Although we were all to young to have realised it in the original screenings back in the late seventies and early eighties, it's quite obvious now in the cold light of the 21st century that this series has deeper and more meaningful layers than we able to appreciate. We have to look back on this series in the atmosphere of the time. This was a time of post vietnam depression.
Looking at this series without thinking of the book by David Morrell and the John J. Rambo character he created is something of a challenge. Although the human version went on to become far more famous in the 80s than our canine 'nam vet introduced here, the key aspect of the taciturn traveling outcast are plain to see. However as the passionate theme song of the series suggests 'There's a voice that keeps on calling me' the title character is suffering from schizophrenia, which dares to take the character and the trauma of the war's effects to greater levels than the creative team behind First Blood.
Although the Hobo here us not directly and violently tested by the brutality of a Brian Dennehy character in this series he is instead tormented by more personal internal forces. This I believe more literally relates the the suffering of vietnam veterans. After all the veterans themselves do not face armed conflict as in the book and film of the Rambo character, instead they face the stigma of the public as well as the mental torment of the horrors of the war. This I feel puts this series far above the later work from which this series later inspired.
The internal conflict within Hobo although hard to project within the space of short episodes of a series is however best felt when it is conveyed over the expanse of the entire work. Just watching one episode will simply hide the mental problems Hobo has to face. You need to see that the internal 'voices' are pushing him ever on, from people to people and place to place, never actually fitting in anywhere and never feeling like he belongs. This feeling is expressed over the series as a whole.
When you have enjoyed many many episodes of this series and witnessed the kind and gentle ways of the Hobo the tragedy of situation becomes for more heartfelt. You begin to wish that he could find some cure for his schitzophrenia, find peace and a place to settle and people who would care about him. But as you watch you know this will never happen. His torment will never end. This sadly is the true tragedy of the character and the series.
Like the John J. Rambo films this series faces many varied issues however by being more personal, Morrell's character tried to cure such worldwide problems as the Russian occupation of Afghanistan and the forgotten POWs of Vietnam, Hobo instead deals more subtly with issues about people. From day to day, from person to person. Although this approach is less 'slam-bang' than the more popular films I believe that it becomes for more poignant in it's subtlety and by doing that it deals far more skillfully and intelligently with the real issue of Vietnam veterans be they man or canine.
Ben Brooks
Looking at this series without thinking of the book by David Morrell and the John J. Rambo character he created is something of a challenge. Although the human version went on to become far more famous in the 80s than our canine 'nam vet introduced here, the key aspect of the taciturn traveling outcast are plain to see. However as the passionate theme song of the series suggests 'There's a voice that keeps on calling me' the title character is suffering from schizophrenia, which dares to take the character and the trauma of the war's effects to greater levels than the creative team behind First Blood.
Although the Hobo here us not directly and violently tested by the brutality of a Brian Dennehy character in this series he is instead tormented by more personal internal forces. This I believe more literally relates the the suffering of vietnam veterans. After all the veterans themselves do not face armed conflict as in the book and film of the Rambo character, instead they face the stigma of the public as well as the mental torment of the horrors of the war. This I feel puts this series far above the later work from which this series later inspired.
The internal conflict within Hobo although hard to project within the space of short episodes of a series is however best felt when it is conveyed over the expanse of the entire work. Just watching one episode will simply hide the mental problems Hobo has to face. You need to see that the internal 'voices' are pushing him ever on, from people to people and place to place, never actually fitting in anywhere and never feeling like he belongs. This feeling is expressed over the series as a whole.
When you have enjoyed many many episodes of this series and witnessed the kind and gentle ways of the Hobo the tragedy of situation becomes for more heartfelt. You begin to wish that he could find some cure for his schitzophrenia, find peace and a place to settle and people who would care about him. But as you watch you know this will never happen. His torment will never end. This sadly is the true tragedy of the character and the series.
Like the John J. Rambo films this series faces many varied issues however by being more personal, Morrell's character tried to cure such worldwide problems as the Russian occupation of Afghanistan and the forgotten POWs of Vietnam, Hobo instead deals more subtly with issues about people. From day to day, from person to person. Although this approach is less 'slam-bang' than the more popular films I believe that it becomes for more poignant in it's subtlety and by doing that it deals far more skillfully and intelligently with the real issue of Vietnam veterans be they man or canine.
Ben Brooks