Ep 17. The Thirteenth Man

Ben Cartwright and his three sons, Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe, continue to bring justice to their part of the American frontier in the ninth season of the popular western drama, Bonanza. In the seventeenth episode of season nine, titled "The Thirteenth Man," the Cartwrights are faced with a mystery that threatens to tear their community apart.

The episode opens with a group of miners celebrating the discovery of a new vein of silver in their town. As they gather in the saloon, one of the men, a German immigrant named Hans Drescher, begins to make a series of inflammatory comments about the abilities of minorities and the need to keep them from gaining too much power. His words incite a heated argument among the assembled crowd, but before things can escalate, a group of twelve men led by town sheriff Roy Coffee burst in and break up the fight.

Things calm down for a few days, but tensions remain high in the town, with various groups of people refusing to speak to each other and outright hostility simmering just beneath the surface. Then, one night, a shot rings out and a man is found dead in the street. His death is quickly ruled a suicide, but Ben does not believe that it was an open-and-shut case.

It soon becomes clear that the Cartwrights' suspicions are well-founded when another man is found dead, and then another. The victims all had different backgrounds and political beliefs, but they had one thing in common: they were each one of thirteen men who had gathered to discuss the problems facing their town. As the death toll rises, the Cartwrights race to uncover the identity of the killer before anyone else is harmed.

Meanwhile, tensions between different groups in the town continue to boil over. The Chinese community, who have been targeted by racist slurs and vandalism, begin to organize and fight back against their attackers. Ben and his sons do their best to keep the peace and find common ground between the various factions, but it becomes increasingly difficult as the full scale of the killer's plot is revealed.

As the Cartwrights investigate, they begin to realize that the murders are part of a larger conspiracy to stir up unrest and further divide the town. The killer's ultimate goal is to destroy the very fabric of the community, and it will take all of the Cartwrights' skill and courage to stop them.

"The Thirteenth Man" is a gripping episode of Bonanza that showcases the show's storytelling and character development at its best. As always, the Cartwrights are the heart of the show, and their complex relationships with one another and the people of their town are on full display here. The mystery at the center of the episode is thrilling and suspenseful, with plenty of twists and turns to keep viewers invested.

With its themes of prejudice and community, "The Thirteenth Man" is a socially conscious episode of the show that still resonates today. It's a testament to the appeal of Bonanza that even over half a century after its initial airing, it remains a beloved and iconic piece of American television history.