Wagon Train: The Geneva Balfour Story (1964) 5 of 10 stars ⭐ The last 2 seasons of 'Wagon Train' tried to ruin the entire series

Wagon Train: The Geneva Balfour Story (1964) 5 of 10 stars ⭐ 

Season 7, Episode 18

 

 *Spoilers? Not really, but kinda. Yet another example of how the last 2 seasons of 'Wagon Train' tried to ruin the entire series

It's not that this episode was terrible, but it is certainly not up to the standards that made 'Wagon Train' a household name.

These episodes (from the last 2 seasons) DO NOT need to be almost an hour and a half long. They d--r--a--g out, until you almost lose interest. I don't know whose idea it was to extend the length of these shows, but it was a terrible mistake.

BASIC PLOT:

This episode is supposed to be focused on a spoiled pregnant woman from Boston, named Geneva Balfour. She is an unlikable harpy, who never wanted to go west, and never lets her husband forget it.

An Indian war forces the wagon train to take a dangerous detour through the desert.

Chris Hale, the wagon master, makes sure to take on an extra wagon full of provisions. These supplies will be needed to take on this perilous journey.

The people of the wagon train know of the impending dangers, and Chris Hale even puts the decision to continue in their hands. They vote to press on west to California, thus absolving Mr. Hale of some of the responsibility of this somber decision.

Conditions worsen for the weary travelers, and Mrs. Balfour's mental stability worsens with them. She decides to force the train to turn back, by burning the extra supply wagon. Somehow, her husband gets blamed for this, and is almost lynched in the process. This whole incident seems to go nowhere, and is too soon forgotten.

The Chris Hale of previous seasons is now gone. He is replaced with a worrisome old ninny, who feels the need to lie to the people of the train, instead of reassuring them with his leadership and strength.

The rest of the trip is a disjointed mess, that makes little sense. There is a meddling judge, a group of obstreperous women, who become violent towards a pregnant woman, a miner who shoots Duke, but then saves the day, and yet another unstable woman, who attacks Chris Hale with a shotgun.

Like I said, a mess