Will Hackett has been released from prison after serving ten years for a failed train robbery attempt. Upon his release, he travels to a farm where Quentin Sargent lives. Sargent, who went by the name Skylar at one time, was also involved in the train robbery, but when he encountered some lawmen inside a train car, he ran. Sargent managed to escape. He eventually settled on the farm outside Dodge City. He is now married to a woman named Geneva.
Hackett makes it clear he despises Sargent. He resents Sargent because he ran away from the robbery and managed to escape any prison time for his part in the crime. Hackett bullies Sargent into going into Dodge to get three horses and some dynamite and related supplies needed for attempting another train robbery. While Sargent is away, Hackett attempts to force himself on Geneva. Hackett is sadistic and enjoys terrorizing the Sargents. He attempts to goad Quentin into a gunfight, but Sargent knows he is no match for Hackett's gun.
The episode becomes a cat-and-mouse game with Hackett's cruelty and criminal plans juxtaposed with Sargent's desperation and resolve.
Other reviewers have noted the casting choices made in this episode. Earl Holliman plays the sadistic Will Hackett character. Holliman appeared in three different Gunsmoke episodes and portrayed men on the wrong side of the law in each. He is sufficiently sinister and convincing as Hackett.
The most interesting casting choice is having Morgan Woodward play the part of Quentin Sargent. Woodward was known for playing either quiet, stoic men, or raving maniac characters. It is odd seeing him play a man who is terrified by his nemesis. He appeared in eighteen different Gunsmoke episodes playing everything from men of wealth and power to mountain men to gang members to completely insane lunatics.
Jennifer West is the naïve Geneva Sargent character in this story. Geneva has a bubbly sort of personality, and she tends to think the best of Hackett until he makes it painfully clear he is not her friend. This was Ms. West's only Gunsmoke appearance. Her career primarily consisted of bit parts in television shows. This role looks to be her last in episodic television.
The bully versus victim story is old as time. The biggest problem with this version is Quentin Sargent's cowardly refusal to attempt to protect himself and Geneva from Hackett. The Sargents would have no business living isolated on the prairie without a shotgun, and a timely shotgun blast could have easily solved their problems. Sargent *allows* his fear to consume him and Hackett to terrorize him. It is exasperating from the perspective of the viewer.
There were even less violent options available. Sargent could have simply gone to Dodge and explained the situation to anyone available in the Marshal's office. It was unlikely a judge would have sentenced Sargent to prison time for a 10-year-old botched robbery from which he ran away. The statute of limitations had likely expired for the crime, anyway.
There are numerous ways this familiar type of story could have been improved, but I did not find it as unpleasant as some other reviewers.
(Footnote: There is an outstanding scene early in the episode where Hackett visits the Long Branch Saloon just as Sam Noonan and Kitty Russell are closing for the night. This scene should not be missed. It is as captivating and tense as any Gunsmoke has ever featured.)
Hackett makes it clear he despises Sargent. He resents Sargent because he ran away from the robbery and managed to escape any prison time for his part in the crime. Hackett bullies Sargent into going into Dodge to get three horses and some dynamite and related supplies needed for attempting another train robbery. While Sargent is away, Hackett attempts to force himself on Geneva. Hackett is sadistic and enjoys terrorizing the Sargents. He attempts to goad Quentin into a gunfight, but Sargent knows he is no match for Hackett's gun.
The episode becomes a cat-and-mouse game with Hackett's cruelty and criminal plans juxtaposed with Sargent's desperation and resolve.
Other reviewers have noted the casting choices made in this episode. Earl Holliman plays the sadistic Will Hackett character. Holliman appeared in three different Gunsmoke episodes and portrayed men on the wrong side of the law in each. He is sufficiently sinister and convincing as Hackett.
The most interesting casting choice is having Morgan Woodward play the part of Quentin Sargent. Woodward was known for playing either quiet, stoic men, or raving maniac characters. It is odd seeing him play a man who is terrified by his nemesis. He appeared in eighteen different Gunsmoke episodes playing everything from men of wealth and power to mountain men to gang members to completely insane lunatics.
Jennifer West is the naïve Geneva Sargent character in this story. Geneva has a bubbly sort of personality, and she tends to think the best of Hackett until he makes it painfully clear he is not her friend. This was Ms. West's only Gunsmoke appearance. Her career primarily consisted of bit parts in television shows. This role looks to be her last in episodic television.
The bully versus victim story is old as time. The biggest problem with this version is Quentin Sargent's cowardly refusal to attempt to protect himself and Geneva from Hackett. The Sargents would have no business living isolated on the prairie without a shotgun, and a timely shotgun blast could have easily solved their problems. Sargent *allows* his fear to consume him and Hackett to terrorize him. It is exasperating from the perspective of the viewer.
There were even less violent options available. Sargent could have simply gone to Dodge and explained the situation to anyone available in the Marshal's office. It was unlikely a judge would have sentenced Sargent to prison time for a 10-year-old botched robbery from which he ran away. The statute of limitations had likely expired for the crime, anyway.
There are numerous ways this familiar type of story could have been improved, but I did not find it as unpleasant as some other reviewers.
(Footnote: There is an outstanding scene early in the episode where Hackett visits the Long Branch Saloon just as Sam Noonan and Kitty Russell are closing for the night. This scene should not be missed. It is as captivating and tense as any Gunsmoke has ever featured.)