DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN: THE BODY ELECTRIC (TV)
Summary
One in this western series about Dr. Michaela Quinn, a young doctor practicing medicine in 19th-century Colorado Springs, Colorado.
In this episode, Lodge is excited to learn that famed poet Walt Whitman is soon to arrive at his hotel as he recuperates from a recent stroke, though other townsfolk are wary of his plans to offer a public reading of his "racy" poetry. When Whitman arrives, Dr. Cook hastily declines to care for him and suggests Quinn instead. Quinn is surprised when Whitman seems unconcerned by his failing health, feeling closely acquainted with death after his grueling volunteer service in the Civil War. Quinn notes that their guest seems sad and lonely, and she tries to reason with Bray when he objects strongly to the "unfettered" themes in Whitman's writings. Brian, seeking a formal interview, is pleased when Whitman invites him along on a "ramble" through nature, while elsewhere Cook finally tells Lodge that he has heard rumors that Whitman is a "deviant" who prefers the company of men. Shocked, Lodge suggests that Whitman might recover more quickly elsewhere, though Whitman is not fooled and politely opts to stay in Colorado Springs.
Quinn, unaware of the situation, convinces Reverend Johnson to hold the poetry reading at the church and urges Whitman to invite his "beloved" to join him in Colorado. Robert E. objects to the idea of homosexuality, though Grace embraces more of a "judge not lest ye be judged" attitude; when Johnson awkwardly changes his mind about the poetry reading, Sully tells Quinn that it should be held in the nearby meadow in order to better reflect Whitman's love of nature. Whitman happily tells Quinn that he has taken her advice and sent for his "soulmate," and Quinn is stunned when Grace finally explains the truth. Sully is unconcerned, pointing out that the Cheyenne people have open-minded views about such things. Quinn is alarmed to realize that Whitman has been alone with Brian. She rereads his poems, belatedly noticing the romantic and sexual references to other men, though when Whitman's lover Peter Doyle arrives in town and is coldly denied lodgings, Quinn offers the pair a room in her clinic.
Cook tells Quinn that recent research suggests that people with Whitman's "genetic defect" cannot help themselves and should be placed in asylums, though Quinn observes Whitman and Doyle's genuine happiness together and begins to reconsider her position. Learning that Whitman and Brian have again gone fishing alone together, Quinn and Sully spy on the pair and watch as Whitman kindly answers the boy's questions about the mean-spirited rumors in town, saying simply that language should be used to spread beauty and kindness, not cruelty. Whitman soon prepares to leave town with Doyle, but Quinn urges him to perform the poetry reading as planned; a handful of townspeople join him in the meadow as he recites "There Was a Child Went Forth." Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:46:27
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 125321
- GENRE: Drama, historical
- SUBJECT HEADING: LGBTQ+ Collection - Drama; Drama, historical; Poets
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1993-1998
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Carl Binder … Executive Producer
- Beth Sullivan … Executive Producer, Created by
- Philip Gerson … Co-Executive Producer
- John Liberti … Producer
- Benjamin Benedetti … Associate Producer
- Gwen Arner … Director
- Christine Berardo … Writer
- William Olvis … Music by
- Jane Seymour … Cast, Dr. Michaela Quinn
- Joe Lando … Cast, Byron Sully
- Chad Allen … Cast, Matthew Cooper
- Jessica Bowman … Cast, Colleen Cooper
- Shawn Toovey … Cast, Brian Cooper
- William Shockley … Cast, Hank Lawson
- Brandon Douglas … Cast, Dr. Andrew Cook
- Jason Leland Adams … Cast, Preston A. Lodge III
- Frank Collison … Cast, Horace Bing
- Jim Knobeloch … Cast, Jake Slicker
- Geoffrey Lower … Cast, Rev. Timothy Johnson
- Orson Bean … Cast, Loren Bray
- Jonelle Allen … Cast, Grace
- Henry G. Sanders … Cast, Robert E.
- Donald Moffat … Cast, Walt Whitman
- Steven Culp … Cast, Peter Doyle
- Brian Mulligan … Cast, Gormley
- Harry Lee … Cast, Man
- Lise-Marie Thomas … Cast, Woman