
The Quality of Mercy Full Episode – Bonanza, Season #05, Episode #9
In the aftermath of a mine cave-in, Joe Cartwright stumbles upon his friend Seth Pruitt standing near the lifeless body of Seth’s future father-in-law. Seth, portrayed by Richard Rust, admits to the killing, revealing that the victim, severely injured in the cave-in, pleaded for a swift end rather than face a life of disability. Seth implores Joe to keep his confession secret, citing concern for the feelings of his betrothed, Sara, played by Nancy Rennick. Throughout the episode, Joe wrestles with the moral implications of his silence, questioning the righteousness of his decision. A surprising twist concludes Peter Packer’s compelling script. Originally aired on November 17, 1963, The Quality of Mercy holds a special place among Michael Landon’s preferred episodes of Bonanza.
For further details on the plot and intriguing trivia, feel free to read the synopsis or enjoy the episode below.
Table of Contents
Watch the Full Episode of The Quality of Mercy
Watch the Full Episode of The Quality of Mercy:
Main Cast
Besides the main cast, “The Quality of Mercy,” the ninth episode of Bonanza Season 5 highlights various recurring and guest-supporting actors. The following are featured in the episode:
- Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright
- Pernell Roberts as Adam Cartwright
- Dan Blocker as Eric ‘Hoss’ Cartwright
- Michael Landon as Joseph ‘Little Joe’ Cartwright
- Richard Rust as Seth Pruitt
- Nancy Rennick as Sara
- Kitty Kelly as Mrs. Gibbons
- Ed Prentiss as Minister
- Bob Miles as Card Player
- Bill Clark as John Dagliesh / Sara’s Father
- Bob LaWandt as Poker Player (uncredited)
- Cosmo Sardo as Bartender (uncredited)
Full Story Line for The Quality of Mercy
During a mine collapse, Seth Pruitt, Joe’s friend, stands beside his future father-in-law’s lifeless body, confessing to the killing. Seth claims the man was suffering immensely and pleaded for release from his agony. After swearing Joe to secrecy, Joe grapples with the ethical dilemma of mercy killing and keeping the truth concealed.
However, Joe’s suspicions grow, leading to a confrontation where he learns Seth’s true motives. Seth intentionally murdered his future father-in-law after discovering a lucrative silver vein in the mine and facing disapproval from the deceased. A physical altercation ensues at the mine, resulting in Joe overpowering Seth.
Subsequently, Seth is arrested and stands trial for his crime. Despite justice prevailing, it’s a poignant moment for Joe as his friend Sara mourns the loss of both her father and her intended husband.
Full Script and Dialogue of The Quality of Mercy
I had to kill him, Little Joe. - Why, Seth? - Because I had no choice. I was back there when the mine caved in. When I got to him, he was lying just like that. His back was broken and he was screaming. I tried to get him out, but he wouldn't let me. He just kept screaming and crying that he couldn't stand it and that he didn't want to live. I wanted to go for help, but he wouldn't let me. He begged me. He begged me, Little Joe, to finish him off. He wouldn't let go of me. He forced me to do it. Little Joe, you know I wouldn't have done it if I'd had any other choice. You do know that, don't you? You'd have done the same thing I did. You wanna tell Sara or do you want me to tell her? I was thinking about her too. It's my duty to tell her. But I'm not gonna tell her what I did. I'm just gonna tell her the mine caved in. And you gotta do the same, Little Joe. Not only to Sara, but to everyone. It was an accident. Seth, you can't do that. You can't lie about this. Do you think I could tell her what really happened? Do you think I could tell anybody? How is she going to take being told that the man she's going to marry killed her father? Seth, you can't lie to Sara about that. All right, then you tell her and you be there to see what it does to her. You know her. She'd never be able to live with it! I got to live with it. I know what you're thinking, that it's like shutting your eyes to murder. - That's right. - Well, that's not what it was. It was being merciful to him to do what he asked. And there's only one person in the world it's gonna hurt if it's told and I don't want her hurt. But if you think I should take that chance, I'll go tell her right now. For as much as it has pleased almighty God to take unto himself the soul of our brother departed, we have borne his body to the place prepared for it that ashes may return to ashes and dust to dust and the imperishable spirit may be forever with the Lord. Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. And the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all and always. Amen. Sara, if there's anything that my boys and I can do for you, all you need do is ask. Anything at all. Thank you, Mr. Cartwright. I don't know what I'd do without Seth and friends like you and your sons. Well. Come here. I called you a couple times for breakfast this morning. - Wasn't you hungry? - No. Come on, Beaut. Yeah. He'll soon be good as new. - You're wasting your time. - What do you mean by that? He'll hobble around like that the rest of his life. Aw, come on, Joe. Why, he'll be running around that pasture as good as new in no time. Well, look at him, can't you see he's hurting? I see he's trying to get around like a normal horse. - What's eating you, anyhow? - Nothing. Got him all bandaged up. He looks like he's gonna be all right. Yeah, to me and you it looks that way, but to our little brother here, he don't figure he's got a chance. Well, he better be wrong because I spent $100 of Pa's good money for that horse. What's that got to do with it? Why should the animal have to suffer just because he doesn't know what to do about it? Suffer? Well, he may be hurting a little bit, but it's worth it if he gets well. Isn't it? I don't know. Forget it. Well, let's, uh, go in the house and rustle up some grub. I'm hungry. - Yeah, me too. - Come on. So, uh, what's happening in town? Well, there's one whale of a poker game going on at the Silver Dollar. - It's been on for about 24 hours. - Yeah? Who's the big winner? Seth Pruitt from the looks of things. - Seth Pruitt? - Yeah. He's playing poker? So, uh, what's the matter with playing poker? Nothing. Let's go get that grub. I call. - Cards? - I'll play these. So will I. I call. Full house, gentlemen. Hi, Little Joe. Hey, what you doing here so early in the morning? Heard about the poker game. Just wondered how you were doing. I'm hotter than a pistol. Oh, I know what you're thinking. That I shouldn't be here. That I should be with Sara. Is that right? I'm not your judge. What you do is your own affair. It don't look right to you finding me right here in the middle of a poker game, does it? - Like I said, it's none of my business. - Well, the game's an accident, Joe. I came in yesterday to catch the stage for San Francisco. It was late, so I decided to sit in a hand to pass the time. I got lucky and I've been here ever since. Why are you going to San Francisco? Business. Just business, Joe. I'll catch the stage this afternoon. Hey, listen, do me a favor, will you? When I'm gone? - Yeah, what's that? - Go out and see Sara. She's been, uh, awful moody since her pa died. Maybe you can help snap her out of it. I'd rather not, Seth. I... I just don't want to see her. Because you think what I done was wrong? Well, let me tell you something, Little Joe. I was the one that did it. And I don't sleep so good at night thinking about it. Well, me neither. I keep... I keep thinking, "What if he might have lived?" Oh, yeah. He might have lived with a broken back. And never a minute when he didn't need Sara right beside him. She'd never have a life of her own, watching him struggle with pain till his dying day. And all those years of taking care of him, don't you think sometimes she might pray that he'd die? I don't believe that of Sara. Oh. You think you know her better than I do? - I know her pretty well. - You knew her when we were kids. When the three of us were kids. When we were out hunting jackrabbits and trapping coons in the woods and swimming and things like that. She's a grown woman now. And she's going to be my wife. I got no choice but to keep it from her, Little Joe. So you'd live your whole life a lie? Mm. And a lot of people do. Only most of them don't have the good reasons the way we do. Now, Sara and me are getting married when she feels better. I'm gonna do everything I can to make her happy. She'll be all right. Hey, come on and go out and see her, will you? She said she wanted to be by herself, but I think if she saw you, it might do her some good. - Hello, Little Joe. Won't you come in? - Thank you. - How are you, Sara? - I'm fine. - Won't you sit down? - Thank you. - I just picked these. - They're very pretty. He always liked to have flowers in the house. He liked poppies, but these marigolds were his favorite. - In the wintertime... - You'd have pine boughs. Why did you come here, Little Joe? Just for a visit. I don't need sympathy, you know. I thought I did at first, but though I'm grateful for it, it doesn't really help. You have to find your own strength. - By being alone? - There's no other way, really. I've learned that. - So if you came because... - I just came here to see you. Since when do I need an excuse to come over and see you? I remember when I used to ride up here and thump on the door and yell for you and there you'd be. - I'll give you some coffee. - Sounds good. Oh, let me help you with this. Oh! I think you'd better let me do it, heh. - Heh, I think you're right. - You just go and sit down. I didn't think I would be, but I'm glad you came, Little Joe. So am I. You don't really want to be alone, do you? Only because I believed that what I felt, others couldn't. - Not even Seth? - Seth loves me. I know that. He said he wanted us to get married right away. He thought it would be the best thing for both of us. But it just wouldn't be fair to him until I can let go of the past. - Do you understand, Little Joe? - Yeah, I understand. It's not so bad being alone, really. I... Sara, you shouldn't stay out here by yourself. It's my home, Little Joe. I'm fine. Really, I am. Look, why don't you come out to the Ponderosa and stay for a while? - No. - No, we got plenty of room. Pa would love to see you out there again. - Uh, I'm fine here. Really, I am. - Please. We're not gonna feel sorry for you. If you wanna be alone, you'll be alone. If you wanna be with friends, you'll be with all the friends you want. Any way you want it. Please. Give it a try. If you don't like it, you can always come back here. I just think it'll give you a chance to straighten out. All right. Well, come on, then. How about a little smile? Oh, don't you remember Sweet Betsy from Pike Who crossed the big mountains With her lover, Ike With two yoke of cattle A large yellow dog A tall Shanghai rooster And a one-spotted hog One evening, quite early They came on the Platte 'Twas nearby the road On a green, shady flat When Betsy, sore-footed, Lay down to repose And wondering Ike gazed on His Pike county roads They soon reached the desert Where Betsy gave out And down in the sand She lay rolling about While Ike, half distracted Looked on in surprise Saying, "Betsy, get up You'll catch sand In your eyes" - Very good, Adam. - That was a wonderful song. - We know a bunch of them. - Hey, wait a minute. No more tonight. We got a lot to do in the morning. - Oh, it was a lovely evening. - That was fun. You've all been so wonderful to me. So kind and considerate. I'll never forget it. That's what friends are for, Sara. - Good night. - Good night. Have a good sleep. - Thank you. - Sara? I thought maybe tomorrow we might take a ride around the ranch. Oh, yes, I'd like that. I'm so glad you persuaded me to come. - Good night, Little Joe. - Good night. I think she's feeling a lot better now. Don't you? I think so too. I sure hope so. Ah, it's a good idea, bringing her here. Heh, kind of like the old days when we were kids. Heh, yeah. She was always over here, heh. And she's sure become a fine young lady. I just hope she can get over the shock of her father's death. Yeah. Well, it was sudden. If ever there was a man that really wanted to live... What's the matter? Pa, there's nothing the matter. Hey, what do you say we stretch our legs for a while? All right. Here we go. Oh, Little Joe, the Ponderosa's so big and beautiful. You know, I never thought about it before, but it's almost like having a whole world all of one's own. Yeah. Pa never lets me forget I gotta take care of every square mile of it too. Down there, isn't that where we found that bear cub? Hey, that's right. In the big cave down there. Uh-huh. Do you remember when we saw its mother coming, we dropped the cub and ran for our lives? Ha, ha. Seth didn't want to run. He wanted to shoot. - That's right. - Heh, I'm glad you didn't let him. As I recall, it wouldn't have done any good anyway. We had a couple of crow guns that day. Ha, ha. You know, when I told my father about being so frightened he said that it served me right for being such a tomboy. Sometimes I just can't believe that he's dead. It all happened so quickly. Some mornings, I wake up and I expect to hear him in the next room fixing breakfast. If only it just hadn't happened so quickly. Well, nobody can be prepared for accidents. I know, but it was so sudden. Sara, don't you think it was better that it happened quickly? No. If he'd lived for just a few hours, I would have been able to say goodbye to him. Sara. Please don't. Please, I can't bear to see you cry. I'm all right. I'm all right. I don't know what I'd do without you, Little Joe. Sara, if there was any way in this world that I... I brought you out here to make you forget. I'm not doing a very good job, am I? Yes, you are. Come on. Let's go. I understand you've been to San Francisco. - Yes, I had some business there. - Oh, I envy you. - That's a beautiful city, isn't it? Yeah. - Yes, it is. Uh, I hated to leave Sara, but it was important. Oh, she was fine here. - Seth! - Hello, Sara! Oh, this is such a surprise. I didn't expect you. You didn't write. - I wanted to surprise you. - Oh, you did. Oh, you look beautiful. It's been good for you, being here. - Yes, it has. - Mr. Cartwright, uh, Little Joe, - thanks for taking care of her for me. - It was the least we could do, Seth. We'll, uh, leave you two alone. Mr. Cartwright, now that Seth is back, I think I'd best go home. You know, Sara, I kind of had a feeling you'd want to. - Are you sure? - Oh, yes. If you wanna stay here, it's all right with me. - No, no. - I'm just glad knowing you've got good friends taking care of you. No, Seth. I want to go home. I want to go home. Well, there must be something that you boys can talk about, even if it's only to complain about Hop Sing's food. Adam, how's the grazing in the north pasture? Oh, it's pretty nearly finished. They're beginning to stray. All right, so she's gone. Now, it was very nice having a girl like Sara here for a time, but she's got a life of her own to make and... Would it help to talk? No, I'd... I'd like to go away by myself, if it's all right with you, Pa. Oh. It's all right with me, of course. If you think that going away would help solve whatever it is that's troubling you. I just have to think it out alone, that's all. Hmm. Uh, well, if you don't mind combining a little business, uh... well, there's some trees I'd like you to look at... You go wherever you want. Pa? Pa, I want to think it out for myself, but even if I go away, I don't think I can do it. Well, son, I don't know what it is, uh, so I don't know if I can help you. I'll try, if you want me to. It's not the kind of thing I ever thought about very often. It's the sort of thing that you can't decide the right or wrong of until it happens. And then it happens, and you think you've done what's right, you think you've done the only thing that you could do. The only thing. And then it starts. And you start thinking that maybe you were wrong. Well, you know, men generally know the difference between right and wrong. Of course, when they're wrong, they don't always admit it. But that's just it, Pa. I don't know anymore. I don't know right from wrong anymore. Well, surely you don't want me to decide for you. I know I have to make the decision myself. Look, may... Maybe you could tell me what you would have done in the same situation. Mm-hm. This is the kind of thing that could happen to anybody. I mean, it could happen to anybody, Pa. Any one of us could be in the same thing and have to decide. All right. See, now, a man is badly hurt and he's in a lot of pain. And his friend knows he's in a lot of pain. And the man knows he only has a short time to live. But even those last few moments of his life are gonna be filled with agony. I understand, go on. So he asks his friend if he would end it. If he would put him out of this misery. But his friend can't bring himself to do it, but he won't let him alone. He keeps begging and pleading with him for mercy. Just to be able to die. And he keeps at him and keeps at him until there is nothing he can do except do what his friend asks. And he kills him. Was that so wrong, Pa? Don't you know? Help me, Pa. I'm not sure. Well, I am sure. I am very sure, son. That was wrong. How can you be so sure? How can you be so definite when I told you what the friend was going through? Well, it's not up to the friend to make the decision. No matter how much pain the other... The injured man was going through, not up to the friend to decide. Can't you understand? He did it out of pity! He thought it would be more merciful to... He couldn't watch this man die in agony. He couldn't watch this man die in agony? Well, how about the injured man? Don't you think that perhaps, in his suffering, he was trying desperately to live? Not to die? He begged him to help him to die. Sit down. Come on. Sit down. I've always believed that when a man is badly hurt, I mean really hurt badly, his body's broken, nature tries to pick up the pieces and make him whole again. Now, I don't know how much nature thinks about the pain that she's causing the man while she's mending his body. Her main purpose is to preserve life. To nature, life is sacred whether the body is whole or crippled. And that's why I think that no one has the right to end someone else's life. Nature doesn't give up that easily. She's always working for survival, not for destruction. She doesn't always know when she's licked, but when she finally does admit to it, I guess there's nothing man can do except yield to the inevitable. But until that moment, until that moment, no man has the right, morally or legally, to snuff out a man's chance to survive. Then you let him suffer? I'd help him all I could. I'd do everything I could. Get all the help. I'd try to ease his pain as much as possible. Joseph. Have you ever seen a man in this condition? No. Well, I have. I saw a man fall to the deck of a ship from the crow's nest. I saw a man trampled in a stampede. Oh, I've seen a lot of men trampled in stampedes. None of them died right away. They were in terrible pain. But none of them wanted to die. See, a man, when he's in bad pain, really doesn't know what he's saying. His body is fighting for survival and his mind isn't always aware of that. It's suffering the pain. So he begs to die. But he shouldn't be listened to. A friend should listen only to the pulse of life. Fight with it. Not against it. Well, you think about it, Joe. You, uh... You still want to go away? Tell you what, why don't you, uh, ride out with Adam tomorrow? Try to round up some of our strays. Seth! Seth, no! No, Seth! Seth, no! Joe? Joe. You all right? Yeah, Adam. It's... It's nothing, Adam. You know, you haven't said two words all morning. Last night got anything to do with it? What's that mean? You were, uh, having a nightmare and yelled out something about Seth. Remember that? No, I don't. You're still friends with him, aren't you? There any reason why I shouldn't be? You can answer that better than I can. Just because I mentioned his name in a dream doesn't mean I've got anything against him. - I know that. - All right, then don't talk about it. All right, Joe, something's bothering you, - so why don't you just tell me about it? - He killed him. Sara's father. He didn't just die in the cave-in. Seth killed him. What? His back was broken, he was in agony. He begged Seth to finish it for him. So Seth killed him. - Were you there when it happened? - I got there right afterwards. I went along with the story because I didn't wanna hurt Sara. I don't know what that would have done to her. Anybody else know about this? I talked to Pa last night. I didn't mention any names, but he could guess. I wanted to find out if what Seth did was right or wrong. - Pa said it was wrong. - Well, I agree with him. Joe, it's never too late for the truth. I think Sara and the law should decide just how wrong or how right Seth was. Yeah. Anything I can do? No, thanks. - Oh, excuse me, I didn't know... - Oh, it's quite all right. I'm Mrs. Gibbons, the dressmaker. Won't you come in? Thank you. I, uh, was looking for Seth, I thought he might be here. Oh, he's not here now, but I think... - Who is it, Mrs. Gibbons? Sara, it's me, Little Joe. - Oh, good. Come in, Little Joe, I'll be right out. Hello, Little Joe. I wanted you to see my wedding dress. I don't think it'll be bad luck for Little Joe to see it. - Do you, Mrs. Gibbons? - I don't think so, Sara. I'll go fix the veil. I'm glad you came by. I didn't mean to bust in on you like this. I was just looking for Seth. Well, he's down at the mine, uh, clearing away the debris from the accident. If you 'd like to wait, I'll give you supper. No, thank you. I haven't got time. I best be on my way. You look lovely. If you see Seth, uh, don't even bother to tell him I was looking for him. - It was nothing important. - All right. Oh, Little Joe? I think Seth wants you to be his best man. If he didn't, I'd punch him right in the snoot. Bye. - Where you going? - Away. - You see Seth? - No, I didn't. - Why not? - Because I changed my mind. I think you and Pa are wrong. Sara's father's dead and there's nothing we can do about it. Seth is gonna marry Sara and he's gonna make her happy and that's all I care about. Why'd you change your mind? Look, I changed my mind and that's all there is to it, all right? I told Pa. I didn't think I was giving away any secrets. He half-guessed anyway. You couldn't even wait for me to tell him myself, could you, Adam? - If Pa's told Sara... - Now, wait a minute, Joe. If you'd been so sure that you were right before, you wouldn't have had to tell Pa or me. No, I think you're trying to convince yourself that two wrongs make a right and they don't. It's gotta be told. You know it has. Good boy, Beaut. Good boy. Danged old leg did get well, didn't it? Sure did. Hey, Joe, see how that leg healed? He... Hey. Why, I thought you'd gone to tell Sara. Do you really think I'd do something like that without talking to you first? - I guess I wasn't thinking. - Hmm. - Pa, you have to understand... - I do understand, Joseph. I understand it's not a simple problem and there's no simple answer. But there is an answer and I think it's time you found it. - Pa, I don't wanna hurt... - Look, Joseph, there's no time for talk now. - Hello, Seth. - Hi, Little Joe. - Did you come by to give me a hand? - No, I wanted to talk to you. Yeah? What's the matter? Come on, sit down. What's on your mind? Seth, I've been doing a lot of thinking. You're gonna have to tell Sara about what happened. Maybe if you tell her, explain why, maybe she can understand. Now? Why do you want to dredge all that up now, when it's over and done with? Seth, it's never gonna be over and done with. You can't live the rest of your life with Sara living a lie like that. You know how you told me you have trouble sleeping at night? It's the same way with me. I keep having the same dream, night after night. I see you standing over him with a club in your hand. You can't back out on me now. You promised. Seth, I know I promised, but I was wrong. Just as I believe you were wrong in what you did. - You have to tell the truth. - I can't. Not now. - Seth, you're gonna have to. - Do you know what's under you? Just a few feet down? Silver. Blue clay worth a fortune. I had it assayed. - Did Sara's father know about this? - No, all we did was scratch off the top. Why didn't you tell him? Because he and I weren't getting along so well. He even objected to me marrying Sara. I wasn't gonna tell him anything. But now everything worked out all right, didn't it? You've got Sara and you've got the mine. Listen, Little Joe, let's share this. As soon as Sara and I are married, I'll make you a partner. It'll be just like old times. The three of us together again. Remember? Oh, yeah, I remember, Seth. But you're not the same. You're not the same person at all. This is all that's important to you, isn't it? The mine and the money. That's the important thing, isn't it? You think the Cartwright's are the only ones that have a right to have money? You've had so much and you've had it for so long, you don't care. Well, I never had anything. I never had a family taking care of me. Ever since I was a kid, I was scratching for a dollar all by myself. Sure. Sure, I want the money and the mine. - Why not? - Well, now you've got it. But was it worth it, Seth? Was it worth murdering for? - What are you talking about? - You know what I'm talking about. You weren't getting along with Sara's father, didn't want to tell him about the silver. He didn't want you to marry his daughter. Come on, Seth, tell me. I'm your friend. Did you plan the accident or just take advantage of it when it happened? Oh. What could you prove, Joe? What could the law prove? I don't know, Seth, but we're gonna give it a try. - I'm taking you to the sheriff. - No, you're not. No, you're not. Now throw your gun away. Joseph? Someone to see you. Hello, Little Joe. How are you? - I'm fine. How you feeling, Sara? - All right. I just came to tell you that I'm leaving for San Francisco. It's gonna be real good for you to be with your uncle and his family. It's not that I'm running away, it's that I just don't think I could bear to be here during Seth's trial. Oh, I understand that. Look, I want you to stop worrying, you hear? I want you to go to San Francisco and rest and try to forget what's happened. I'll come see you as soon as we've sold the mine. Thank you, Little Joe. For everything. I don't like to interrupt, but, uh, that stage usually leaves on time, Sara. - I'll drive you to town. - Oh, good.
Behind the Scenes of The Quality of Mercy
The episode’s title draws from a passage in William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” Act IV: “The quality of mercy is not strain’d, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven. Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.”
Interestingly, this episode aired during the same week President Kennedy was tragically shot in Dallas. It coincidentally aired in parts of Britain and was promptly taken off the air following the announcement of his death there.
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Bonanza is an excellent choice for solo viewing or family entertainment. The Quality of Mercy is the 143rd episode out of 430 in the series. Produced by NBC, Bonanza aired on their network from September 1959 to January 1973, spanning 14 seasons.
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