episode #29 - Taneha

episode #16 of 2nd season / Air Date: 2/2/75    written by Margaret Armen    Directed by Earl Bellamy

Steve Austin goes after a big cat in the wilderness - but not to kill it like everyone else wants to do, but to capture it at the request of a ranger friend of his. The cat is the last golden cougar, but since it's after livestock and even killed a local rancher, everyone else wants it killed.  Austin acquires a volatile female guide (Jess Walton), but she also plans to kill the animal (her father was the last victim). As usual, Austin confounds her by getting around faster than she does on a horse and his plan to snare the big cat with just some rope seems very wacky.
This has some nice location shooting out in the wild but is a rather disposable episode unless you're really into mountain cats and stuff like that. There's some talk of Indian lore (Taneha is the Indian name for the big cat). It's also a faintly interesting match up of bionic man up against big wild animal, though the ending turns the wild creature into a rather tame beast. I also was baffled by Austin's strategy at one point, leading with his real arm while up close to the cat, and he pays for it. His latest lady friend offers a slightly different love interest from the norm. BoG's Score: 5.5 out of 10