Frontier House, Episode 6: The Reckoning

The final episode opens with the narrator intoning, “Winter is approaching and the end is near.” It’s judgment time for the three families. Can they survive a Montana winter that lasts 7 or 8 months with what they built, stored, and grew in five, or are they all soft 21st century slackers who’ll be sent home with their tails between their legs?

But first, we see some summer fun, prairie style.

Gordon, Tracy, and Aine Clune are out haying on a brilliantly hot Montana summer day. Only we don’t actually know that yet, we’re just shown a shot of them striding down a hay meadow, wearing their summer play outfits. Tracy and Aine are in their constantly-worn, once-white cotton shifts, aka sundresses, and Gordon is in some cut-down string pants, that it looks like Adrienne might have made. But this shot is just a teaser. While they’re frolicking, weighty matters are being discussed. Like dying and blizzards.

Gordon Clune addresses the topic of “risk.” “Pioneer families risked everything to come out here, risked dying, coming out here. This family, personally, risked dying to come out here. Risk – that was their middle name and some of them made it and some of them didn’t.”

Nate Brooks says he’d like to think their cabin is well-built enough to make it, but there’s no telling.

A repeat clip shows Karen Glenn talking about 30% of the families not making it, and sounding darn cheerful about it.

The narrator tells us again about only the fittest surviving for 5 years, etc. Gordon Clune is shown digging out a root cellar. He’s rigged up an ingenious method of extracting the dirt, with a pulley system that hauls a tin cart out of the hole, instead of the shovels and sore muscles approach.

Nate Brooks says that winter’s an opponent and they have to prepare to do battle with it. He says you need a bit of “jim-trickery,” to outsmart it. We see Nate digging out his cellar. The narrator tells us that the Frontier House experts are coming in 10 days to assess their efforts.

Karen Glenn admits to feeling a “little bit of anxiety” knowing she’ll be judged. (This assessment is the ultimate culmination and personal jewel-in-the-crown for Karen. She’s moved heaven and earth, literally, to get to this point. Hungry? Stop whining. Tired? Suck it up. This family’s gonna be the one who “survives” by God, or die trying.) She says she hopes the assessors will be “overwhelmed” by what they’ve done, but even if they’re not, her family is.

Mark Glenn weighs in by claiming to have the root cellar idea first. Karen says that building root cellars became almost like competition, once Mark started his, and word got out. Gordon Clune is very into his cellar. All his engineering skills come into play as he shows off its features and assets.

”Gordon’s a competitor and I’m a competitor. Nate’s a competitor. You don’t have companions any more; you’ve got competitors. You don’t have friends anymore. You’ve got opportunities. We’ve brought filth and that negative aspect of the 21st century right back into 1883. I’m competing with this land. I’m competing with this dang weather. I’m competing with the fact that winter’s comin’ on. I don’t wanna compete with anybody else,” says Mark Glenn. (Mark and Karen have very strong ideas about what they don’t like in the “modern” world, and what they expect from their homesteading experience.)

The narrator tells us more about root cellars -- the refrigerators of our ancestors. Earth and snow were insulators, maintaining a constant temperature of about 50°. Then we see what the families produced to fill them. The Clunes’ garden has come in. The kids pull out bunches of long, fat carrots, and piles of potatoes and beets. The plot is packed with mature vegetables. Unfortunately, the hyper-competitive Glenns’ garden has only a few stumpy vegetables scattered throughout it. Feeling the sting of Karen’s scorn, Gordon proudly attests to the quality of his garden. “There’s no falsity there and there’s no accusations there. The proof is in the garden. You can say all kinds of things, but the bottom line is – it ain’t a bad garden. Not too bad for a city slicker.”

”To celebrate their accomplishments,” the narrator says, “the families come together to plan an 1883 Harvest Fair.” (The narrator makes this event sound like some kind of spontaneous get-together the families came up with. Seeing as how the fair showcases all kinds of accomplishments and skills of the families, and is held the day before the assessment, it shows that the fair was planned from the beginning.)

Karen Glenn says it’ll be fun to get together and compete. “We’ve all been braggin’ about how good our bread is, and now it’s fun to see if it ranks up there.” She jokes, “My biggest fear is my bread doesn’t win first place – I’ll just die!”

Always the peaceful advocate, Nate Brooks says he hopes the families can move away from it being a competition and celebrate the fair. Adrienne Clune says that getting ready for the fair and getting ready for winter is not as challenging as getting along with their neighbors. “Like on Little House on the Prairie, we’ve had our Mrs. Olson (shot of Karen here) and we’ve had a neighbor who’s made Mrs. Olson look good.” (Ouch and ouch. Coming from mild-mannered Adrienne, this is pure vitriol.) “She has the idea that this is a competition and she wants to win. I know she’s even deprived her family of food so that they have plenty of food for assessment.” Adrienne is speaking from her beautifully stocked and laid out kitchen area. Both she and Kristin Brooks are especially tied down to the cooking areas of their homes. And both have plenty to say about it.

Crisis #1. ”Over 100 neighbors, historians and advisors will attend the fair,” says the narrator. To feed them all, the Glenns have agreed to slaughter their pig. Sounds good in theory; let’s see what it’s like for the participants.

We see Logan Patton feeding and petting the animal in question, whom the kids have named “Jo Jo Pumpkin.” Just hearing the name lets you know that trouble’s a comin. Karen Glenn breaks the news of Jo Jo’s fate to Logan and Erinn. “We’ve all been talking about what kind of food to have at the fair. We’ve pretty much decided we’re havin’ pig.” Logan looks very glum at this point, and begins to weep. “We love our animals and we’re not gonna kill our pig just for a fair for one day. It’s a waste of a life,” he protests. Karen kindly, but firmly states that they’re living on a farm and animals are to be harvested. (Erinn says nothing throughout this conversation. She doesn’t look happy about it, but being her mother’s helper and confidant, she’s not willing to protest.) Karen reminds Logan that they’ve butchered a pig before, but Logan counters with the fact that they “didn’t name it.” “Well, maybe you shouldn’t name it then. Maybe it should just be the pig,” Karen remarks. Logan takes his final stand. “I know that we’re not gonna kill her.” But, Karen has the last word and says that the “decision has been made.”

Now, we finally get to see what Gordon and the girls were up to in their summer play clothes. The narrator reminds us that the homesteaders’ livestock has to be fed through the winter, which entails storing up hay. A lot of hay. Although the Clunes are low on hay and it’s already September, the narrator says, Gordon believes he has found an untapped source. “We have a very good field that was not accessible to Mr. Davenport’s cattle,” (See Episode Four.) Gordon claims, “so we haven’t been in that mad rush to harvest by August 1.”

Nate Brooks finished his haying a month ago, and is now stockpiling another winter must-have – firewood. Wife Kristin says that “chopping wood is about the manliest thing you can do. It’s all about the man out here.” We see Nate chopping away by the side of the house. Kristin jokes in a man’s voice, “That mountain and I climbed it – that wood and I split it. It’s like a man’s dream come true.” Nate expresses his Zen-master approach. He talks about “becoming one with the wood – it basically splits itself.” He goes on to say “Wood supplies me heat, which sustains life. The tree is now dead (he makes a martial arts type motion here), I will give it a second life,” swinging the axe.

Kristin talks about the woman’s role on the frontier. “We’re support staff. We keep the engines running behind the scenes. That’s not the glamorous thing. Women’s work is just so repetitive.” She gestures around the kitchen wall area of the cabin. “This is my existence right here. This is where I spend my days.” Adrienne Clune says that men are less complicated than women; Women want more than just shelter and food; they want excitement and a break from the monotony. “In 5 months, I’ve only had about 3 or 4 meals that somebody else prepared. All the rest I’ve done. It’s almost like I’ve been transported to a labor camp for 5 months. I’ve experienced depression here on the frontier. I’ve never been depressed before in my life.”

Husband Gordon says he regrets that his wife hasn’t had the gratification from their homesteading experience that the rest of them have had. He says that Adrienne dreamed of creating a quilt and doing other fancy sewing out there, but it didn’t happen. The rest of the family, he says, feel better for the experience, more equipped to enjoy the things that they take for granted in the 21st century. We see Gordon and Tracy dragging a sheet piled high with hay down from the meadow, with Aine sitting on top. “I like haying, but I only do it when I want to,” says Aine. The narrator says that Tracy and Aine have avoided traditional women’s roles. (And then some. Tracy and Aine have enjoyed their own version of the “Lost Boys” out here on the prairie, complete with tree house.) Young Montana women broke the rules too, the narrator goes on, winning the right to vote 50 years before their counterparts in the East.

The mornings are rapidly getting cooler. The women emerge from their cabins in the morning bundled up in coats, mittens and caps to do their chores. Karen and Erinn have resorted to wearing men’s trousers. Something they apparently ordered from Hop Mercantile, Sing’s (See Episode Three) since pants weren’t part of their provided wardrobe. (See Episode One) The narrator says that after a busy summer, the Glenn homestead runs like clockwork. The cows show up for their milking at 6 a.m. sharp. Karen addresses her view of the family dynamic. “If anything, I think Mark and I can show you can be a successful unit and not be head over heels agreeing and loving and blah, blah, blah.” (This statement pretty much says it all about Karen’s attitude towards life and marriage.) “I’m sure in 1883 that a lot of these marriages weren’t based on all this emotional love that we talk about in the 21st century, because I hate to say, you don’t really have time for it, but it’s really not very practical. If I’m in there cooking and Mark’s wanting to get all romantic, he’s gonna get hit in the head with a hot pan, or I’m gonna get slapped with an axe.”

After that vivid image of domestic mayhem, we switch to a scene of Adrienne Clune, decorating a fancy gingerbread house in her big, sunny kitchen. Unfortunately, we switch right back to the Glenns. This time, it’s Mark’s turn. “I’m angry cause I gotta leave. I’m leavin’ a place that I love. I’m angry at the fact that I’ve invested so much of myself in this place and how attached and close I am to it.” He stops for a moment, tears in his eyes. “It’s gonna be tough leavin’ here.”

Nate Brooks, too, breaks down when he thinks about what he’ll be leaving behind. “Just let it speak for itself,” he finally says.

But it’s a different story for the women. “When I walk out of here, I’m gonna have the biggest smile on my face you’ve ever seen – freedom!” exclaims Adrienne Clune.

Crisis #2. It’s Judgment Day for Jo Jo Pumpkin. The butcher arrives to “supervise” the slaughter, since Mark Glenn will actually kill the pig with the rifle the butcher provides. Jo Jo runs up to Mark when he approaches the pen, to get her ears scratched. Karen, Logan and Erinn stand nearby. “Why are we doing this?” Logan asks again. Karen uses the McDonald’s rationale. She mentions the fast food restaurant and says it’s “not necessarily a bad thing” that cows are being killed. “You raise animals all spring and summer to kill them in the fall.” Mark says that “she’s been a good pig and she’ll serve us all well on Saturday. She’ll serve her purpose – that’s exactly what her purpose is –- to feed people. The emotional stuff is just all baggage and nonsense. It’s just what we’re here for.” Mark scratches the friendly pig’s ears, then points to a spot in the middle of her forehead. “About right here?” he asks the butcher. Logan announces that he’s going to Nate and Kristen’s because “they’ll know what to tell me.” He starts to head off, but can’t bear to leave his pig. The butcher demonstrates how to use the rifle to Mark. “I don’t want anybody else shootin’ my pig,” explains Mark. He calls Jo Jo to him, then takes careful aim. Erinn hides behind Karen, who cuddles Logan in front of her. “God darn him,” blurts out Logan tearfully after the pig is killed. He breaks away from Karen and walks off. Erinn weepily hugs Karen.

Karen tells us her perspective on farm life. “I still feel strongly that, if you’re gonna live the farm life, then you accept all of it. It’s not all happy and fun and a petting zoo. Some of it is that you do slaughter some of your animals. And that’s something that I needed the kids to understand before we left here.” We see Mark and the butcher flaying and carving Jo Jo’s carcass.

We switch to a scene of the blue Montana mountains swept by waves of misty rain. “The modern world forced its way into Frontier Valley on Sept. 11, 2001,” the narrator says. The families were informed of the tragic events in the outside world. Adrienne Clune, looking remarkably like Betsy Ross, but without the mobcap, sits under a tree, sewing an American flag. “I’m making this flag in the wake of the recent tragedy,” she says. “I’m an immigrant to the United States myself. My life is here; the United States is my adopted country. There is a spirit and a vitality and an energy that I’ve always loved and admired, and I love being part of that, and I think maybe a lot of it comes from the homesteading experience. We’ve experienced that same spirit, and that enthusiasm, and that go and get it kind of attitude.” The Clune children charge up the slope in front of the cabin holding up the flag. (At this point, we paused the tape, trying to count the number of stars, only to hear the narrator give us the total after we finally gave up.) The 1883 style flag has two concentric circles of stars, with a large one in the middle of the blue field, totaling 38 in all.

Harvest Fair. Frontier House expert Bernie Weisgerber kicks off the fair by firing off a revolver. Mark Glenn calls everyone to gather round and raises the flag Adrienne made. The narrator tells us that within 7 years, Montana and 5 other western territories became states.

The three families are at the fair, along with all the Frontier House experts, what looks like storekeeper Ying-Ming Lee and his family, and other support staff. Music is provided by a trio playing a guitar, accordion, and tuba. Two of the musicians look like typical cowboy types, but the guitar player looks like an escapee from ZZ Top, with his long, gray beard and mustache.

The Clunes and Brooks are wearing their Sunday best clothes. Nate and Gordon are dressed identically in black pants, white shirt, and black string tie. The Glenns are wearing slightly dressier version of their everyday clothes. Nate has brought along a deck of cards, which he arranges on a low table to play that fairground staple, “pick a card.” Gordon Clune is up to the challenge. “By gummy,” he says thoughtfully, “Let’s say that one,” pointing to a card. The first try is a loser, but he keeps at it and gets the second one right. Huckster Nate cheerfully accepts his loss. The narrator tells us that the first rodeo was held in Pecos, Texas about that time.

The other games include a sack race, archery, hit the bucket, target shooting, and last but not least, the ladies’ skillet toss. Kristin Brooks and Aine Clune gamely do their best to fling their skillets far into the field. We never do hear who wins this event.

Mark Glenn has the honor of carving up the roasted haunch of Jo Jo Pumpkin. “I think Jo Jo would be proud that she’s made such a contribution and we’re all enjoying her so much,” Mark explains matter-of-factly.

We see some of the more athletic events. First, is the cross-cut saw competition. “They’ve been doin’ this for 5 months. They’ve had a lot of practice and they’re very, very serious about it,” announces Bernie Weisgerber as each team takes up position on either side of a huge log. Husbands and wives pair up for this one, with the young, buff Brooks team winning easily. “My God, you guys are hot!” exclaims Bernie.

Next is the axe throwing competition. Nate and Mark easily pitch their axe into the center of the target, but Gordon’s axe keeps bouncing off. Mark wins this event and does a little victory shimmy.

The Frontier House domestic experts help select the winning baking entries. Adrienne Clune’s elaborate gingerbread house takes the decorative cakes’ prize. The Glenns win for prettiest chicken. Logan Patton wins the wheelbarrow race ribbon, and Gordon and Tracy Clune win the wheelbarrow race.

Judgment Day. The experts are on their way to assess winter preparations at the homesteads. Animal expert Rawhide Johnson and construction expert Bernie Weisgerber, will examine the buildings and supplies, and measure the haystacks and woodpiles. Historians Sue Cain, Linda Peavey, and Ursula Smith will assess domestic preparations and food supplies. In the evening they will convene at the schoolhouse to discuss their findings.

”They’ve accomplished an incredible feat for such a short period of time, and they’ve kept pretty well focused on the basics of food and shelter,” remarks Rawhide Johnson. “Especially shelter,” adds Weisgerber. “I was really impressed with what Gordon had done with the chicken house, the outhouse, and the root cellar.” The narrator says that certain efforts stood out. “Adrienne put forth the effort to pickle more things than the other two women,” says Sue Cain. “Erinn has done the best job of taking care of the animals of any of the people on site,” says Johnson. But the acid test was whether anyone would survive the winter, the narrator reminds us.

”Due to the fact that the Clunes harvested their hay a little late in the year, it’s no better than ‘straw hay’, which has very little food value,” explains Rawhide Johnson. (This explains a lot to me. Being a city girl, I’ve always wondered just what the difference is between straw and hay. Now I know, cut green = hay, cut dry = straw.)

Then, the experts address the second area of concern – firewood. Although Nate Brooks has cut four cords of firewood, the experts estimate that he would need at least 3 times that to survive the winter, says the narrator. “All three families have problems in the firewood area,” Bernie Weisgerber remarks. “It was something we talked about in Virginia City, and I was really specific about this with them,” he says adamantly. “You’re gonna be cuttin’ firewood every chance you get and you’re not gonna have enough, you’re not gonna have enough. They didn’t listen, they didn’t hear that.” Rawhide Johnson adds that the families could be as much as 90% short of wood in the winter. Gordon Clune especially worries the experts. He has cut “half a pile” of cordwood, with some scrap pieces in another pile that he calls “wafers.”

Paradox #1. Then, the domestic historians inspect the cabins. They’re very impressed with the rope beds Gordon has built for his children. “Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite,” recites Linda Peavy. “Sleeping tight,” refers to the ropes in the frame. If they were loose, you sagged into the mattress. But the historians get the biggest surprise from Gordon and Adrienne’s bed. Underneath their mattress is a modern metal boxspring, a “luxury not available in the West for more than 50 years,” says the narrator. “We actually found it at an abandoned cabin,” explains Adrienne nervously. Under cover of night, the Clunes dragged the boxspring into their cabin. (We see a dramatic shot of the full moon during this narration). They’ve been “sleeping on their secret” for a month and a half.

Gordon Clune gives the situation his best “million dollar sale” approach. “Secrets are golden out here, when there are varying degrees of rules of what may or may not have existed in 1883. It’s very confusing and very muddled and I didn’t quite honestly pay much attention to any of ‘em,” he explains. “If opportunity shows up at your door, do you turn it away? (This is what Gordon thinks of as enterprising and the Glenns think of as cheating.) A homesteader, would he turn it away – not a chance. Someone who’s gone through tremendous deprivation – not a chance. Someone that’s ambitious and wants to succeed and provide for himself and his family – not a chance. If opportunity comes knockin’, you take advantage of it and that’s the American Spirit!” he shouts, slamming his fist on the table. Overcome with the effort of explaining his entrepreneurial approach to homesteading, Gordon breaks down tearfully. He rallies and smiles at the camera, saying he’s getting too emotional.

Aware that their homestead is in trouble, the narrator says, the Clunes make up a scheme in which half of their family would retreat to the safety of nearby Butte, Montana over winter. Expert Linda Peavy says she thinks the Clunes are doing this because they’re “at a loss to do anything else. They see that winter’s coming and they know they’re going to be assessed. There’s a lot of artful dodging going on here; if you don’t have enough hay, you sell the horse. You can bend rules and so forth, but one thing about life in Montana, you don’t bend nature’s rules.”

The experts are done with their assessments, and will spend the next several weeks writing up their reports. We see a time-lapse shot of storms blowing in over the valley. On their last day in Frontier Valley, snow begins to fall. The families wake up to snow falling lightly over their homesteads. The women are not impressed with Mother Nature’s deceptive gift. To the men, the snow shows how attractive their outdoor environment is. To the women, it makes their tedious chores even more uncomfortable. “We’re leaving this morning and I gotta do all these dishes,” grouses Kristin Brooks, surveying the ledge which serves as her kitchen prep area. It’s covered from one end to the other with dirty plates and skillets. “I’m so sick of boiling water and washing greasy dishes. I’m sick of it – I’m done! So that, my friend, is why they find abandoned cabins with breakfast dishes on the table.”

Outside, husband Nate is enjoying the winter landscape. “For me, it feels wonderful, like the culmination of a long fairy tale. What really mattered out here was finding some neutral ground, finding a place that my father and I were able to work together and work hand in hand, and were able to accomplish so much. I see all these buildings dotted with the fingerprints of my father.” He tears up. ”If we could tap into that, that is the deeper meaning to the frontier project.”

The snow is falling more heavily now. The Glenns are saying grace at the breakfast table. They all hold hands and say what they’re thankful for. Karen remarks that they “stay with the righteousness and stay true to the project.” She points to the deep dish casserole on the table, saying she’s glad they decided on the quiche, because “it’s eggs from our chicken, and bacon from our pig.” (The quiche looks yummy, but I don’t think there was a lot of it being served in 1883. So much for doing everything “absolutely authentic.”) Logan Patton seems to have come to terms with life and death on a farm. “Life is just about eating things and getting things and killing them, but every animal that’s raised is gonna be killed,” he shrugs. “That’s just how life is.” (Poor kid. I hope he doesn’t expect to find Fido served up for Thanksgiving dinner back home.)

Sister Erinn takes a last ride on her horse Snowball. “I’m so sad that I’m leaving. I don’t know if I get to take Snowball home or not. But, if I don’t get to, I’m probably gonna cry,” she stops and wipes her face. (This is the first time we’ve seen any real emotion from Erinn. Having to say goodbye to her beloved horse is too much for her, and she lets out the feelings she’s kept bottled up for the last five months.) “He’s been such a good friend to me and I love him so much and I really don’t wanna say bye.”

We see the Clunes departing first. They’re all dressed in their best winter clothing. Gordon looks like an old time preacher, in his black clothing and flat hat. He’s holding a huge leather bible to his chest. “I’ve got the good book. I’ve been about your business out here, raising a family. Thanks for taking care of family, and hopes to continue on those lines in the future,” he says to his maker. Niece Tracy says she wanted to leave when they first got there, but is sad now to leave everything they’ve built, “like there’s nothing to it.” She says she’s grown up a lot and is more responsible. A beautiful blanket of snow covers their cabin as they trail out the door and down the road.

Then, we see the Glenns trooping out of their cabin. No one looks back at first, but Logan stops after a few steps and starts to cry. Karen consoles him with a kiss. The Brooks linger for a long time in front of their cabin, before Nate is ready to leave. He and Kristin walk down the road arm in arm.

Fast forward to fall, 2001. The Brooks are cruising through Mexico in a jeep, enjoying their honeymoon. (It’s just not a real honeymoon if it includes outhouses, cold water baths, and goat droppings.) Nate says that since leaving Montana, he and Kristin have been gypsies, without a home, jobs, or cars. They’re footloose and fancy free, frolicking on the beach and going where they please. “We could do anything now. We could get a master’s in anything, make any amount of money, have any amount of kids,” says Kristin. They read the expert’s report outside by their jeep, casually accepting the assessment that they would have successfully survived a Montana winter. Nate says it’s hard to say what would have really happened. The experts wrote that the Brooks were in the best shape of all the families due to their youth and strength.

Next, we see the Clunes in their Malibu mansion, which was being built while they were in Montana. (Wouldn’t this have driven Gordon crazy, not being able to oversee something as important as the construction of his house?) Gordon is back at his job as president of a construction firm, and is not able to enjoy the house very much because of having to travel. “Has anything changed,” he says in response to an off-camera question. “I ended up mowing my lawn for the 2nd time in God knows how many years.” About work, he says that kids don’t know what parents do in the 21st century, it’s “seamless, you’re isolated from it. In five months in 1883 I got more satisfaction and sense of accomplishment than I have in my entire career before.” We get a tour of the mansion as the camera follows Adrienne around. She’s looking very glossy and stylish, in sleek red knit pants and hooded cardigan over a lace top. “We’re living in something 10 times the size of the cabin, at least. The cabin never felt small to me; it always felt adequate. Then, to move into this. This was really tough for me to adjust to.” We see her climb up a sweeping circular staircase. “I’m still adjusting to it. It felt way too big. I was actually lonely the first couple of nights we slept here. I was lonely for the children; we’re so spread out. Everyone had their own room. I felt like I was moving further away from the children.”

The house is a modern traditional type, built in a new development of other similar mansions. It’s a pale stucco, with a giant double door entryway. Every room is large, with marble floors, and high ceilings, decorated in neutral colors. Tracy and Aine spend their days lounging in the pool. “I like the new house, but when you’re in it all by yourself, it’s too much room. It’s kind of lonely; some rooms don’t even get used,” says Aine. We see her practicing on the piano. (I wonder if she still plays the guitar. What a pity if she dropped it.) “Our lives are much easier in this century,” says Adrienne, doing a load of wash in her very high-tech washer and dryer. “This symbolized freedom. It’s like a miracle,” she says about her appliances. Niece Tracy says the year 2000 is boring; she’s tired of going to the mall and doing nothing all day.

Now, it’s Gordon and Adrienne’s turn to read their report. Although they worked really hard, the experts say, they worked hard in the wrong direction. The final assessment is that they would not have made it on an 1883 homestead. Gordon and Adrienne are upset, but Gordon quickly rallies. “It’s opinions; we would’ve made it,” he shrugs. He beckons the cameraman over to the freezer. “This is what we can do in 2001 in Malibu,” he says, pulling out a frozen piece of meat. “Malibu rabbit,” he explains. He and his sons went hunting when they got back and brought home some game. “Let’s get real. If you’re talking about 1883 and whether the Clune family can survive -- we can survive.”

Final Crisis. Last, but not least is the Glenn family. Their house is a wooden country-style ranch house in Pleasant View, Tennessee. Mark and Karen read their report, and learn that while their homestead was ready for winter, there were other major problems. Or as the report put it, “when the world closes in and puts them in that little room, there are tensions among the best relationships.” In fact, we learn that Mark and Karen separated two months after returning home. About the report, Karen says that it was “kind of harsh” in some ways, but very realistic in that the first winter would be the hardest. Mark says he wishes he could have stayed through the winter.

We see Karen in her kitchen kneading bread. “When we returned from Montana, it was quite difficult between Mark and I. It felt like we were two mules pullin’ on the same rope, but in absolute opposite directions. One of us is gonna get dragged or killed or somethin.’” (I’ve never heard anyone use such violent metaphors to describe their marriage.) She stops and laughs sadly. “It just wasn’t healthy. About two months after we got back, the decision was made to spend some time apart.” Mark is now living in an apartment in Nashville.

”I more so than anyone else needed to get gone and think through what happened out there. When we got home, I got the feeling that I just wasn’t comfortable at home and I wasn’t comfortable anywhere. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t get things straight in my head. Maybe its cheatin’ and I’m runnin’ away from problems I’m not willing to face with my wife,” says Mark. He shows off his modern apartment, decorated with ethnic art. He calls it “Glenn Annex #2. It’s just kind of a place to hide from the world after Montana.” He goes on to say that he misses the Clunes, Mark and Kristin, and Rudy. He plays out his homesteading idyll into the future. “I wish that Rudy lived next door to me, Gordon and them was upstairs, and Nate and them were down the hall, and I wish my family lived with me. After five years, we could’ve gotten together with our homesteads and made one hell of a good community.”

We see Karen singing Christmas carols in her church choir. She finds consolation for her social and domestic difficulties from her church. “One thing that was real, real rewarding was my church family. It was my church family that loved me before I went to Montana, and they prayed for me to return safely from Montana, and my church family loves me now no matter how I’m depicted,” she says shakily.

Daughter Erinn says that she doesn’t watch TV that much since she came back. But little brother Logan is a different story. She says that he forgot all about video games out on the frontier, but now he’s “glued” to it. Logan admits that he’s bored with all the stuff he has in the 21st century. But stepfather Mark is the most disenfranchised. The show ends with a shot of Mark wandering alone in a noisy arcade, surrounded by all the things he most detests in modern life. “Too much. Too much stimulus – it’s overwhelming. There’s a lot of problems we’re just not admitting.” He says he needs a 12-step program to deal with modern life.

Melinda Smith is a technical illustrator and writer with a background in graphic arts. She and her family live in Cincinnati, Ohio. can be reached at tremme@eudoramail.com.

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