User Reviews

"The Farmer" is amazingly sensitive and perceptive in its portrayal of a very unusual soldier--one whose main concern is that the tranquility and spiritual qualities associated with farming are not destroyed by the ravages of war.

The peaceful, idyllic scene where the entire squad (except for Saunders) gradually join Weaver in planting the crops for an aging French couple who were chased off of their land is, in my opinion, the SINGLE MOST BEAUTIFUL scene that the series has to offer. And then, things start to go terribly wrong, as Weaver endeavors to save a baby calf from starving. Much excellently wrought conflict with Kirby and Littlejohn, as Weaver continually puts the squad in danger because of his convictions.

The final moments show a man who, out of desperation and rage, allows himself to be destroyed---all because of his fanatical devotion to preserving the sanctity of the earth and its creatures.

Only the rather-too-abrupt editing of the crucial death of the cow (which precipitates Noah's final self-destructive act) mars the pace and power of the climax. But this is a minor issue. The larger point is that Noah--by nature introverted, retiring, essentially PASSIVE in nature--- EXPLODES into a frenzied killing machine at the sight of this cruel and gratuitous act by the Nazi gunner....and Dennis Weaver is totally, utterly convincing in this transformation.

Great closing speech by Conlan Carter. The BEST. LR

PS-- IN a wonderful meeting at the Beverly Hills Hotel (Oct., 1988), actor Pierre Jalbert (Caje) told my wife and me that the ramshackle farm house where most of the action in this show was filmed later became a hangout for Charles Manson and his band of fanatics. No kidding.

Watching Littlejohn limp along, because of the hole in the sole of one of his boots, was very painful to watch. Isn't Littlejohn from a Nebraska farm? Why he didn't stay behind, instead of Noah, is beyond me. Story line purposes, obviously.

Even though Jo Davidsmeyer gave this episode only 1 (out of 4) bayonets in her book, "A Viewer's Guide to ... Combat!", personally I give it 4 bayonets; or 10 here on IMDb. This could be the cow lover in me, though. If I was in the character Noah's place, I probably would not have left the squad to help out the cow and her new born calf, but it would have pained me to hear the calf bawling. I helped birth a calf once on my uncle's farm, so I can relate.

I would, however, have acted the same way Noah did at the very end. To me, killing people is bad enough, but to see the "Krauts" shoot the mother cow is just incomprehensible. And how fitting was it that while looking down at Noah's dead body, Doc started reciting a farmer's poem with the Sarge saying the famous line, "And fired the shot heard round the world."