Dr Quinn Medicine Woman Season One [Episodes in correct order]

When it comes to televised western dramas, there are a few that stand out in the genre as iconic of how the good old west could be. Over the years many titles have come and gone, but a few have remained classics among classics in a viewer's opinion. Little House on the Prairie is an obvious example, as are Gunsmoke and Rawhide, but could Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman be lumped in with their company? I think so, and so do the throngs of fans who still support the series ten years after it left the airwaves.

Created by Beth Sullivan, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman premiered in 1993 and went on to run for six seasons, eventually coming off the air in 1998. All told there were 150 episodes of the program and two films that were released after the fact to appease fans still hungry for more.
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman began in the year 1867. A young female physician from Boston, Massachusetts named Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn (Jane Seymour) decides to up and move after the death of her father. Since her father passed away, and the lack of acceptance for women doctors, there is very little business for the family practice in Boston. Luckily she sees a job posting for a position out in Colorado and despite her family's wishes she heads out to the Wild West. Though she knows her stuff and establishes early on that she's as able as or better than any male doctor, the going is tough. At first the townsfolk aren't quite interested in a woman doctor, but through hard work and perseverance she overcomes their irrational fears and begins to build relationships and a business.

One of her first patients is a woman named Charlotte, who has befriended Michaela, but is then suddenly bitten by a rattlesnake. On her deathbed she gets Dr. Mike to agree to watch and care for her three children, Matthew (Chad Allen), Colleen (Erika Flores - replaced in the third season by Jessica Bowman), and Brian (Shawn Toovey). Naturally with the building of her practice in the face of mockery, and taking in three kids who are reeling from the death of their mother, things are tough for Michaela. Luckily she meets a man named Bryon Sully (Joe Lando) who is able to see the good in her and allows her to live in his old place. From here on, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman follows the adventures of Michaela as she forms a relationship with Sully, becomes a mother to the children, and wins over the townsfolk one by one.

Episodes in the show were mostly standalone by nature, but there are plenty of recurring themes. One of the more common you'll see while watching this show is it's stance on gender equality as Michaela tries to assert herself into the role of town doctor. Other opportunities arise during the series that afford her the chance to assist other women attempting to vie for positions typically held by men. Racism plays an important role too as the town grow to accept the newly freed black slaves that have come to town in the characters of Grace (Jonelle Allen) and Robert E. (Henry Sanders). Other themes the show touches upon include alcoholism, gambling, education, religion, and politics. Each episode attempted to tell a story with a message, and for the most part they worked rather well.

The biggest storylines that run through the program involve developments in relationships between characters. Several of the townsfolk build relationships with each other, and during the course of the program Michaela and Sully tease audiences with their love story as well. Overall, with 150 episodes to play with there are a lot of things that happen, and I don't want to spoil them all for you. Let's just say that by the time the sixth season went off the air, it left a faithful audience frustrated and bewildered. Up to that point the show maintained a decent level of quality, but as a casual viewer it's hard to deny that the latter seasons had begun to slip.
Quite obviously, the first season is where everything is introduced. It was a great opening year with eighteen episodes that helped set the tone for the rest of the series. Basically what you can expect to see with this batch of episodes is Michaela adjusting to her new life. She gets used to being the mother she's been charged to be, attempts to win over the townsfolk, and she and Sully develop a crush on each other. All in all, there's nothing groundbreaking in the first season of the show and quite honestly you're just watching the characters assert themselves into their roles as the writers discover who they are. The season started out slowly, but as it developed things began to gel and the show gained momentum running into its second season.
Of the eighteen episodes there are quite a few notable ones for reasons of story quality, developments in character, and guest appearances. "The Visitor" gets things going early on with a visit by Dr. Mike's mother (the only time the character was portrayed by Jane Wyman) and very early on you see the disparity between the life Michaela had and the one she chose. At first her mother doesn't approve of her new found home, but by the end Michaela wins her over a tad and she even buys a boarding house for Dr. Mike's new clinic. Skipping ahead a little, "Happy Birthday" was another enjoyable episode, which featured Michaela celebrating her 35th birthday. The people of Colorado Springs get together to buy her a sign for the clinic as an official "welcome", the kids try to hook her up with some random guys, and by the end of the episode she and Sully have their first kiss.

For other good episodes, I felt that "Father's Day" deserves to be mentioned. In this one the scumbag father of the kids Michaela inherits comes to take them away, but after seeing the man he truly is, Dr. Mike isn't about to let that happen. "The Operation" was another strong character building episode as Brian's injures himself falling out of a tree. Dr. Mike is then forced to perform a risky brain surgery on him. Closing out the season was probably my favorite episode, "Portrait". Kenny Rogers appears in this season ender in which he portrays a traveling photographer who is losing his sight. The whole town gets together for a group photo, but a debate springs up about whether or not to allow blacks and Native Americans in with them.

Throughout all of its eighteen episodes there really weren't many flops in the bunch. For the most part each episode featured solid character building drama with well written scripts and finely acted moments. It's easy to see after this first season why the show went on to be such a success. While it definitely had a demographic it was shooting for, there's no denying its widespread appeal. This is solid family entertainment with educable moments, strongly forged relationships, and morals.

Pilot (101): After the death of her partner/father and the loss of their Boston practice, Dr. Michaela “Mike” Quinn answers an ad for the town doctor in Colorado Springs.


Epidemic (102): Horror mounts when a flu epidemic attacks Colorado Springs. Dr. Mike must attend the sick townspeople and protect others from getting the deadly disease. But being a lady doctor has people questioning whether she can handle the potentially fatal situation.


The Visitor (103): Dr. Mike’s estranged mother (Jane Wyman) visits, but she and Mike are still miles apart.


The Prisoner (104): General Custer enters the town with wounded soldiers and Indian prisoners after an attack and threatens to kill the prisoners if Dr. Mike does not treat his men first.


Father's Day (105): Dr. Quinn tries to persuade the townspeople that smallpox vaccinations are necessary. The father of Brian, Colleen and Matthew arrives, causing trouble among the siblings.


The Healing (106): A gunslinger (Johnny Cash) arrives looking for a quiet town in which to hang ’em up, but Colorado Springs is itching to lynch an immigrant for cattle rustling to feed his starving family.


Law of the Land (107): A bitter Loren, who blames Sully for his daughter’s death, learns he still owns the deed to Dr. Mike’s cabin and tries to repossess it.


A Cowboy’s Lullaby (108): Dr. Mike takes in Red McCall, a down-and-out cowboy, and his ailing “half-breed” infant boy.


Great American Medicine Show (109): Dr. Mike tries to heal the soul of Doc Eli Jackson, a Civil War surgeon turned medicine-show huckster. Myra and Horace get engaged.


Bad Water (110): When several townspeople come down with mercury poisoning, Dr. Mike forces a reluctant Sully to guide her to the high mountain stream which may be the source of the problem.


Running Ghost (111): Sully ends up badly beaten and partially paralyzed after a run-in with buffalo hunters.


Happy Birthday (112): After a patient of Dr. Mike’s dies of blood poisoning, she accuses Jake the barber of infecting the man with a dirty razor.


Rite of Passage (113): Matthew and Michaela are at odds over his future when he sets out to prove to others – and to himself – that he is a grown man ready to take on life, and decides to marry Ingrid.


Heroes (114): Colleen develops a teenage crush on Sully after he pulls her out of the path of a runaway wagon. Racial tensions in the town reach a boiling point when Hank accuses Grace of food poisoning.


The Operation (115): Brian climbs a tree and jumps out before Sully can stop him. Brian lands hard, hitting his head. The townsfolk argue over who will build the new schoolhouse.


Portraits (116): David Watkins, a civil war photographer, arrives in Colorado Springs. Dr. Mike diagnoses David’s diabetes and is frustrated when he refuses treatment.


The Secret (117): When Mike and Sully stop to check in on old Mrs. Johnson, they discover her dead and a young boy, Zack, hidden in the closet.