Not trying to review any particular episode, but the series:).I saw most of "The Big Valley" during syndication in the early 1970s, and have lately been watching it again on Me TV. I still believe that it is one of the best Westerns produced by American television.The initial plot is intriguing, because Heath (Lee Majors' character) is the illegitimate son of the late Tom Barkley. The wealthy yet hard- working Barkleys eventually concede the evidence and acknowledge Heath as one of their own. Thereafter, we see Jarrod, Nick and Audra Barkley gradually accepting Heath as their brother, as he begins to accept them as his close siblings. Also interesting was Heath's evolving relationship with Victoria. She was not his biological mother, although her late husband was Heath's father. Even so, she promptly begins thinking of him as her son, even as he starts calling her "Mother." During the first season, there's an episode in which Heath and Victoria take a long trip that turns disastrous when he's virtually buried under the wagon. Victoria fights like hell to save him, enlisting an escaped convict (Bruce Dern) to help her. Throughout, she calls Heath "my son."The last scene shows Heath -- exhausted but not seriously injured -- ensconced in Victoria's arms. The late Richard Long portrayed Jarrod, the Barkleys' eldest and a licensed attorney, as strong and steady. Middle son Nick was big, strong and fearless, although emotional and impulsive as well; Peter Breck conveyed those qualities superbly. Linda Evans was at the peak of her young and overwhelming beauty as Audra Barkley. Evans played Audra as an impetuous young woman -- perhaps gullible with potential lovers (like Robert Goulet's Brother Love), yet quite as fearless as the other Barkleys.Then there's "Miss" Barbara Stanwyck as Victoria Barkley. I am such a Stanwyck fan that I should probably recuse myself here. Suffice it to say that this role required strength and force, balanced by charm, humor and at least some vulnerability (some characters -- usually played by Bruce Dern -- slapped or even punched Victoria; yet she kept fighting for the freedom that she eventually won:))BS was also damn sexy, even in her late 50s and early 60s (she was born in 1907). Those splendid cheekbones and that laser-like gaze can still buckle a strong man's knees:).

i'm really a 10 year old girl and i absolutely love that show!I'v always wanted to look like Audra.my mom and watch the big valley all the time on encore westerns.we love watching it.we always try to think that Audra and heath really are not related so they can be together.we have the first season on DVD,and we are probably gonna get the rest of it on DVD too.i'm always searching for episodes where there are a lot of Audra/heath moments.my mom and i just watched the Caesar's wife episode.it was pretty good.and i just saw some recent pictures of Linda Evans and Lee Majors,and i felt depressed,but i always think of them in the 60's.Well thats all i have to write,now i think i'm gonna go watch an episode on DVD.bye!

This was a wonderful show that had an all star cast. The writing and directing were also well done and that made the show a western classic. Barbara Stanwyck was perfect as the head of the Barkley family. She was petite but she could be mean when she had to be. Richard Long was her oldest son Jarrod. He was an attorney as well as being more citified. You could see that he didn't care that much for the day to day workings of the ranch. Peter Breck was her younger son Nick. He could brawl with the best of them. He and Jarrod could argue and never stop but if something happened to one of them the other one knew it. Lee Majors was Tom's son. He made the show interesting in exploring unfaithfulness in a television show. Linda Evans was her daughter Audra. She didn't seem to have very good luck with men. Charles Briles was the baby Eugene. He only appeared in a very few episodes and was eventually dropped. I wish he had been kept. He could have been a vital part of the family. The show was a super western and I hope that the remaining seasons of it are released on DVD.

I love the show! And, watching it on re-runs (Encore Westerns) as well as the 1st Season DVD has been a real treat. For all the times I watched the show I can't believe that I just noticed that in the opening credits all the family members are named in full ("Richard Long as Jarrod Barkley" "Peter Breck as Nick Barkley"). However, when it comes to Lee Majors it is "Lee Majors as Heath". He is never credited as being "Heath Barkley". The same is true in the instances when the stars are credited in the closing credits as well. At first I thought that this was only for the first season when Heath's character first entered the family. But, in watching the shows in the last season I saw that it remained the same. Somehow, these credits seems like a total repudiation of what the theme of the show was supposed to be about - accepting Heath in full.