User Reviews

It was the first time that the main characters were sidelined for settle a Mexican's storyline when the Austrian Emperor Maximillian endorsed by France was empowered the Mexican territory against the insurgents lead by the nationalist Benito Juarez when Manolito rescues a key-member Santos Castaneda (Henry Silva) under Juarez's leadership that is in America for a while, the rendezvous will be in High Chaparral between Juarez and Castaneda to joint forces to overthrow Maximillian.

Not so fast, Castaneda figures out that Juarez is a dreamer, trying making a peace through diplomatic channels, backed by USA, instead he considers himself as final solution to get the power gathering all Juarez's Mexican revolutionaries under his leadership, Manolito realizes that it was enough good for Big John due his house will be labeled where Juarez was killed by a Mexican traitor, without raising suspicious from his best childhood friend Castaneda Manolito pretends acquiesced, hoping in favorable moment overturn the damage.

As I said in my intro all High Chaparral casting are withdraw of the plot due the shortened story weren't able to insert all them, in the arrival at High Chaparral Castaneda exposes to Big John his previous intentions over Juarez, henceforth Manolito needs despairingly stop Castaneda's betrayal or Big John never forget such outrageous happenings, the drunkard Manolito already has in mind what's gonna do, be ready for twists!!

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First watch: 2023 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 6.5.

Set in the mid-1870s, The High Chaparral is at its best when it doesn't try to incorporate actual historical events in its story line. In this episode it attempted to do so and absolutely mangled the facts, setting up a fictional conflict between the French-backed Emperor Maximilian and the native political leader Benito Juarez. The French were driven out of Mexico in 1867 and Maximilian was executed by firing squad that same year. Juarez recovered the rulership of Mexico at that time (he really only ever lost it in the regions controlled by France) and maintained it until his death by natural causes in 1872. So, by the time The High Chaparral's timeframe rolled around, both men were long deceased. It's common for TV Westerns to warp actual events in order to support a story line, but this episode's ignorance of history seems especially egregious.