A very strong episode, thanks to writer/director Pierson, with only a few drawbacks.
The chief problem, I feel, is the casting of Shatner in the pivotal role. And while his performance is very good, it's still hard to see him as the offspring of the the rough-and-tumble, hearty, weather-beaten, stalwart clan of lobster fisherman that dominate this tale. Much too yuppy-ish, IMHO.
Still..it's a whale of a tale, as Shatner, Linc (and Tod, to a lesser degree) confront a severe, draconian system of ethics, a tradition that values loyalty to the professional trade ABOVE that of blood relationships. When the mortally wounded Mayhew, suspected of sabotaging the other worker's lobster traps, is abandoned to die by his lifelong friends, the strict, unforgiving code by which they live becomes ominously clear.
There is great heartache in the scenes between the lovely Louise Sorel and her toddler son---which reminds me of the similar scenario of the excellent "Burning for Burning" of Season 2: both plots involve harsh, uncompromising families (which both happen to include Pat Hingle), a forlorn daughter by-marriage who is humiliated and rejected by the family, and her innocent child caught in the middle of the hostilities.
On a related topic--as much as I respect him, I feel that Pat Hingle is something of a liability in most everything I've seen him in. It's silly for me to bring this up, because he was an extremely successful, in-demand actor..and I'm an observer, sitting at a computer 50-some years later "reviewing" his performance....but there's just something stage-y and slightly bogus about him. In fact, his Bible-quotin', fire-and-brimstone chicken farmer is the one unfortunate element of the aforementioned "Burning for Burning" episode, which rings absolutely true in every other respect (like....say...the withering intensity of Beulah Bondi's performance).
Still, Pat Hingle carries his role here very well, and is genuinely touching in his scene with Louise Sorel and the little boy on the swing--made all the more poignant when we later realize it was his way of saying "farewell" to them.
OVERALL-- one of the series' more powerful episodes, rich in the interplay between characters, their relationships, and their traditions.
And the FINAL SCENE is beautifully written, directed, acted (and musically scored). ALSO-- a wise decision to nix the familiar Theme Song for the final credits, using instead the episode's noble, elegiac main theme to accompany the ceremonial "Cortege" onscreen. LR
(But...the names of the father-and-son menfolk: Thayer, Menemsha, and....ROBBIE???)
The chief problem, I feel, is the casting of Shatner in the pivotal role. And while his performance is very good, it's still hard to see him as the offspring of the the rough-and-tumble, hearty, weather-beaten, stalwart clan of lobster fisherman that dominate this tale. Much too yuppy-ish, IMHO.
Still..it's a whale of a tale, as Shatner, Linc (and Tod, to a lesser degree) confront a severe, draconian system of ethics, a tradition that values loyalty to the professional trade ABOVE that of blood relationships. When the mortally wounded Mayhew, suspected of sabotaging the other worker's lobster traps, is abandoned to die by his lifelong friends, the strict, unforgiving code by which they live becomes ominously clear.
There is great heartache in the scenes between the lovely Louise Sorel and her toddler son---which reminds me of the similar scenario of the excellent "Burning for Burning" of Season 2: both plots involve harsh, uncompromising families (which both happen to include Pat Hingle), a forlorn daughter by-marriage who is humiliated and rejected by the family, and her innocent child caught in the middle of the hostilities.
On a related topic--as much as I respect him, I feel that Pat Hingle is something of a liability in most everything I've seen him in. It's silly for me to bring this up, because he was an extremely successful, in-demand actor..and I'm an observer, sitting at a computer 50-some years later "reviewing" his performance....but there's just something stage-y and slightly bogus about him. In fact, his Bible-quotin', fire-and-brimstone chicken farmer is the one unfortunate element of the aforementioned "Burning for Burning" episode, which rings absolutely true in every other respect (like....say...the withering intensity of Beulah Bondi's performance).
Still, Pat Hingle carries his role here very well, and is genuinely touching in his scene with Louise Sorel and the little boy on the swing--made all the more poignant when we later realize it was his way of saying "farewell" to them.
OVERALL-- one of the series' more powerful episodes, rich in the interplay between characters, their relationships, and their traditions.
And the FINAL SCENE is beautifully written, directed, acted (and musically scored). ALSO-- a wise decision to nix the familiar Theme Song for the final credits, using instead the episode's noble, elegiac main theme to accompany the ceremonial "Cortege" onscreen. LR
(But...the names of the father-and-son menfolk: Thayer, Menemsha, and....ROBBIE???)
