it says so in the script? really?

[rielle]

something occurred to me that is a total non-problem as regards watching and enjoying 'our favourite programme'. [Love that phrase, Roger]

however it does sometimes an element in an episode does make me stop and think, even as regards Wild, Wild West episodes that will always rank in my top ten if not my top five favorites AND my all out imo best eps, too. And I thought this might be something interesting to talk over. That is, events in a W3 story that drive us to say that's the way it goes bc the script said so...

So:
Here's one that was plaguing me the other day, despite it being an integral, no-getting-around-it element of an episode I love, 'Pistoleros': First Colonel Roper and then Artie are caught and imprisoned by the bad guys down in Sonora. They aren't treated very kindly, but they're not beaten, so far as we can tell by watching and they aren't very closely watched/guarded either... the noise from that pipe behind their backs should have alarmed somebody

But most of all, neither original model if you will is threatened with lethal measures and neither is in fact, killed off. That leaves them there to escape and stop the bad guys from knocking off Jim when he gets there. yeah, I get that and I'm really glad for it.

However: these are ruthless killers and would be conquerors, right. complete with their very own mad plastic surgeon... right? So how come, why for haven't they dispatched Roper before Artie ever gets there or both captives before Jim ever has his friendly chat with the locked up Pistolero at Challenge?

Y' see what I mean here?
Ghu knows I am glad to see Artie alive at the top of those stairs, the first time through I was nearly as glad to see him as Jim is... But these bad guys despite being so danged clever about their ruthless attempts to spark a new War with Mexico, are really danged stooopid when it comes to keeping captives alive....

Oh and in the same ep, something else niggles at me from time to time:
The faux Artie comes to Tehatchee, apparently for the sole purpose of telling Jim that Charlie Tobin was wrong - Murray isn't a ringer. So this is supposed to be a carefully crafted double for Artie, one who didn't get the time to get his voice right, really

and this is a version of Artemus Gordon who immediately recognizes a grown man, faux Murray, as the same Murray who was ... doesn't he say a bugler in his old regiment? A bugler? A boy young enough to be not even a drummer or a regimental band member, but a bugler? And We're something like 6-10 years on since Artie would have seen Murray, and he knows for certain this is the same person?

Doesn't that send red flags and alarm bells off in vast numbers? Shouldn't it seem the least bit strange to Jim, especially, after hearing Charlie's tale of dopplegangers?

That's what I'm talkin' about? and I'm sure everyone else here has their own examples... so ... what about it?

[snish]

It's a problem in every episode where a double is used--why keep the original alive? Ace has a pretty good point though, I mean, it's a workable excuse in a world where things don't have to be too realistic. Col. Roper would have valuable knowledge of troop locations and movements, and Artie knows all kinds of government secrets that might be useful.

I guess they carefully concealed the fact that Artie's double was made to be killed. Otherwise they never could have found anyone to do it!

[California gal]

I guess I should post my idea of what happened to Artie when he was being held prisoner. I tried hard to explain some of the plot holes. (There was one I simply couldn't resolve.)

Maybe I will later today if i have time.

Pistoleros should have been a 2-part story (and Winged Terror condensed to one!). They could have expanded the initial portion and left the viewers hanging with "Artie's" death. But so many holes would have been filled.

One thing I didn't address in my story is when the fake colonel asks the sergeant about the liquor. I can only guess that the sarge thought the colonel was still concussed.

There are other eps with problems like these. Just can't think of what they are right now. I'm sure one will come to me later.

[snish]

The way the sergeant gives the fake colonel a knowing look, I thought the sarge was a Pistolero too.

[California gal]

OK, I posted my version of what could have been happening to Artie while he was Galiano's prisoner and as I said above, tried to close up some plot holes. I'll be very interested to hear if others agree or disagree. And I'll tell you the one I couldn't figure out later. ;D

[rielle]

Feb 2, 2012 12:28:37 GMT -8 California gal said:

OK, I posted my version of what could have been happening to Artie while he was Galiano's prisoner and as I said above, tried to close up some plot holes. I'll be very interested to hear if others agree or disagree. And I'll tell you the one I couldn't figure out later. ;D

This is a lovely story, CG, it surely does a lot for those ???s in the ep and to show us what we missed while Artie was off screen. As always your descriptions of both agents are perfect, and when you describe the expression on Jim's face when he sees Artie alive... that's somewhere waaay past perfectly done. Thanks for sharing.

[California gal]

I should point out the things I couldn't figure out, so ignore them. I thought about continuing the story to the tag and try to explain the new hairdos. But where were they? It was raining, nearly snowing. Not in southern Arizona anymore, that's for sure!

But the other, more important unexplainable thing was that Jim had his holster and pistol when he and Artie arrived at the encampment where they confronted the fake colonel and lieutenant. Jim obviously had the gun taken away from him when he was grabbed and thrown into a cell at the fort. He used the derringer at Galiano's house and surely he would have used the pistol if he'd had it.

Galiano said the attack was going to be launched within an hour. They obviously had to race to get to the encampment. There would not have been time to go to the fort and get the gun--let alone explaining to whatever soldiers there who knew Jim had escaped from the stockade--and then reach the camp.

Any ideas?

p.s. Thanks for your nice comments, Ace & Rielle. ;D