Selina Linville
has returned to Walton’s Mountain from college, but is frustrated with the
mundane aspects of country life. Staying with her grandfather, “The Colonel,”
she chastises John-Boy with his complacency and urges him to go with her to
Spain and write about their civil war, just like Hemingway. When the Colonel’s
home and property is foreclosed upon, she has an emotional breakdown – and
John-Boy convinces her to stay at home where there is a war going on – called
the Great Depression.
Odd episode has
some good, sparky dialogue between Selena and John-Boy (a la an old screwball
comedy from the 30s), but not much dramatic tension or cohesion. Kathleen
Quinlan reprises her role from last season’s “The Thoroughbred,” but it’s an
almost completely different character; her glee for the adventure of covering a
foreign war is so over the top it’s almost cartoonish, and John Boy’s
fascination with it seems unlikely as well.
Well, it is a
season finale; perhaps it was a leftover script lying around somewhere.
Hamner’s
narration (from this show and last) is emphasizing the military escalation in
Europe. Perhaps a setup for plot developments next season?
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