This is an episode I remember fondly from my childhood. Why is farmer Sam Becker (prolific character actor William Schallert) so taciturn, avoiding all small talk and continually rushing from his errands in town back to his farm? And why does he do his planting at night? Similar to another first-season episode, "Stranger in Town," "Quiet Sam" shows us a denizen of Mayberry whose behavior at first arouses suspicion but who, after we go beyond the surface and get to know him, turns out to have understandable motivations. It turns out Sam's wife is expecting their first baby, and he is solicitous about her well being. We are never shown the baby's mother; the focus is entirely on the nervousness and expectation of the men. We get to see Andy facing the challenge of delivering a baby for the first time, Sam facing the prospect of being a new father, and Barney...well, just being Barney: worrying, looking askance, dithering, organizing posses and conducting a nighttime rain-coated rescue effort to save Andy from a non-existent threat to his life. Towards the end, Barney finally makes himself useful by keeping Sam company and helping him relax while the baby is about to be delivered. The sensitive writing draws us into the reality of all these human situations. The scene of the birth is tender and gentle without being sentimental, and helps to solidify the people-centered nature of the series. The use of the storm to heighten the tension is most effective and adds considerably to the atmosphere. The final scene, with the townspeople singing joyously to greet the newborn baby, warms the heart. For some reason I had remembered the episode incorrectly as having a Christmas theme, with the baby being likened symbolically to the Christ child; I must have been confusing it with another story. At any rate, "Quiet Sam" is a Mayberry classic and shows TAGS in full stride at the end of its first season.
Review of Quiet Sam
