Waltons 4.17: “The Fox”

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.