Lifeline, episode # 51, the final episode, was written by Sam Roeca. Among his other screenplays was Scarecrow at Hackett's, which he also imbued with a mysterious overtone.

In Lifeline, the cattle at Lancer are falling sick, and when the cause is determined to be cyanide poisoning, the question is ­ is it natural or caused by man? Meanwhile, Jelly has had his fortune told by a newcomer in town, the lovely Anna Barelle, and he interprets her reading to indicate that he is dying. This parallels the gradual sickening of the land, the family's financial troubles and their personal conflicts.

Murdoch scoffs at the future told by Anna but Johnny, who is dubious at first, gradually starts to believe she might be right. Jelly is convinced he's dying, and his (imagined) sickness and the pestilence on the cattle leads the ranch hands to cut and run.

Johnny fears for the safety of his father, and when he tries to stick close to Murdoch, he is yelled at to get out and act on any hunches, because "the ranch is about to go up in smoke!" Johnny's concern that Murdoch will be injured, as the fortune-teller has foretold, leads him to near-panic when his father's horse returns at night, riderless. He finds Murdoch barely conscious by a stream the next morning, and follows a lead from there to a line shack that the bad guys are using.

When Johnny finds the stock of cyanide there, he confronts Charlie, who tells him "And with you gone, too, Scott'll give this place away." He says the fortune-teller was hired to put the fear into them, and in Jelly's case, it seemed to work. They struggle and cyanide gas is released, killing Charlie.

Johnny narrowly escapes. When Angus appears, he admits he was behind it, and all the poisoning and threatening was done in order to get the remaining Lancers to sell out to him.

Why is this one of the most interesting episodes to me? Because it brings up the big question: If Murdoch and Johnny were dead, would Scott give up the ranch and return to Boston? We know in our hearts that Scott wouldn't pack it all in if his father died, but what if Johnny had also been killed? Could one brother remain at Lancer without the other?

We know by this time that the brothers are not as different in character as they seem to be at the beginning of the series. I see them as two halves of one whole. When Angus had tried to buy the spread for twice the value and Murdoch had refused, he had said he hoped that Murdoch's sons weren't as stubborn as their father. Not likely.

It makes you wonder though. My vote is neither brother would ever give up the ranch, no matter what happened.

Also, some great scenes and moments . . .

• Those which show Johnny's tender concern for Jelly, as the wrangler becomes more sick and feeble,and when Jelly tries to leave and Johnnyrides after him to bring him back where he belongs.Johnny to Jelly: You know, you ought to be thrashed.
• Murdoch's frustration when the bad situation comes to a head and he yells at Johnny to go out and do something, 'Act on it!'
• Even when the Lancers are fraught with tension and worry, they doggedly pursue their goal.
• The look on Johnny's face when Murdoch's horse returns riderless, and he yells for his missing father. Priceless. Good lighting, too.
• Some good interiors of the house.
• Excellent low shot of the line shack, Barranca's legs, then Johnny's boots and spurs as he dismounts and heads for the building.

The not so good:

 

• The creepy music whenever Anna sees the future.
• The last scene we see Scott in, he's poring over botanical text to see if he can find the solution to the cyanide poisoning in the flora. But we never see him again.

This is also the episode that made me start writing, and although I would have been very happy if the show had continued to be filmed for many years, I am thankful that Lancer ended after only two years. It left so many possible scenarios to explore: the plots barely touched on the story of Johnny's mother, Murdoch's early days or Scott's wartime experiences. It gave us just enough information to whet our appetites, which I believe is why there is so much Lancer fanfic.

On a side note, I really enjoyed reading the script for the unfilmed: Beef to Fort Bowie episode. Lots of great Johnny/Murdoch scenes and a hysterically funny one with Jelly 'conversing' with a skeleton in a doctor's office. Even a hint that Johnny had spent time in Yuma Prison. Ah, too bad that episode wasn't filmed.

~ Geraldine