rolls her eyes, kind of gently smirks and walks away, giving the impression she finds him foolish. I have to wonder if she is sane.
• I find it attractive, very sexy and just a bit unnerving that Heyes makes such an effort to look directly into people’s eyes, as he demonstrates here by lowering his head and seeking her gaze as he invites Blanche to join them for supper. We will see this in other episodes as well, such as Never Trust an Honest Man after he wakes Kid on the train. No wonder he has a silver tongue and can talk his way out of almost anything. Not only meeting someone’s eyes, but searching out deep eye contact is a sign of great confidence and exhibits total honesty, and our boy can easily do it while lying through his teeth! Brilliant.



• Being a moderately educated person, and an ardent fancier of words, I am ashamed to admit I had to check the dictionary for the pronunciation of chanteuse…I knew it sounded wrong coming out of Kid’s mouth—shan-too-zee—but when I thought about it I just wasn’t certain. Is 50 too old to take French lessons?
• I love the line from Michelle about her singing talent, “I may not be as good as my mother thinks, but I’m much better than I think.” Very clever.
• When Heyes tells Blanche, “I never said we were ordinary…” I want to scream, beautiful man, you couldn’t be ordinary if you tried…and I particularly like the fact that Heyes realizes they are far from average…
• Ugh—I can’t stand the sophomoric joke Kid makes as he walks Michelle to her door—“well, I could take you back downstairs and we could come up again!” I am not sure the writing on this series was any more even handed than my notes! It seems Ben gets more than his share of stupid lines.



• Kind of an awkward dry kiss between Kid and Michelle, which is surprising, because I think they actually have some chemistry. Of course, Michelle was the aggressor; maybe that put the Kid off a bit.
• I find it fascinating how many of the guest stars on Alias Smith and Jones Peter had worked with before. My friend and I even made an email game out of it. Tonight, three of the guests have been in Peter’s other projects…Susan Oliver in Name of the Game: The White Birch, Claudine Longet in How to Steal an Airplane, and Nico Minardos in Cannon for Cordoba. It must have felt like old home week to Peter.
• Ben looks so young, and quite handsome in the scene where he tells Blanche his gunshot wound stopped bleeding before he even got his shirt off. And not meaning to be persnickety here, but if the bullet only grazed him and the wound isn’t even bleeding, why is Kid wrapped the way he is in all those bandages? I think the Old West equivalent of a band-aid would have done the trick.

• Heyes’ body language as he moves close to Blanche as she pours drinks while Michelle tends to Kid’s gunshot wound speaks volumes. Pelvis jutted forward toward Blanche, almost against her; chest—and heart—pulled back and away; one hand around her shoulder, the other hand at his hip, near his gun. He would obviously favor an intimate encounter with this woman, but he would not permit his heart to become involved.®



• Both women walk out on our heroes, unhappy that they are not taking the danger of going after El Clavo’s cattle more seriously. Michelle even takes it so far as to say, “I don’t think I want any more to do with someone who’s trying to get himself killed.” That sounds like a seriously final goodbye, and yet, all is well and the feelings never spoken of again only a couple of scenes down the road.
• A very tasty scene as Heyes and Blanche flirt and get very close to a kiss. Heyes is acting quite suave and for some reason, when he says, “we’ll try again later…all right?” I swoon a bit, and find the way he speaks to be very sexy, indeed.



• What a moment, as Kid chides Heyes about his getting cozy with Blanche. When Heyes responds that it is good, Kid says, “yes it is, less’n you get careless in the clinches” to which Heyes replies, with a tiny version of that beautiful arrogant grin of his, “Kid, no one needs to tell me how to handle myself in the clinches…” *deep sigh*
  
• It amazes me that any actor would appear on screen without his teeth. That is quite a commitment to the craft, I'd say.



• I like Michelle’s little soft French ballad, but, ugh, have to hit the fast forward button when the boys start singing along with the more upbeat tune she sings next. I feel embarrassed for them. I suspect for most fans, the reaction is just the opposite.



• It seems awfully dangerous and difficult to move from a fast moving horse to a fast moving covered wagon…kind of like changing drivers in the middle of the freeway…and yet, I have seen it in many, many westerns.
• I like that Kid takes the initiative in this episode, and during the cattle drive north at least seems to be more in command than Heyes. He is the one who spots El Clavo and his men, and Heyes asks his opinion as to what they are doing. It is also Kid who makes the solitary decision to stampede the herd. Both of these actions are very contrary to Kid's normal role in their relationship, and I wonder if the original script may have had the actors playing the opposite roles, with Heyes falling for Michelle and the Kid romancing Blanche. I am not in possession of a script for this episode, which I would normally use to research this idea, but their roles certainly seem reversed to me.



• Not even a backward glance from Heyes as he leaves Blanche in the custody of the sheriff and his deputy, although both boys look somewhat gloomy as their employer identifies her.
• I am aware I shouldn’t favor Heyes the way I do and should give Kid the same amount of accolades—and I do apologize to my Kid loving friends for my obvious bias, but I cannot leave it unsaid that there is not one scene, not one fraction of one second, where Heyes is not just absolutely gorgeous in this entire episode. See? I ask you, am I in heaven?

• Now it is time for Kid to say goodbye to Michelle. Heyes watches through the windows of the stagecoach from his perch on the steps…a nice touch. Kid is truly sad to say goodbye, and after another overwhelmingly feminine discourse from Michelle, they kiss and part. Heyes joins Kid as they watch the stage coach disappear, and softly asks “you feelin’ all right?” Ah, it’s just our boys, back together again…
  

THE FIFTH VICTIM**

• The tracks are two days old, according to Heyes, who has a certain confidence about him that he knows pretty much everything. Two hours fresh, counters the Kid. What makes the whole exchange charming is that when Heyes is proven wrong by the attack of the big cat, he can laugh at himself…and the two men have a couple’s moment. They are familiar, they flirt a little over it, and Kid asks Heyes if he has had enough for the day or wants to continue. It isn’t one of their more overt couple’s moments, but their closeness, and care for each other shows…

• My, my. A rather pleasant shot of Kid, from knee up to waist, as he loads his gun and deftly twirls it right into the holster. We girls do enjoy a nice knee to waist shot, don’t we ladies? §

• I laugh and shake my head as Ben mounts his horse without bothering to even touch the stirrup. It is astonishing to me that he would do such a thing. I cannot for the life of me imagine why. Except that it does show him to be athletic, and in quite strong shape physically. I wonder if he is showing off or just awkwardly unskilled when it comes to horses. I hate to say it, but my guess is the latter.
• I wish the boys were hired by Jake for some other reason than killing cougars. I understand in those days ranchers and farmers could be devastated by attacks on their livestock by the big cats and had no real alternative other than to kill off the predators. But it bothers me nonetheless to see the beautiful animals flung over the back of a horse and taken back to the rancher as proof of the execution. The props they use are quite realistic looking and it disturbs me. It is a survival of the fittest world, with humans being the fittest of all, but I would rather just not be shown the killing of these gorgeous animals.
• I don’t care as much for what I consider “heavy handed” humor, the more obvious comic lines—and I suspect the most popular among fans—like Heyes saying it wasn’t his life that flashed before him when the big cat jumped on him, but the floor plan of the bank of Ft. Worth—as I do for the subtle, somewhat more understated wittiness such as Jake telling the boys on the ride into town they will like the other poker players, who are “your kind of people”, and in the next scene we find that the other players are a judge and a sheriff. The obvious line is cute enough but humor that doesn’t slap me in the face with blatancy is always much more satisfying to my thinking mind.
• Being a bit of a poker player myself, I simply cannot stand a dealer who thinks he needs to tell the players what they have showing on the table. “Six to your nines, Judge. Spade, possible flush, Sheriff. Deuce, no help…” recites Jake as he deals the hand of what appears to be five card stud. I much prefer a professional dealer who runs a silent table, but in this game it seems Jake feels the need to narrate the whole game—telling people when to bet, when to ante, whose turn it is to deal. Does he think he is playing with a table full of imbeciles?

• To make sure I was hearing what Jake was saying correctly as he “narrated” the poker game, I turned on the closed captioning for the poker scenes, and was amused to find that the captioning confused Jake and Heyes’ voices during the first half. Whenever Jake spoke, the captioning cited Heyes and vice versa. Good to know those translating for the hearing impaired can’t hear themselves.
• I love almost any scene with Heyes playing poker. He has a savvy and strong instinct for cards and he is always particularly sexy to me in these scenes because we are made very much aware that he is intelligent and confident and *sigh* damn good looking.
• Ok, I just saw breakaway scenes while the men are playing poker that included two sunsets and two views of the town during the day. Does this mean these guys actually played cards for 48 hours straight? Or is it just questionable directing by none other than the swarthy Fernando Lamas?
• I love how Heyes looks at Kid when the judge asks what else the boys do besides kill mountain lions. “Oh, a little of this…” “…and a little of that…” finishes Kid, “as long as it is wholesome and honest, Judge.” Kid exasperates Heyes with the things he says at times, and it is an attractive dynamic between the two of them.
• It is a very nice scene when Heyes feels that the deck is short. It is Heyes at his best…fingers so sensitive to touch he can feel one card missing from a deck of fifty-two…*deep sigh* And it is also Peter at his finest, the way he delivers the line, with a release of breath and a look of discontent before he speaks. He allows his body to speak before he does. Perfect. Peter was a brilliant actor, and his nuances were unquestionably superb. ®
  

  

  *mmmmm*
• A very amusing running gag about the funerals becoming less and less reverent. By the third poor fool’s death, the funeral is just a rapid run through of the previous two.

• A gentle moment, when Heyes gets shot and Kid jumps off his horse, runs to him and puts his ear to Heyes’ chest to listen for a heartbeat. I would have liked to see Ben emote a bit in this episode though. Just one glimpse of fear or a sound of emotional pain over Heyes being nearly mortally wounded—an “oh, god” or a “nooo…” would have been enough for me. He does clearly show love for his partner on his face, however, during a later scene. That will appease but not totally satisfy me.
• Heyes is absolutely delectable lying there unconscious, having his head wound dabbed at by the doctor, and later, still unconscious, just lying there. This man could bring out the nurturer in any woman, unless, of course, she is dead.

  
• I like Kid in a crisp light colored shirt and no vest…very Old West GQ.
• Kid’s piercing blue eyes sure show up when he is looking like a drowned rat after being shot at and taking a dive into the river.

  

• I love the interaction between Helen, the saloon girl, and Kid. The way she says “Hello, Jones” really kind of defines her character for me, for some reason. I think she is one of the better female guest stars in the series, although her part is somewhat small. And speaking of small, well, did you notice her waist?
• Kid. You have been taught manners, if not by your mother, then at least by Heyes. Did you just blatantly look directly at Helen’s breasts when she said “I understand I may have something you want” and you replied with a flirty “could be”? Naughty boy.
• I love when I notice little flaws in the show. As Kid pours Helen a drink, a drop or two spills onto the table. In today’s TV shows and movies everything is so slick, every tiny imperfection is re-shot to obliterate any semblance of fallibility. This show seems more human because of the small spills, or fleeting breaks in character…I think it has to do a bit with why this show feels so charming.
• Kid is very, very good at flirting. “Now, Helen…that’s the way rumors get started. There’s only one girl in my life, and that’s you.” Very tasty, indeed. ®

• It cracks me up that the sheriff is waiting in his office while Kid, who needs to speak with him about Harvey Bishop, is having sex. When Kid does come into the sheriff’s office, I look him over closely for a discernable post-coital glow, but find none. He does seem particularly confident—even arrogant—though.



• The scene where Heyes regains consciousness is amazing, and in my opinion, some of Peter’s absolute finest acting in this series. I actually see fear and confusion, just a passing shadow of it, in his eyes and he conveys that feeling before saying a word. Brilliant. ®

  

• Peter has such a beautiful mouth. That unsure smile, starting at just the corners, moving to his eyes. Just beautiful.

• I am not certain how Peter does it, but Heyes has an entirely different voice when he is vulnerable. Talking to Mrs. Carlson, it is soft, almost childlike; but by the time he is ready to speak to the sheriff, it is in his normal baritone, masculine tone.

• I have previously made my preference for Peter’s left profile known. But his profile from the right as he talks to the sheriff, is absolutely breathtaking. This is just a beautiful man.

• Heyes lies in bed recounting what he remembers about the shooting. I love the way he points to Mrs. Carlson, first with his whole hand, then his finger, and then his thumb, before he lets his arm fall back to his chest. Delicious. ®

  
• We have gotten a couple of very nice glimpses of Peter’s hand and forearm in this episode, which is a very tasty morsel for my enjoyment, for sure. His hands are masculine and strong; his forearms are beautifully shaped, having the perfect amount of hair to be supremely manly, and well, just terribly sexy. *appreciative sigh* I have admitted to a particular attraction to a man’s hands and arms…which has led to some disappointment within the series because the hands and arms of both our boys are most often covered by long sleeves and gloves. ®§
• More of Peter’s flawless acting as he recounts what happened when he was shot. Some of it is very painful to hear, of course, knowing the outcome of Peter’s life. To hear him utter the words, “You oughta try taking a chunk of lead in the head sometime, Sheriff”, well, there is poignancy there that just hurts my heart.
• It nearly knocks the breath out of me when, as he recounts the moment of being shot, Heyes says "...the next thing I remember feeling like I had just been kicked in the head by a mule" and the corner of his mouth turns up—sharply, quickly—almost as if in a smile, or maybe a grimace and then falters. Something was being expressed here that I wish we could have seen; something we needed his eyes to fully explain to us. Somehow it feels very significant to me--an emotion we should have been allowed to see.
• In the scene where he is asked where his friend was when he was shot, Peter uses his eyes very deftly to show he is trying to remember. It is a subtle thing that we humans do when we need to recall something…our eyes look upward almost as if searching the brain. Peter as an actor knew his lines, I am sure, and wasn’t really trying to remember anything, and this movement of his eyes was purely beautiful acting; a fine distinction that meant the difference between very good acting, and brilliant acting, I think. Heyes’ gaze at Kid during this exchange also showed a very human memory tool…looking at the object you are trying to remember something about. I have read comments by some fans, before I stopped reading others’ insights, saying Heyes was trying to figure out what Kid wanted him to say, or that Kid was showing concern that Heyes might say the wrong thing. I don’t see that at all. I see Heyes, even after being shot in the head, as a very bright man who by instinct knows what would work as an answer and what would be an answer that would get the boys into trouble. To be honest, Ben is just stoic in this scene, almost expressionless, and I don’t see Kid conveying any message at all.

• It isn’t until the look that passes between our boys after the sheriff is done questioning Heyes that I see any real communication between the two. And I feel a deep sense of caring…a gaze of love and friendship that is very, very expressive.

• I absolutely adore Heyes’ smile and little laugh as the boys discuss where Kid really was when he got shot. I love how it starts as a small grin, broadens, and then takes over Peter’s whole face. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. To date, it is my favorite smile of Peter’s in the series. God, I just love this man.

• Even though it would probably be considered a “Kid episode”…it is obvious to me that these scenes are the soul of a very moving episode. All other scenes before and after these few moments are merely padding. I like Ben, but in all reality, thank god for the decision to change the story to Heyes being shot rather than Kid, as previously planned. I don’t believe Ben could have pulled it off.
• The way Jake says killin’ tickles the hell out of me for some reason. It just sounds kind of foreign…I don’t have access to the script for this episode, but I wonder if that is a Roy Huggins distinction.
• Some pretty fair acting on Sharon Acker’s part as she confronts Jake about the rumor. Certainly much better than her odd constant smile and stilted lines in the scene when Heyes regained consciousness. And seriously, what’s up with the huge streak of black down the back of Rachel’s pretty blondish, orangish hair?



• I like that the Kid is smart enough to figure out the crimes…smarter than the sheriff or anyone else. Even smarter than Heyes this time, since he was trying to convince Heyes the murders had to do with the poker game when Heyes got shot. Good for Kid. Maybe sex got his juices flowing. *giggle*
• I am fascinated by the women’s clothing in this series. I have made quite a few clothes in my life, and I cannot figure out for the life of me how these blouses and dresses are made to perfectly fit the form of these women. Putting darts in a blouse would make somewhat of a curve, but these clothes are form fitting—and very flattering (except on the fairly flat-chested Mrs. Hanley in Miracle at Santa Marta, on whom we will also see Rachel Carlson's outfit worn, quite unfortunately)—being flat and tight around the torso then tightly and exactly encasing the bust. What the hell? No one taught us how to do that in Home Ec sewing class.



• Almost everything about the final scene is delightful; Heyes gingerly mounting his horse, looking amazingly haggard and frail; the "You worry about staying on your horse, I'll worry about staying on mine." line; Heyes’ response when Rachel thanks the boys for all they have done; Heyes automatically assuming it is Kid who has somehow spilled the beans to Rachel about who they are; and Kid looking back as they slowly ride away, checking to make sure Heyes is ok and still with him. The only thing not adorable is the line from Kid about Heyes having a bullet in his head. Again, reality jolts its way in, and my heart hurts.

• And finally, there is Rachel with Halloween hair, half orange, half black. I just keep muttering why?