Airdate: 1/15/76
Zeb loves
regaling the Walton children with his tales of derring-do when he and the Rough
Riders led the charge up San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War. So much
so that John-Boy, hungry for adventure himself so he can submit a good short
story to an adventure magazine, organizes a Rough Rider reunion to be held on
Waltons Mountain so the veterans can reenact the charge. The organizer loves
the idea- but it seems he’s the only one; Grandma and Olivia thinks it
glorifies violence, and Zeb himself is oddly against the idea too. Ultimately,
it falls apart anyway – and Zeb confides in John-Boy that he “embroidered” the
war story to his wife, and then never revealing to anyone the truth ever since.
When Grandma invites to Zeb to meet a fellow veteran, it seems the secret’s
out, but his story, about being rescued by Zeb at the foot of the hill, turns
out to be just as heroic as the spurious one.
Outstanding
performances by Geer and Corby again remind the viewer how acting is at the
crux of this emotional series. From Geer’s spirited “recounting” of the San
Juan charge after the radio goes out, and his later confession to John-Boy that
comingles tears of regret and chuckles of mirth, to Grandma’s sad revelation
that she never revealed to Zeb that she was pregnant with John before he went
off to war, the acting by these octogenarians makes one understand why they
were Emmy nominated almost yearly for their work on the show. Season 4
continues to be above-par in the writing category too, with dialogue that feels
a bit sharper but never less sentimental than previous years.
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