The third season of Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman finds CBS's family-oriented frontier feminist drama coming off the peak of its popularity, yet still enjoying the fruits of its phenomenal creative success. This is borne out in the fact that CBS gave the green light for six double episodes: four aired in two-hour slots on single nights, and the other two aired in successive weeks during this 1994-95 campaign. It is a season of momentous events for Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn (Jane Seymour) and the citizens of Colorado Springs, culminating with "For Better or Worse," the two-part wedding episode that saw the good doctor tie the knot with Sully (Joe Lando). Before that deeply satisfying season climax, though, there were several landmark episodes, such as the November '94 sweeps two-parter, "A Washington Affair," which finds Mike and Sully accompanying Cloud Dancing (Larry Sellers) to the nation's capital to lobby on behalf of the local Cheyenne. Johnny and June Carter Cash make a welcome appearance as Kid Cole and Sister Ruth in the "Thanksgiving" episode, which also features future Sex and the City costar Kristin Davis as Carey McGee. "Cooper vs. Quinn" features Ben Murphy as the father of Mike's adopted kids, who returns to town and initiates court proceedings to reclaim his kin. Still, perhaps the most striking Quinn episode ever telecast is "Washita," an intensely dramatic two hours in which General George Custer (Jason Leland Adams) rides in with the U.S. Cavalry and slaughters the Cheyenne at Washita River. Cloud Dancing survives to serve as Sully's best man in the season finale two weeks later; but Gen. Custer announces a bounty for his capture.
