I have to admit, in my memories of watching Gunsmoke in my younger days, Festus just did not compare favorably to Chester.
Now going through the seasons of Gunsmoke on DVD, I'm getting an opportunity to view both characters again extensively probably for the first time since the 1980s. And although Chester can be quite humorous, he is rather one note over time. Festus, at least as presented in this episode, is more complex. Of course it will be over a year when he returns to the show, and he was probably only intended to be a one time character until Chester's Dennis Weaver decided to leave Gunsmoke.
The one thing you don't have to wonder about is Festus' Uncle Jack Haggan's character. The episode opens on a boy of about ten milking a cow. He sees Jack Haggan (Denver Pyle) ride up and knock on the door. The boy's grandpa answers the door. Haggan asks if the man is alone he says yes and Uncle Jack shoots him. He would have shot the boy but he makes off on a horse and evades Jack Haggan's bullets. All so he could steal a wagon and a horse. So you know Jack Haggan is a cold blooded killer who has no problem killing witnesses over a minor theft, even if those witnesses are old men and children.
Marshal Dillon returns to the farm with the boy, and they hear somebody stirring in the barn. It is Festus Haggan, who says he had nothing to do with the killing. The boy confirms that Festus is not the man who killed his grandpa.
So Festus volunteers to help Marshal Dillon hunt down the killer, who turns out to be Festus' Uncle Jack. The reason Festus was at the farm? He is hunting down his uncle himself for getting his brother killed during a robbery. Festus has no real problem with the robbery itself. It is just the fact that his uncle left his brother to die.
So this is the gray character we get to know over the rest of the episode. So what tiger exactly does Dillon have by the tail? Is Festus going to help Dillon bring his uncle back to Dodge to face trial? Will Festus be persuaded by Jack's silver tongue and talk of family togetherness when they do finally catch up to him and help his uncle escape? Or will he kill Uncle Jack himself for what he did to his brother?
Watch and find out.
The only annoying part of the episode is Jack's teenage mistress that, for some reason, the Marshal and Festus bring along. The reason is probably that the plot required it, because logic certainly did not. She is an annoying untrustworthy thorn in the side for the entire trip back. All Dillon had to do was take all of the guns out of the house and leave her in the cabin where he found her, with food and shelter and no horses.
I look forward to seeing more of Festus when he returns in season nine.