"Fathers and Sons" is the second episode of season 3 of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
After having a nightmare of being dead, Loren buys a stallion for $45, changes his hair and plans a trip to Bolivia to prove he is not getting old after he falls off the stallion; Brian and his friend Steven spy on Colleen and her 2 friends while they are swimming naked in the creek. Sully talks to Dr. Mike about telling Brian about the birds and the bees. Brian and Steven go to Matthew, Jake, Horace, Hank for advice on women. Dr. Mike tries to give an anatomy lecture to him after he spies on Colleen getting dressed and runs away from home thinking he can outrun puberty. Loren and Brian become inadvertently allies as they battle the advances of a hungry bear; Loren decides to make a lot of noise to scare the bear off; little did they know that Sully was not too far behind making sure they didn't get hurt. Also, Jake and Hank begin a war of practical jokes involving having to be soaked in beer; however things get out of hand, culminating in injuries to them both to include Hank blowing up an outhouse with Jake inside. Dr. Mike is thankful when the two inadvertently make up in Mike's clinic joking over what started it all. The best part of the episode is the end when Sully arranges for Loren to be praised in a Cheyenne ceremony giving him his new name 'the one who stands against the bear', telling him it is an honor for the elder men of the tribe to make him feel needed even though he is getting older.
This episode provides examples of:
- Age Insecurity: Loren's nightmare triggers his.
- Bears Are Bad News: A hungry bear threatens Loren and Brian.
- Hollywood Mid-Life Crisis: Loren has a bit of one, buying a stallion, changing his hair, and planning a trip to Bolivia.
- Outdoor Bath Peeping: Brian and Steven spy on Colleen and her friends.
- Prank Gone Too Far: Jake and Hank's war of practical jokes gets out of hand.
- Skinny Dipping: Colleen and her friends swim naked in the creek.
- The Talk: Dr. Mike attempts to explain things to Brian — by reading him an anatomy textbook. That poor kid.
