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The Best Episodes of Bonanza Season 3

Every episode of Bonanza Season 3 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Bonanza Season 3!

The Best Episodes of Bonanza Season 3

The High-Sierra adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their ranch while helping the surrounding community.
  1. Background image for The Smiler
    7.0/10(143 votes)

    #1 - The Smiler

    S3:E1

    A drunk is killed in a saloon brawl with Hoss, and though the man's brother insists there are no hard feelings, he is actually a silver-tongued devil bent on revenge.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  2. Background image for Springtime
    7.8/10(161 votes)

    #2 - Springtime

    S3:E2

    A friend of Ben's (Mr. Milbank) arrives at the Ponderosa at a bad time...when the Cartwright boys are fighting in the mud. Mr. Milbank, who is injured by a flying log during the fight, gives an assignment to each of the three boys. Can they fulfill the assignments, or has Springtime gotten to them all?

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  3. Background image for The Honor of Cochise
    7.9/10(171 votes)

    #3 - The Honor of Cochise

    S3:E3

    The Cartwrights and a bigoted army captain are pinned down by Cochise and his braves, who claim the officer poisoned 30 of their people.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  4. Background image for The Lonely House
    7.2/10(146 votes)

    #4 - The Lonely House

    S3:E4

    Little Joe pays a visit to the widow Lee Bolden, and brings her a bank draft for her husband's investments with Ben. Actually, the investments were losing propositions. Ben just wanted to help out his friend. During his visit, a wounded man stumbles into the house, and Joe recognizes him as Trock, who had just robbed the local bank. Lee Bolden was a nurse to her husband physician, and removes the bullet from Trock. Joe soon learns that Lee is in love with Trock, and that is the only thing standing between him and an early grave.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  5. Background image for The Burma Rarity
    6.9/10(142 votes)

    #5 - The Burma Rarity

    S3:E5

    In this comic episode involving a precious emerald and the sweet widow, Clemantine Hawkins who is attracted to Ben, turns the tables on a pair of land swindlers.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  6. Background image for Broken Ballad
    7.3/10(141 votes)

    #6 - Broken Ballad

    S3:E6

    Adam tries to help a reformed gunman who wants only to live peacefully near Virginia City. Good story without a tidy ending. Pernell's first chance to sing on the series.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  8. Background image for The Many Faces of Gideon Flinch
    7.2/10(151 votes)

    #7 - The Many Faces of Gideon Flinch

    S3:E7

    Hoss and Joe become involved when "Bullethead" Burke vows revenge on an old man he claims cheated him in an investment deal.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  9. Background image for The Friendship
    7.5/10(141 votes)

    #8 - The Friendship

    S3:E8

    Joe befriends and takes responsibility for an ex-convict named Danny. Danny loves horses and is not used to people's ways on the outside of jail. Will his rough jailhouse upbringing mar any hopes of friendship?

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  10. Background image for The Countess
    7.1/10(131 votes)

    #9 - The Countess

    S3:E9

    A woman Ben once loved, Lady Chadwick, returns and attempts to trick him into marrying her by ruining his business. Ben says almost losing the Ponderosa will make him and his sons appreciate it more.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  11. Background image for The Horse Breaker
    7.2/10(133 votes)

    #10 - The Horse Breaker

    S3:E10

    A professional wrangler working for the Cartwrights is paralyzed when thrown by a particularly mean bronco. The woman nursing him was once engaged to the late son of a neighboring rancher out to get Ben.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  12. Background image for Day of the Dragon
    7.5/10(150 votes)

    #11 - Day of the Dragon

    S3:E11

    Joe wins a card game and an unexpected prize...a young lady. She goes to the Ponderosa and serves them, not wanting to be set free. Meanwhile, an army is looking for her and the Cartwrights.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  13. Background image for The Frenchman
    5.8/10(137 votes)

    #12 - The Frenchman

    S3:E12

    An irritating man who boasts of being the reincarnation of French poet Francois Villion shows up causing trouble for the Cartwrights.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  14. Background image for The Tin Badge
    7.2/10(133 votes)

    #13 - The Tin Badge

    S3:E13

    Joe accepts the job of temporary sheriff in the town of Rubicon, unaware he is being used to facilitate a scheme involving murder.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  15. Background image for Gabrielle
    7.3/10(183 votes)

    #14 - Gabrielle

    S3:E14

    In this Christmas story, inspired by Johanna Spyri's "Heidi", Hoss and Joe come across a blind girl whose family has been killed in a wagon wreck, learning later that her grandfather is a bitter hermit who spent 21 years in prison for a murder he did not commit.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  16. Background image for Land Grab
    6.9/10(143 votes)

    #15 - Land Grab

    S3:E15

    The Ponderosa is overrun with settlers bearing phony property deeds, and one of Ben's oldest friends is responsible.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  17. Background image for The Tall Stranger
    6.9/10(135 votes)

    #16 - The Tall Stranger

    S3:E16

    Hoss plans to marry Margie, a pretty blonde, but Margie becomes fascinated with a tall, traveling stranger named Mark Connors. Margie marries Mark but soon finds it was far from a match made in heaven.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  18. Background image for The Lady from Baltimore
    7.0/10(149 votes)

    #17 - The Lady from Baltimore

    S3:E17

    An overbearing friend of the family tries to force her daughter into marrying Joe, though she does not love him. The situation grows more complex when Adam stumbles onto the scheme.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  19. Background image for The Ride
    7.9/10(152 votes)

    #18 - The Ride

    S3:E18

    Adam races against the clock to prove a man who was once his friend is guilty of robbery and murder and Adam is convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt he is guilty.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  20. Background image for The Storm
    7.2/10(145 votes)

    #19 - The Storm

    S3:E19

    Joe plans to marry Laura White, daughter of a man Ben once sailed with, but she is fatally ill. Ben consoles him with words spoken years before, by the father of Adam's mother.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  21. Background image for The Auld Sod
    6.9/10(134 votes)

    #20 - The Auld Sod

    S3:E20

    The Cartwrights pretend the Ponderosa belongs to the town lush, when his aging mother from Ireland arrives.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  22. Background image for Gift of Water
    7.5/10(144 votes)

    #21 - Gift of Water

    S3:E21

    The Cartwrights dig a well, build a rig and a windmill for a drought-stricken farm family.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  23. Background image for The Jackknife
    7.3/10(140 votes)

    #22 - The Jackknife

    S3:E22

    Adam gives a second chance to a family man he suspects is one of the rustlers who has been hitting the Ponderosa herds.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  24. Background image for The Guilty
    7.0/10(126 votes)

    #23 - The Guilty

    S3:E23

    When Ben fails to prevent the death of a friend's son, Adam and Joe, concerned by their father's depression, attempt to prove there was nothing he could have done.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  25. Background image for The Wooing of Abigail Jones
    7.2/10(157 votes)

    #24 - The Wooing of Abigail Jones

    S3:E24

    In order to keep peace on the ranch, Hoss and Joe try to help ranch hand, Hank Meyers woo the the plain-looking schoolteacher, Abigail Jones. When their first plan backfires, they convince Adam (who doesn't want to get involved) to help and this makes things worse because Abigail believes it is Adam who is wooing her and Hank Meyers believes Adam wants to steal her away.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  26. Background image for The Lawmaker
    7.3/10(132 votes)

    #25 - The Lawmaker

    S3:E25

    Ben supports the appointment of Asa Moran as Virginia City's temporary sheriff, but Moran goes overboard with his authority, jailing Adam in the process and pistol-whipping a Ponderosa hand.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

Season 3 Ratings Summary

"The Smiler" is the best rated episode of "Bonanza" season 3. It scored 7/10 based on 143 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 9/24/1961. This episode is rated 0.8 points higher than the second-best, "Springtime".