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Josef Quinn Memorial Library

Timeline Nitpicks - Season One


Becky H.
Where Charlotte is driving Michaela and the children out to the old homestead. Charlotte was talking about Loren. If you look in the background during this conversation, you can see a car (in the left hand portion of the screen) driving along the road in the background for several seconds. It's behind some thin brush, but still clearly noticeable.

Kathy M.
When Sully brings Black Kettle to the old homestead to be treated for a gunshot, Matthew is in the background as they put Black Kettle on the table. In the next camera shot, Matthew is coming in the back door from the barn saying, "What's going on?"

Jennifer M.
The Sand Creek massacre actually occurred around 1864 rather than 1866.

NOTE: The Sand Creek Massacre occured on November 22, 1864

Tiff
Charlotte tells Dr. Mike that Sully's a miner who came out to Colorado in '59 for the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. It was then that he met and married Abigail, the storekeeper's daughter. However, Abigail's gravestone says that she was born in 1839 and died in 1865. Since Sully met her in 1859 when she was 18, that means that she should have been born in 1841. There's also the inconsistency of Abigail dying THEN Sully going off to fight in the war, later being rescued by and joining the Cheyenne. Since the war ended in 1865, Abigail should have died in 1863 for all of that to work.

Jennifer M.
In the Pilot when Mike and Charlotte are looking at Robert E's horses none of the horses are saddled. But they show a close up of one horse's face and it then turns and is instantaeously saddled and ready to go!!

Lori
In the scene where Sully is knocking on the door with an injured Black Kettle after the Sand Creek masacre, Dr. Mike jumps out of bed to answer the door - she has her boots on. Also, in the final scene after Dr. Mike has asked Sully to stay for supper, Sully is seated on the left side of Dr. Mike, but at the very next glance, when looking through the window, Sully is now seated on the right side of Dr. Mike.

Anne
In the pilot, Colleen has a really heavy southern accent. Within the next few episodes, it dissapears. I guess being around Dr. Mike changed that really quick!

Osnat
In the pilot when Sully brings Black Kettle to Dr.Mike we first see Matthew standing behind Sully and Dr.Mike, who's taking care of Black Kettle,holding the light.But a second latter we see him getting out from where Colleen and Brian are ( where their beds are ), telling them to stay there and going towards where Dr.Mike is supposed to be. So unless there were two Matthews that night...

Anonymous
In the pilot episode, the letter Michaela gets from her mother mentions that Mike's oldest sister is expecting a child, and the sister is given a different name from the one she uses for the rest of the series. I think the name given in the pilot is "Mary"-I maybe wrong-but it definetely isn't "Rebecca".

"The Epidemic"

Chiara E. and Becky H.
Michaela is sick in bed. Throughout this scene, she alternately has her hand gripping Olive's shoulder, then firmly clasped in Olive's, then gripping her shoulder, then her hand, etc! At the end of the scene Olive slowly removes Mike's hand from her shoulder and holds it.

Rachel S.
In the famous shot of Mike and the Coopers in the wagon that was used in the credits, on the close-up, Colleen is standing behind Mike. When the camera switches to a "bird's-eye view," Colleen is very visibly sitting. The camera switches to the close-up and she's standing again. This goes back and forth.

Christine
When Michaela is standing in front of the boarding house, there are two boards nailed across the door. Sully, the ever present hero appears out of nowhere and begins to remove "four" not two boards.

Sofie
When Sully steps up to help Dr Mike removing the TWO wood planks that are blocking the door to the boardinghouse/later clinic, we actually see him removing THREE planks before the door is free and accessible.

Becky H.
There is a scene where Michaela is talking to Olive, the one where Mike is very sick lying on the bed, and she tells Olive something like, "The children...if I..." Watch closely each time the camera angle changes back and forth between two positions. In the angle on Mike, she has her hand resting on Olive's left shoulder. In the shot of both Mike and Olive, they are holding hands. There is no hand on Olive's shoulder!...Whoops!

"The Visitor"

Trayce
We know this episode takes place sometime between Christmas and Dr. Mike's birthday in February. How does Dr. Mike's garden have a lush tomato bush filled with ripe, red tomatoes in the middle of a Colorado winter?

Becky H.
Watch the first scene closely. Brian, Mike and Matthew are sitting in the front of the wagon and Colleen is behind them. We see them up close, and she is standing up. Then the camera changes to a "birds eye" shot that shows the woods around them, and Colleen is sitting! Then back to the close up and she's standing again! This happens two or three times. Up, down, up, down! Colleen the Mexican Jumping Bean!

Jennifer M.
In the Pilot, Charlotte tells Mike that Abigail died on the way to Denver to get a doctor, but in this one, Loren tells Mrs. Quinn that Abigail died at the homestead.

"Law of the Land"

"The Healing"

Gayle
Alice talks about dressing as Lily Langtry for her upcoming birthday party. However, "The Healing" takes place in 1868, and Lily did not acquire the name of Langtry until her marriage in 1874, six years later. She gained notoriety in 1881 by appearing onstage for the first time and later became the paramour.

"Father's Day"

Rob T.
When Michaela goes to the Telegraph Office to pick up a package, Ethan Cooper appears and helps her carry the large box. In the next scene where Michaela and Ethan stop to talk to the townsfolk about the sale of Ethan's horse, the package disappears.

Kelly
Sully tells Cloud Dancing that he saw his brother dragged to death by a horse when he was young, but in "Where the Heart Is" he never mentioned a brother when telling Michaela about his family.

"Bad Water"

Rob T.
When Sully and Michaela swim across the river, we see Wolf swimming with them. After they nearly get killed by the dynamite blast and get out of the river, we see Wolf again, all fluffy and dry, following them.

Cathy S.
When Dr Mike & Sully are resting their horses and the horses spook & run away, we see in the background a classic grassy oak woodland setting. The scene flashes to a stock shot of a mountain lion on rocky talus with conifers in the background. This would be miles and thousands of feet in elevation apart. In California, that's like from the 2,000' entrance to Yosemite to, oh, about 9,000'. The other silly thing is the skunk, which is a nocturnal animal and would not be out in broad daylight, unless its rabid. They also spray by doing a handstand and shooting over their bodies, not just by lifting their tail. As with most critters (NOT mt. lions), just be still & watch them, they'll depart once they know you won't harm them.

Laura
If Dr. Mike and Sully are trespassing on land and could get shot for being on, why is Dr. Mike wearing a bright red dress? Wouldn't brown have been more appropriate?

"The Great American Medicine Show"

"A Cowboy's Lullaby"

Sarah-Jane B.
At the beginning when Mike goes in and picks up the baby, it is almost like she is holding a doll

"Running Ghost"

Rebekah
When the white buffalo attacks Rankin, to the right side of the screen you can see a small portion of the board that the head of the buffalo was mounted on. They didn't get the board removed far enough from camera range, so it shows the prop.

Annica S.
We all know that Sully was fed up with this Tate Rankin fella - but as Mike so nicely put it - if he goes, she goes. Lucky for us, Sully was saved by a white buffalo. Who would believe that story when they found Rankin's body? I don't think that even Cloud Dancing could have managed to summon Running Ghost if the need ever arose - let's hope it doesn't.

Kathy B.
When Sully jumps from horse to engage in his altercation with Rankin, his shirt flips up and you see a show of white, it appears as if he has ripped the back of pants. In the next shot his shirt is down and covering the rip.

"Happy Birthday"

Elaine
Look closely at the crowd surrounding DQ after she unveils her sign. Alley Mills is dressed as a prostitute.

NOTE: In the same scene, Kirsten Barlow, who married Joe Lando in 1997, appears also. The fun part is trying to find her.

Christy
Did you notice one of Hank's ladies of the evening was none other than Marjorie, Michaela's sister?

"The Prisoner"

Suanne
I don't remember in which ep it was, but I think at one point in season 1 (maybe in 'The Prisoner) Loren says, that he and Maude have been married 42 years. In season 2 (in 'Best Friends') he said that Dorothy was 16 or 17 years old when he proposed to her. That would make her almost 60 years old by now! Is she really that old?

Anja B.
This is an answer to Suann's nitpick concerning Dorothy's age. Barbara Babcock was born in 1937 which means that she was 56 years old when she started her role as Dorothy. So she was in fact almost 60 years old playing Dorothy, making Dorothy being 60 entirely believable.

Kari
This has to do with both "Law of the Land" and "The Prisoner." In LOTL, Matthew and Ingrid seem to be somewhat of a couple. Then I watch The Prisoner and it REALLY confuses me. When everyone is getting ready for the Hurdy Gurdy, Matthew stares at Ingrid (in the store) like he has just seen her. At the dance, he buys all of he tickets and THEN they introduce themselves. Aren't they already a couple by this time? Did these two air out of order?

"Rite of Passage"

Pat
Sully tells the family that Abigail was 18 when they got married. If she was born in 1841, that means they married in 1859. Her headstone says she died in 1865. Did they wait six years before she got pregnant? Also, in "Heroes" when Colleen has a crush on Sully, one of her friends asks her "wasn't Sully's wife the same age as you when they got married?" Colleen was probably only 13 or 14 in this episode.

DQ Viewer
Michaela tells Colleen that she had to cut short her search for Matthew because of the storm. Colleen says "It's supposed to rain all night". Now how would she know that? did she hear an 1860's weather forecast?

Nina R.
Michaela says Matthew is 16 and in "The First Circle" she says he is 18. They are about 10 months apart. No wonder they don't celebrate his birthdays, he has them too often for them to be an event!

"Heroes"

Becky H.
Grace is chopping carrots and talking to Robert E. about him standing up to Hank. If you watch her chop, two or three carrot chunks go flying to the floor as she chops them. Whoops! Don't worry, Grace--that happens to the best of us!

"The Operation"

Valerie W.
When Colleen is asking Brian what he wanted to eat, the camera switches back and forth and we see Brian holding Colleen's hand with both of his hands, with one, and back with both again.

"The Secret"

Sarah
While Dr. Quinn is talking with Miss Olive on the bridge about Zack, there is a shot over to Zack who is still standing next to Ruby's grave. In the shot it looks as if Zack is standing in front of Abigal's grave.

Suanne
Myra says that she didn't knew Clarice (the mother of Hank's son), because it all happened before she came to Colorado Springs. In 'Man in the Moon' Myra talks about how Hank and she came to CS together.

Sarah P.
Brian asks Sully if he cried when his wife died. After Sully replies 'yes', then hugs Brian. In one shot Brian is on the left side of Sully on the next shot Brian is on the right.

Nicole
In the end of the episode, the town is standing in the middle of the road waving to a carriage carrying Zach out of town. When they show the whole town waving from a far away look. Dr. Mike isn't even on the screen but a moment later they show Brian and Colleen up close and go up to Dr. Mike beside them. When just a moment earlier you couldn't even see her.

"Portraits"

Cathy S.
Ok, not a negative nitpick, just historical information. I did a lot of research after this one and want to pass on: Daniel Watkins is based on pioneer landscape photographer Carleton E. Watkins. This character is a composite of Watkins and some of his contemporaries, notably Matthew Brady and Timothy O'Sullivan. These last two actually did photograph the Civil War, Watkins did not. Brady stayed on the East Coast, O'Sullivan came west and was one of the Yellowstone photographers. O'Sullivan & Watkins used photography wagons just like the one shown in Portraits. Watkins is famous for his Yosemite photographs. His earliest helped Yosemite get preserved as a STATE PARK in 1864. He had two galleries on Montgomery Street in San Francisco. He did go blind, but possibly as a result of working with photo chemicals. He lost all in the earthquake & fire in April, 1906.

 
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