Summary[]
After being scolded by Aunt Bee, Opie decides to run away from home... a plan that quickly turns into a series of eye-opening adventures for Opie.
Plot[]
When Opie appears to be picking up some bad habits, such as handcuffing his friends to
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the flagpole at school, Aunt Bee insists that Opie stay away from the courthouse. Even though Opie stops by the jail almost every afternoon, Andy reluctantly agrees that Opie should indeed avoid the kind of influences the Courthouse and jail offer. Opie is not too happy about the new situation either. He begins spending his afternoons at home. It doesn't take long for him to get bored and end up getting into trouble. After an investigation of an abandoned mine, he winds up asleep in the back of a truck. The driver takes off without knowing Opie is in the back. He eventually is discovered and reunited with his family, although with some explaining to do. Aunt Bee realizes that Opie was probably just in need of spending some time with his father and agrees to let Opie spend some time at the courthouse, provided a few changes are made - no more handcuffs, and no hanging around Otis when he has a "snoot full."
Notes/Trivia[]
- This is the last episode featuring a map of Idaho (right-side-up since the episode "The New Doctor") and a map of Nevada (upside down) on the wall behind Sheriff Andy Taylor's desk. In the first few episodes of Season 2, a map of North Carolina is on the wall behind Andy's desk.
- In this episode, while Opie is at the Johnson Mine, kicking a can and eating apples in the back of a pick-up truck, it is the longest time in the entire series without dialog at 2 minutes and 20 seconds. “The Bed Jacket” (1 minute and 46 seconds) has the second longest run time without dialog.
- An inverted shot was used in the closeups of Andy telling Opie he can't come to the courthouse anymore, and we see the part in Andy's hair has switched to the right side of his head (our left). An inverted shot was also used in the episode "Barney's First Car," when Andy and Barney are standing on the porch watching Mrs. Lesh walk away after selling the car to Barney.
- This is the first episode after the final appearance of Elinor Donahue as Ellie Walker.
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