Writer's Block: Gone but Not Forgotten
I have to say I miss The Young Riders. Blame my fascination with handsome young men. This show aired on ABC from 1989 to 1992. Here's what I remember from Season One.
1. Teaspoon Hunter - Old coot, eats onions like apples, not opposed to taking dips in horse troughs. He's a mentor and a Russel, Majors, and Waddell Pony Express station manager. He's good with a gun, fast talker, but sometimes his metaphors are lost on his audience. If you think about it, they're actually pretty good and apt.
2. Emma Shannon - Firm but kind divorcee, never really knew exactly what her working relationship was with the Pony Express. I think she rented her land to the outfit and did bookkeeping. She's had a rough life and sometimes her tone reveals the hardships she's endured. She's tough as nails and but everyone loves her because she fought to keep her stations and her riders safe and mothered.
3. "The Kid" - Never figured out his actual name. In the beginning I thought he was more or less the character that established ethics of the show. Later on in season one, and in other seasons, I see him as being ambiguous. There's something about him that he hides, (his name), and of course, that's why he likes Lou/Louise. Kid got the girl in the beginning and naturally, at the end.
One line that makes me laugh each time is Kid's shopping list to Tompkins in "Lady for a Night".
Storekeeper: "What's this, it looks like fifty pounds of cats."
The Kid: "I think that's oats."
Even his handwriting is open for interpretation.
4. Louise McCloud - She dresses like a boy to work like a man. Good gravy, how I loved her back in 1990. Nothing this girl did was wrong, she was sweet, funny, and a little demanding when it came to romance, "The Kid" was too slow. I was certain that she wasn't afraid of anything. I'm not so sure I can make those statements today, but back then, I thought Kid and Lou together was MAGIC.
5. William F. Cody - a real life person that became known as "Buffalo Bill". I had a serous crush on him. Not only did I dig all of Cody's fringe leather, Stephen Baldwin was the sort cuss I enjoyed. Cody's jokes were hysterical, and he did a lot to lighten the seriousness of James Butler Hickok. I was really disappointed after I did the little research on the real life personas of these people. Those two probably weren't BFFs. I really liked how Cody/Hickock played off one another.
6. Buck --- Gregg Rainwater had some serious sex appeal. That made watching Buck episodes awesome. What I loved about Buck's character is how he was a great communicator to all those around him. He taught the bald mute, Ike McSwain, Indian sign...(in 1 day)... when ever there was need for a translator, Buck was there. Buck, because he was an Indian was an expert tracker.
7. James Butler Hickok -- This guy bored me back when I was 17. Now I watch and I'm floored over. Jimmy was the lead of the show. The Young Riders gave me a lot of perspective on the falsity of what those famed gunfighters were. In the end, I felt bad for Jimmy. What I do like about him, is his no nonsense approach to handling problems. Jimmy wasn't about ethics, he was about doing what made sense at the right time.
8. Ike McSwain - Travis o-so-Fine got a lot of personaliaty out of a character written as a bald mute. He looked odd, he talked with his hands. He was a great horseman, often called the best rider of them all. I always thought The Young Riders should have let Ike have a dream or something where he got to talk with his own voice. What utter fail on that department. I wonder if there's a fic somewhere on that.
9. Marshall Sam Cain -- What I remember about this what a flirt he was for Emma. He had a great line in the pilot episode, one that I remember to this day, "A man with that many guns, I figure he's afraid of everything." Also, "Me and my deputies could sure use your help," was a reoccuring on too.
10. Tompkins -- What a salty character. I remember an episode where we learned his wife and daughter were kidnapped by Indians, and the army returned them to him years after the show. His daughter and his wife were almost full Indians, and how difficult and stressfull the reunion was for all three of thim. IIRC, I think that was an awesome Buck episode. I'd pay to see that one again.
The show suffered poor ratings all three seasons, and honestly, I can't believe it got three seasons at that. But, good grief, I loved the show and never missed it, although, parts of it I can hardly remember. I need to find someone with s2 and s3 dvds.
The Young Riders - gone, but not forgotten.