![]() When Matt gets to Trevor first and takes him in, Trevor warns "there will be twenty shotguns pointed at your head" when Matt sends Trevor off to court for trial. While Matt searches for Trevor (and Trevor orders a hit on Matt), Kitty (who is nursing Leona) struggles with her feelings toward her boyfriend's past girlfriend, finally making an uneasy alliance with Leona. Trevor has learned of Leona's defection and puts out a murder contract on her. Guilt-ridden, he brings Leona back to Dodge and learns her story: she had drifted after leaving Matt, turning to prostitution and hooking up with various gang members, closing with Trevor himself. To his horror, Matt recognizes the woman as Leona, a woman he knew and loved before he came to Dodge City. The woman is then shown lying in a corner, having accidentally been shot by Matt. The dying outlaw reveals that he left at the request of Trevor's girlfriend, who was also shocked by his cruelty and wishes to leave. The outlaw lives for a few minutes, and Matt asks him why he deserted the Trevor gang. Matt finally kicks in the outlaw's door and shoots him. It is not likely many people in the area would have paid that exorbitant amount, even if they had the means.Matt and Festus shoot it out with an outlaw who was a member of the infamous Jess Trevor gang, particularly notorious for murder and mayhem. It seems quite unlikely a restaurant in Dodge City, Kansas during the time this episode is set would go to the trouble of acquiring raw oysters, keeping them on ice - considering the difficulty of making ice during the time, and then offering them at that price. ![]() The chalkboard in the restaurant reads, "Today's Special, Oysters $2 per dozen." Two dollars in 1875 would be more than fifty dollars today! The price probably makes sense under the circumstances. (A mildly curious side note to this episode: Early in the story, the drunken Corley character is shown shucking and eating raw oysters. This is a highly recommended, thought-provoking installment of Gunsmoke. It is not often the Gunsmoke writers and producers would delve into historical events in this manner. Those looking for a lot of action and gunplay are likely to find this episode disappointing. One of the oddest guest performances is from Stanley Clements as the character McInnerny, who snores through most of every scene where he is present. This was Coughlin's first participation in the show, but he would eventually appear in four other episodes before he was hit by a speeding car and killed when he was only 31 years old. Another fine talent, Kevin Coughlin, plays Tom Driscoll, the son of Tim and Louise. ![]() DoQui's only other Gunsmoke performance was in the episode "The Good Samaritans" later in the season. Talented actor Robert DoQui makes one of his two Season 14 appearances in a Gunsmoke episode as one of Corley's companions named Sadler. Louise Latham, who previously appeared in that Robert Totten directed "Waco" episode earlier in Season 14, is Louise Driscoll, Tim's wife. He contributed the story for one Gunsmoke epsiode, Season 13's "Nowhere to Run." A vastly different looking Bob Totten sans facial hair would star in another Season 14 episode, "The Long Night." Nehemiah Persoff makes another of his many Gunsmoke appearances as the Tim Driscoll character. Totten guested in eight different Gunsmoke episodes over the years, and he directed twenty-five episodes between season 11 and 17, including the "Waco" episode from earlier in Season 14. Robert Totten's performance as Corley truly shines among a strong cast of guests. As such, this episode can be interpreted as a statement about the horror of war and its lingering effects. The strength of this episode is that Tim Driscoll's situation is resolved, but the larger issue is not. I also agree with the reviewer grizzledgeezer. As for the plot of this story, I recommend reading the excellent historical perspective provided by kenstallings-65346.
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