Can We Talk 2

Blows To the Head

         I admit it. I am a TV addict. I have finally decided that it's a hobby ,and I am making mental notes about the actors and the plots. That excuses an otherwise a couch potato pastime. You have to find ways to justify what other people might judge as worthless uses of your time.

         In my love of old westerns, series and movies, I have noticed the frequent use of a gun handle on the back of someone's head. Apparently, this was a useful device by writers to delay or endanger a character the show could not allow to die. Sometimes the victim would be blinded, temporarily, or have a short bout of amnesia or just lie helpless until the bad guy escaped. A slight twist on this was to have the man, or sometimes a woman, be thrown from a horse or racing carriage and strike his or her head on a rock with the same results as the gun handle.

         The character of the Virginian, the man with no name, was struck on the head several times a season. It's a wonder he could walk after a few years. There were different writers and directors for the shows, and it looks like they didn't keep track. In real life, a person would have a struck of varying degrees of intensity with only partial or no recovery. Another one who was frequently struck was Matt Dillon. How? He was 6'7". He too should have endured more than temporary blindness or memory loss eventually. Yet both recovered 100% every time and quickly without rehabilitation. Both continued to solve problems, fight crime, and manage the books without a problem. In fact, Matt recovered from his partial blindness when an outlaw knocked his feet out from under him. The jolt of falling to the ground (he did not hit his head again) instantly restored perfect vision.

         At least two women on The Virginian hurt their heads from falling. Elizabeth was blinded, just like the Virginian in another episode, and relied on a stranger to help her, putting her trust completely in that person. But sight gradually came back to both. Another woman, a guest star, had a shock, then fell from a horse. As she healed, she became confused and filled in her amnesia with fantasy and the Virginian. Most other shows I've watched eventually had the hero or heroine have a head injury, but never permanent damage. In real life, being thrown from a horse can kill or damage a spinal cord, as in Christopher Reeves' case.

         I don't see this as much in crime shows. Then again, I stopped watching them because they are too detailed and graphic. I think they feed the imagination a little too much, and weirdos want to go out and do the same thing better. So I challenge you as you watch crime shows, dramas, and westerns, to notice when people are struck on the head. If a person is knocked unconscious, they aren't just going to have a headache the next day. There will be lasting damage. Is the problem with writers who don't have knowledge of this, or is it a director thing? They change books and stories all the time for screen adaptation. I want my shows to be more believable.