"Stray, Part III"
Episode Summary
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Written by: Jana Veverka
Directed by: Nicholas Kendall
Aired on Nickelodeon: March 11, 2000 at 9:00 p.m.
My overall opinion of the episode:
See my overall opinion of (Stray, Part I).
The Cast:
Nathaniel Arcand -- Garth Crowchild
Shauna Baird -- Ann Jennings
James Baker -- Stan Pederson
Cynthia Belliveau -- Dori Lowe
Andy Dick -- Horse rustler (1)
Lindsay Felton -- Caitlin Seeger
Brendan Fletcher -- Eric Anderson
Jeremy Foley -- Griffen Lowe
Lorena Gale -- Judge Kendall
Dave Thomas -- Horse rustler (2)
Ken Tremblett -- Jim Lowe
Stephen Warner -- Brett Stevens
The Music:
"Wishing for a Sail" -- Dig Circus
"Out Again" -- Pleasure
Episode summary:
Eric challenges Caitlin to a bike race down rough terrain at Flat Top Canyon. Caitlin accepts the challenge. Caitlin, however, looses control of her bike and rides off the edge of a small cliff. The rabid wolf that has been wandering the area then appears and threatens Caitlin. The wild stallion that Caitlin rescued from a trap (see Stray, Part II) suddenly shows up and scares the wolf away. Jim tries to shoot the stallion with a tranquilizer gun. Caitlin, however, thinks that Jim is trying to kill the horse and she stops him. Later in the episode, the rabid wolf again corners Caitlin. The stallion once again saves Caitlin's life. Dori shoots the wolf, fatally wounding it. Dori then tries to shoot the stallion, fearing that it may have rabies. Caitlin, however, convinces Dori to wait. The wild stallion is brought to the Lowe's ranch. It shows no signs of rabies. Caitlin is allowed to keep the stallion. She names him Bandit after a horse in a book her mother used to read to her.
Episode Highlights:
1. Bandit provides a strong sense of security to Caitlin as she struggles to adjust to a radically different environment. After Caitlin stops Jim from shooting the stallion with a tranquilizer gun, Dori says to Caitlin, "I heard what happened. Are you okay?" Caitlin responds, "I'm fine. But your husband tried to kill that horse!" Dori says, "Come on, Caitlin! He was just trying to protect you! One of the symptoms of rabies is that the animal goes crazy." Caitlin responds, "But that horse saved my life! Ever since my mother died, I've been looked after by so called sane people who couldn't care less about me! And now that I find something that makes me happy and makes me feel safe, you're trying to tell me that he's crazy! Well, I'll tell you something. I'll take crazy over sane any day!"
2. The extreme (and seemingly contradictory) elements of Caitlin's personality help to make this episode as strong as it is. Caitlin is a strong-willed and aggressive person who will not allow anyone or anything to stand in her way. At one point in this episode, Caitlin has a physical confrontation with Eric. Caitlin says to him, "You're that guy who runs the school, right? Well, your life has just changed!" Eric responds, "No kidding. We've got a fugitive living in our town now!" Caitlin pushes Eric hard against a truck. Eric angrily says, "Don't push me!" Caitlin then overcomes Eric and knocks him to the ground. She tells Eric, "Don't mess with me!" Eric doesn't take her seriously and says, "Are you kidding? It's on!" Griffen intervenes and breaks up the fight. We therefore see the side of Caitlin that has learned to fight in order to survive. On the other hand, we see a much softer side of Caitlin's personality when we see her talking rather emotionally to Dori about the death of her mother. We see the side of Caitlin's personality that is hurting and crying out for love. Dori says to Caitlin, "I can't imagine what you must have gone through. At least your mother didn't suffer." Caitlin responds, "How do you know?" Dori says, "She had an aneurysm. She died instantaneously." Caitlin responds with surprise, "An aneurysm?" Dori says, "You didn't know?" Caitlin begins to cry as she says, "No! No one ever told me! They just took me away and put me in a home!" Lindsay Felton, the actress who plays Caitlin, is amazing in her ability to portray the conflicting elements of this complex character.
3. All episodes end with a closing epilogue by Caitlin that summarizes her experiences. The closing epilogue for this episode is as follows: "My new family. The cop. The vet. And the geek. I guess things could be worse. It's weird. I'm out here in the middle of nowhere, but I don't feel alone. It's different from the city, but maybe that's good. Maybe this is how a kid is supposed to live."
Episode Images:
