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Neo-opsis Review
The Adventures of Brisco
County Jr
Boam/Cuse
Productions
In the
fall of 1993, a new show premiered on Friday nights on Fox. It followed two
partners who brought in the bad guys, while encountering strange paranormal
events and a government conspiracy to cover them up. It debuted to good ratings
and great reviews. And it had a horse who thought he was a human. No, we aren’t
talking about the X-Files. We’re talking about that other show, a
comedy/western/sf hybrid that was broadcast an hour before Scully and Mulder: The
Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
The
set-up was a classic western motif: in 1893, bad guy John Bly breaks out of
custody with his gang, killing Marshall Brisco
County, Sr. Bounty hunter Brisco Jr. is hired by rail
barons to hunt down Bly and his gang, but because of the high price on Bly’s
head, Brisco is in competition with other bounty
hunters, including the notorious Lord Bowler. But Bly has bigger fish to fry,
and here’s where the show becomes more than just a western. Bly’s after a
mysterious golden orb that has strange mystical powers.
Sent on
missions by his boss Socrates Poole, Brisco
encounters more than his share of outrageous characters along the trail: noted
gunslinger Utah Johnny Montana (who used to be called Utah Johnny Cougar
Montana but stopped using Cougar as it sounded too pretentious); the hapless
bad guy Pete who dies more times than South Park’s Kenny and has an
unhealthy attachment to his pistol (“You’re touching my piece! Nobody touches
Pete’s Piece!”); Sheriff Aron Viva (an ancestor of Elvis’s); and Professor Wickwire, who invents, among other things, a rocket car, a
diving suit and an airship (apparently financed by a German investor named Von
Zeppelin). Brisco also has more than a few encounters
with a saloon siren, the delectable Dixie Cousins.
The superb cast is anchored by B-movie
hero Bruce Campbell as Brisco. He brings just the
right amount of sincerity, strength and good humour to the role. No one will
ever accuse him of being a great actor, but Campbell
is perfect for this role. It’s hard to imagine anyone else in the part. Julius
Carry brought his very large presence to the character of Lord Bowler, a fellow
bounty hunter who eventually teams up with Brisco.
And the legendary John Astin brought his quirky
charms to Professor Wickwire. Plus, special mention
must be made of Billy Drago, who played Brisco’s
nemesis John Bly like he was from another planet (there’s a hint for you).
It’s
not hard to see why Brisco’s rating floundered as the
season went on and was eventually cancelled after only one season; it’s a very
offbeat show, with wacky humour strewn among the pop-cult references. It’s a
western poking fun at western conventions. And it’s also a sci-fi show, with
the mysterious orb and its fantastic power the driving force behind many
episodes. It’s no wonder viewers didn’t know what to make of it, but I enjoyed
it a lot. I was surprised that the orb storyline was wrapped up about
three-quarters of the way through the season, but I suspect had Brisco returned for a second season that the orb and
John Bly would have returned. It was the orb plot that made the show something
unique and after that was seemingly dealt with, the show settled back into
being just a western, albeit a light and occasionally silly one. And although Brisco was criticized for being an overly violent
show back in the day, Brisco never actually shot
anyone.
The DVD
box set has the complete series, plus a commentary track featuring Bruce
Campbell and series co-creator Carlton Cuse on the
pilot episode. They paint a fun picture, describing a hard but enjoyable shoot,
and they also reveal all (such as it is) about the orb. There’s also a short
“making of” documentary, and a brief bit with Bruce Campbell reading from his
book If Chins Could Kill. The highlight of the special features is a
45-minute round table discussion with the writers and co-creator Cuse. (A few of the writers now work on Lost, and
viewers of that show might want to pay particular attention when the discussion
turns to “orb mythology.”)
So
spend a few bucks and harken back to the thrilling days of yesteryear....
Review by
John W Herbert
(Originally
in Neo-opsis issue 10)
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