"The Orb Scholar" is the second episode of the first and only season of The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. It was written by Carlton Cuse and directed by Andy Tennant. It aired on 3 September 1993.
Summary: Brisco County, Jr. and Lord Bowler track John Bly to Colorado, but discover that Bly is obsessed in locating a mysterious gold metallic orb with special powers - and he will use anyone and kill anyone to find it.
Synopsis[]
Recap[]
A short narration by Ogden Coles is set over footage from "Pilot".
Chapter One: "Our Ace in a Hole"[]
At the Westerfield Club, Socrates Poole is practicing his golf strokes as Brisco County, Jr. walks in. He raves to Brisco about the reasons he loves the sport, which he's recently discovered, but Brisco has his doubts about any sport that can be played in a suit. Socrates asks Brisco why he's here, believing he was in Oregon. Brisco tells him he ran into Sheriff King from Colorado, who was able to give him a lead on John Bly's whereabouts, a note from a childhood friend of Brisco's named Donovan Joe that Bly might be in Poker Flats, Colorado.
Brisco gives a mortified Socrates his club back.
Brisco tells Socrates of how he met Donovan Joe. It was before Brisco went to law school and he and Donovan Joe worked for his father. They had been sent into the mountains to track down the Swill brothers, but Donovan Joe got scared and fled down the mountain, leaving Brisco to face the Swill brothers alone. He was shot in the ensuing altercation, but luckily his father found him before it was too late. Brisco had heard nothing about Donovan Joe's fate until receiving the letter, learning that he had become sheriff of Poker Flats. Socrates asks Brisco if he can forgive him for the betrayal, and Brisco tells him that while he can't forget, he can forgive him.
Brisco asks to take a turn at golf, and Socrates groans, believing Brisco must've learned how to play golf at Harvard as well. Brisco tells him he's never played and proceeds to swing the club far too hard, knocking out the window in the back of Socrates' office.
Brisco and Comet ride out to Poker Flats where they encounter an old man in a wagon being held up by some robbers. Brisco punches one while Comet bucks at the other, disarming him. Afterward, Brisco takes the men into Poker Flats, but the old man warns him that nothing good will come of it. When they reach town, Brisco, noting the gallows being tested, asks who's set to be hanged. One of his captives tells him that no one in particular will be, but the jail is overcrowded.
Brisco speaks to the lawman who steps out of the jailhouse and tells them he's bringing the two men in for robbery. The man, drawing his gun, states that the men are sheriff's deputies, and he forces Brisco to disarm. Brisco asks who the lawman is, and he announces himself as Puel, the chief deputy. In the jailhouse, Brisco demands to see Donovan Joe, but Puel ignores him, fetching the keys from the guard dog. Puel ushers Brisco and the old man into the cell and tells them to enjoy their stay in Poker Flats.
Taking a seat on the cot in the back of the cell, Brisco is faced with a harsh voice telling him to get off. Recognizing the voice, Brisco is in disbelief. Lord Bowler emerges from the blankets, also in disbelief. He pinches Brisco's cheek to test whether he's dreaming or really awake. Angered, Bowler explains that he too is on Bly's trail and arrived before him, giving him more rights than Brisco to collect his bounty. Brisco tells him that it'll be difficult to catch Bly since he's in jail, but Bowler answers that it's a "temporary inconvenience".
The old man, observing their spat, asks if they know each other. Brisco takes the opportunity to introduce the two of them, revealing the old man's name as Professor Ogden Coles. Responding to Coles' remark that "Lord Bowler" must be a fictitious title, Bowler retorts that he made it up, missing the irony in his own statement. Brisco asks Bowler what he's doing in the jail. Bowler explains that he tracked Bly to Poker Flats, where he entered the saloon (he was thirsty) and noticed the bartender was a horse thief named Hawk Mistler with a $1,000 bounty and wanted in Cheyenne. Naturally, Bowler dragged him to the jail and turned him over to Puel so he could wire Wyoming and collect the reward money. Just like with Brisco, Bowler ended up being the one locked up while Mistler remained in his position.
Credits[]
Cast[]
Opening credits
- Bruce Campbell as Brisco County, Jr.
- Julius Carry as Lord Bowler
- Christian Clemenson as Socrates Poole
- Comet as himself
- Robert Picardo as Puel
- Billy Drago as John Bly
- Brandon Maggart as Prof. Ogden Coles
- Pat Skipper as Donovan Joe
Ending credits
- Herman Poppe as Sheriff Worth
- Tom Simmons as Dobbs
- Dewey Weber as Tate
- David Youse as Todd the Waiter
Uncredited
- R. Lee Ermey as Brisco County, Sr. (Flashback)
- M.C. Gainey as Big Smith (Archive footage)
- Eric Lawson as Outlaw #1 (Archive footage)
- Lego Louis as Outlaw #2 (Archive footage)
- Kevin Lowe as Federal Agent Brown (Archive footage)
- Leon Melas as French Canadian gang member
- Norman Merrill as Scientist (Archive footage)
- Tom Simmons as Wagon Driver (Archive footage)
- Stuart Whitman as Randall Thorogood (Archive footage)
Crew[]
Opening credits
- Created by – Jeffrey Boam, Carlton Cuse
- Produced by – Paul Marks
- Co-Producer – David Simkins
- Supervising Producer – Tom Chehak
- Supervising Producers – Brad Kern, John Wirth
- Written by – Carlton Cuse
- Directed by – Andy Tenant
Ending credits
- Executive Producers – Jeffrey Boam, Carlton Cuse
- Associate Producer – Russell Denove
- Associate Producer – Wendy Spence
- Story Editor – John McNamara
- Director of Photography – Richard Thorpe
- Production Designer – Robert J. Bacon
- Film Editor – Timothy Snell
- Unit Production Manager – Paul Marks
- First Assistant Director – Johanna Jensen
- Second Assistant Director – Michael J. Pendell
- Music by – Velton Ray Bunch
- Theme by – Randy Edelman
- Executive in Charge of Casting – Barbara Miller
- Casting by – John Levey, Patricia Noland
- Set Decorator – Warren Welch
- Property Master – Jimmie Herron, Jr.
- Wardrobe Supervisor – Paula Kaatz
- Men's Key Costumer – Tom Dawson
- Hair – Bette Iverson
- Make-up – Michael Hancock
- Stunt Coordinator – Christopher Doyle
- Wrangler – Gordon Spencer
- Production Sound Mixer – Don Matthews
- Music Editor – Dino Moriana
- Supervising Sound Editor – Walter Newman
- Script Supervisor – Suzanne Gundlach
- Titles and Opticals by – Pacific Title
- Main Title Sequence by – Nina Saxon Film Design
- Visual Effects by – Motion Pixel Corp.
Uncredited
- Dialogue Editor – Catherine Flynn
- Casting by – Kevin Scott
- Set Costumer – Radford Polinsky
- Assistant Property Master – Lee Lazarow
- Special Effects Supervisor – Johnny Borgese
- Visual Effects Editor – Derrick Mitchell
- Visual Effects – Joe White
- Compositor – John Murrah
- Electrician – Jerry D. Knight
- Rigging Gaffer – Mark Mele
- Co-Stunt Coordinator – Perry Barndt
- Stunt Performer – Bruce Paul Barbour
- Post Production Supervisor – Michael Hissrich
- Dailies Colorist – Jeff Mack
- Foley Artist – James Bailey
- Foley Mixer – Al Gomez
- Boom Operator – Dennis C. Salcedo
- Sound Editor – Steven M. Sax
- Audio Laybacker – Paul Drenning
- Location Manager – Edward J. Duffy
Appearances[]
Characters[]
(in order of appearance)
- Brown (Archive footage)
- Randall Thorogood (Archive footage)
- Big Smith (Archive footage)
- Socrates Poole
- Brisco County, Jr.
- Brisco County, Sr. (Flashback)
- Comet
- Tate (First appearance)
- Ogden Coles (First appearance)
- Dobbs (First appearance)
- Puel (First appearance)
- Lord Bowler
- Donovan Joe (First appearance)
- John Bly
- Todd (First appearance)
- Worth (First appearance)
Unnamed
- Scientist (Archive footage)
- Wagon driver (Archive footage)
- Outlaw #2 (Archive footage)
- Outlaw #1 (Archive footage)
Referenced only[]
- King (First mentioned)
- Hawk Mistler (First mentioned)
Groups[]
- Swill brothers (First mentioned)
Locations[]
- Cheyenne, Wyoming (First mentioned)
- Oregon (First mentioned)
- Poker Flats, Colorado (First appearance)
- Westerfield Club
Miscellanea[]
Behind the scenes[]
- The episode's director, Andy Tennant, was improperly credited as "Andy Tenant".
External links[]
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| v - e - ? | The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Episodes | "Pilot" • "The Orb Scholar" • "No Man's Land" • "Brisco in Jalisco" • "Socrates' Sister" • "Riverboat" • "Pirates!" • "Senior Spirit" • "Brisco for the Defense" • "Showdown" • "Deep in the Heart of Dixie" • "Crystal Hawks" • "Steel Horses" • "Mail Order Brides" • "A.K.A. Kansas" • "Bounty Hunters' Convention" • "Fountain of Youth" • "Hard Rock" • "The Brooklyn Dodgers" • "Bye Bly" • "Ned Zed" • "Stagecoach" • "Wild Card" • "And Baby Makes Three" • "Bad Luck Betty" • "High Treason - Part I" • "High Treason - Part II" | ||