Reviews

With respect to the previous reviewer, I actually liked this episode. Gypsies were and remain a mysterious people, often hated but usually just misunderstood by outsiders for their independent and occasionally lawless lifestyle. This must have been especially so in the mid-19th century when the country was young and wild. This episode was well written and acted, and Susan Harrison, a rare beauty, played her part with starry-eyed detachment that befitted her role as a young woman seemingly "possessed" by evil spirits. It is rare for Hollywood to treat gypsies sympathetically and I was heartened at the end when no one died and the gypsies left the Ponderosa peacefully. Bonanza usually kills off one to four people by the end of each episode so this was a happy ending by comparison.

This is my favorite Quantum Leap episode, though I admit to being biased. Like the title character, Machiko, my wife is from Japan and I am from the US. We went through the same kind of cultural marriage adjustment depicted in the episode, though ours occurred 34 years later in a much more modern world. We also got to experience the bulk of our marriage in her country rather than she in mine which gave us an up- close look at mixed marriages from the Japanese point of view. This episode is well written, well acted, and for the most part, well researched. The actress who plays Machiko is delightful and flawless in her portrayal of a young Japanese bride of the US Occupation. I found myself tearing up like a baby at the end, though there is one minor inconsistency in the final scene. Without giving too much away, let's just say that it takes more than one person to put on a kimono correctly. If you can overlook that small fact then you'll find it a most satisfying ending.