The Yellow Rose - Recap

Bret is playing poker at the Red Ox and his Chinese opponent is the only other player in. He offers a ring to cover his bet but Bret refuses. The player then offers a piece of paper with Chinese writing on it. The player’s friend assures Bret that it’s a paper granting “breeding stock” and is worth much more than the $100 to cover the pot. Bret accepts it and wins the hand. As he calls it quits for the day, Tom reminds him that he owes $100 for the mortgage payment to Elijah. Bret quickly slips away, assuring his partner that he’ll pay it later when Tom has the books ready.



At the stagecoach station, a Frenchman thanks Philo for taking them on a hunting party. Elijah and Kate get off of the arriving stagecoach and Mary Lou runs up to ask them about the Legislature’s special session for a woman’s right to vote. Elijah isn’t interested in talking about the mandate, and he and Kate ague about whether women received the right or not. Meanwhile, Philo meets a group of Philadelphia hunters led by Alfred Baringer. They’ve made arrangements with Philo to take them on a hunting trip.

At the sheriff’s office, Dowd tells Deputies Sturgess and Willard that the militia is coming to town and they’re to make sure everything runs smoothly. They’re interrupted when the soldiers arrive: women, commanded by Captain Estelle Saulter. She asks Dowd for supplies and a place to bivouac, and insists that her troops are a steady enough bunch. Saulter then informs Dowd that she’s there to supervise the referendum.



Bret wakes up at the ranch and discovers that he has a guest: a young Chinese woman, Kwai Bo Yung. Cy explains that Kwai is the “livestock” and the Chinese player dropped her off two hours ago. Kwai begins screaming at the top of her lungs in Chinese.

Mary Lou goes to see Kate at her brothel and get an explanation. Kate tells her that the Legislature wanted more women coming to the Arizona Territory, but didn’t want to give up their power. They decided to pass on the issue by leaving it up to each town to vote for or against the referendum on the woman’s vote. However, since only men can currently vote, men will be the ones to decide. The two women figure they should work together to come up with a plan. They’re interrupted when they hear Kwai yelling on the street as Bret rides in with her.



At the Red Ox, Philo boasts to the businessmen about his reputation with the Indians. The businessmen are eager to go hunting. Bret comes in with Kwai and asks Tom for help. Tom is amused with the situation and admits that he sent the Chinamen to the Lazy Ace to deliver their “livestock.” He offers to try and remember where they went if Bret contributes his $100 to the mortgage payment. Bret has no choice but to do so, and Tom says that he remembers having no idea which way they left.

Saulter marches her women’s militia through town while Sturgess and Willard look on with the townspeople. Meanwhile, Dowd goes to see Elijah and worries about how the referendum could go. Elijah figures that the male farmers will vote against the referendum if they know what’s good for them. When Dowd says they have to do anything about the militia, Elijah advises him to get them drunk and send them home.

At the newspaper, Mary Lou’s mother Estelle is supervising Rodney when Mary Lou storms in with flyers for the referendum. She also has a contract with the city for $150. Estelle warns that the referendum is ahead of its time, much to her daughter’s surprise. Her mother says that until women control some property and money, the time isn’t right. Mary Lou doesn’t believe it but has a story to deal with rather than argue with Estelle.



Mary Lou and Kate call the townswomen in to the brothel and try to organize them to influence their husbands to vote for the referendum. They suggest that they threaten to shut down the Red Ox unless the men cooperate, and Kate promises Mary Lou that she’ll do what she can to influence the men in her own particular manner.

Dowd asks Saulter to deal with Indian renegades to get her out of town. She agrees and promises she’ll be back in time for the referendum.

Bret leads a complaining Kwai through the streets and runs into Philo. The scout knows Bret is going to see the local Chinese doctor, Lu Sung, and offers Bret $25 for Kwai. Disgusted, the gambler refuses to sell her. Mary Lou catches up to Bret and complains that he’s holding a slave. He insists that he didn’t buy Kwai but Mary Lou tries to make a citizen’s arrest. Bret ignores her and hauls Kwai away, and Rodney is waiting to ambush Bret and take his photo.



Elijah calls the townsmen together and informs them that the price is still $1 a vote. They are interested in voting in favor of the referendum to bring more women to town. Elijah goes to get some “insurance” while Dowd addresses the crowd to discourage them. However, when he warns that the town could be overrun by women, it doesn’t go quite as he planned.

Bret takes Kwai to Lu Sung and finally remembers that she’s the one who is the slave. Lu Sung finally meets with them and asks how he can help.

Rodney puts up Mary Lou’s posters of Bret and his “slave.”

Lu Sung translates for Kwai, telling Bret that her father sold her and two of her sisters into slavery. Since then, she was sent to the U.S. and has had several owners. Bret tells Lu Sung to tell Kwai that she’s free, but she considers it a matter of honor to be released for nothing. The doctor explains that Kwai has no idea about freedom and finds it frightening.

The local preacher organizes his worshippers against Bret. Meanwhile, Kate finds Bret in the street and offers him $300 to buy Kwai for her brothel. Disgusted, Bret refuses and the mob spots him and gives chase.



Philo takes the hunting party into the forest and makes camp for the night. He then douses the fire and claims that Apaches are attacking them. He charges out into the woods to “fight” valiantly for the hunters.

When Bret brings Kwai to the Red Ox, he finds Tom and Elijah waiting for him. Elijah offers to buy up the IOUs of all the townsmen in return for their vote against the suffrage. When Bret balks, Elijah warns him that the women may close down the Red Ox if they win suffrage.

Philo staggers back to camp and claims he killed eight Apaches. He tells the hunters that the Indian chief knew him and agreed to let them go in return for all of their money and gear. Bariger and the others quickly agree and give everything to Philo. He goes back into the woods and stages another fake fight, only to discover Saulter and her soldiers there, looking for renegades. Philo claims that he’s doing a sacred moon dance.

Bret sneaks out the back of the Red Ox with Kwai, but the town preacher is waiting for him. The man stabs Bret and the rest of the mob comes up. Tom drives them off and gets Bret and Kwai back inside. As Tom treats Bret’s wound, Bret wonders if he should have sold Kwai to Philo. Kwai speaks up in English, saying that if he did she would have killed him. She treats his wound and explains that she kept silent for her own safety. Kwai insists that Bret doesn’t need to apologize to her while Tom prepares to deal with the mob. Mary Lou storms in before he can and admits that she might have gotten Bret into trouble. She offers to buy up the IOUs with Kate in return for calling off the mob, giving the saloon a discount on advertising, and stopping their efforts to shut down the Red Ox. Bret isn’t interested but Tom talks to him privately and they decide to take Mary Lou’s deal.



Kwai goes upstairs to take a bath and then puts on Chinese robes. She then goes to see Bret and offers herself to him since he showed her compassion. Bret refuses to take advantage of her and tries to explain that he owes her for saving his life. When he tries to free her, Kwai says that for her, freedom is just a dream.



The referendum takes place the next day. Bret sneaks out of his room, leaving a sleeping Kwai behind. Elijah tallies the votes and announces that the referendum didn’t pass. Meanwhile, Bret has Tom set up a private meeting between him and Saulter.

A disappointed Mary Lou goes back to the newspaper office and her mother tells her that there’s always next year.

Bret asks Saulter to “buy” Kwai from him and then slowly introduce the Chinese girl to the concept of freedom. When she learns that the alternative is Bret selling Kwai to someone else, Saulter agrees. She gives Bret the paper with her new orders on them, and Bret shows them to Kwai, claiming the orders are a new bill of sale. She objects but Bret tells her that neither one of them have a choice.



Bariger and his men prepare to leave on the stage, disgusted with Philo for tricking them. Philo has conveniently disappeared. Saulter and her women march out of town with a new recruit. Meanwhile, Philo seeks refuge with Lu Sung, who agrees to hide him for the time being.

That night, Elijah goes to see Kate and worries that although they won, he’s starting to lose control of the town. He figures that the townspeople may start expecting honest voting. Kate assures him that some things may change, but their relationship will always remain the same.

Bret is playing poker against a Lithuanian, who puts up ownership of some “breeding stock” to cover his bet. This time, Bret wisely decides to fold.



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