Three men are traveling by wagon from St. Joseph, Missouri to California. Two of the three, Adam and Cyrus, are brothers. The third goes by the name Boyd. Adam is the older brother, and he is the moral voice of the group. Boyd is evil. Cyrus, the younger brother, is the central focus of this story of good versus evil. I have always wondered if there is any significance in the three men's names starting with A, B, and C.
When a friendly woman meets the trio, she is killed due to the actions of the evil Boyd. When Quint Asper encounters the men, he is nearly killed by Boyd, but the good Adam prevents the murder. Eventually "good" and "evil" literally fight one another with evil being destroyed.
This story is oddly paced. There are a few brief moments of excitement and tension, but it plods along much of the time.
Michael J. Pollard is the Cyrus character, and he tends to steal the scenes where he appears. Pollard appeared in several television shows around the time this episode was filmed, and he went on to a fairly successful career in films, most notably his supporting role in the film Bonnie and Clyde, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. Pollard's characters were always offbeat and awkward.
Mark Goddard, who was best known as the Major Don West character on Lost In Space, plays Boyd. His portrayal of the evil character here is well done with the necessary amount of intensity.
The role of Adam is played by an actor named William Arvin, who had a very short acting career. I thought his performance here was poorly executed and added significantly to the strange pacing of the episode.
There are three fairly distinct acts in this episode. The first involves the three travelers and the young woman. The second act features Matt pursuing the men and finding Quint. The third act takes place once the story is back in Dodge City.
Other than Marshal Dillon, there is a fair amount of Quint Asper in this episode. We also get short sequences with Doc Adams, Miss Kitty, and Festus Haggen.
This final Season 9 episode does not rank among some of the better episodes during the season. For me, the finest of the season include Episode 12, "The Magician," Episode 19, "No Hands," and Episode 26, "Caleb." There are several other fine episodes during the season, but those three stand out.
When a friendly woman meets the trio, she is killed due to the actions of the evil Boyd. When Quint Asper encounters the men, he is nearly killed by Boyd, but the good Adam prevents the murder. Eventually "good" and "evil" literally fight one another with evil being destroyed.
This story is oddly paced. There are a few brief moments of excitement and tension, but it plods along much of the time.
Michael J. Pollard is the Cyrus character, and he tends to steal the scenes where he appears. Pollard appeared in several television shows around the time this episode was filmed, and he went on to a fairly successful career in films, most notably his supporting role in the film Bonnie and Clyde, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. Pollard's characters were always offbeat and awkward.
Mark Goddard, who was best known as the Major Don West character on Lost In Space, plays Boyd. His portrayal of the evil character here is well done with the necessary amount of intensity.
The role of Adam is played by an actor named William Arvin, who had a very short acting career. I thought his performance here was poorly executed and added significantly to the strange pacing of the episode.
There are three fairly distinct acts in this episode. The first involves the three travelers and the young woman. The second act features Matt pursuing the men and finding Quint. The third act takes place once the story is back in Dodge City.
Other than Marshal Dillon, there is a fair amount of Quint Asper in this episode. We also get short sequences with Doc Adams, Miss Kitty, and Festus Haggen.
This final Season 9 episode does not rank among some of the better episodes during the season. For me, the finest of the season include Episode 12, "The Magician," Episode 19, "No Hands," and Episode 26, "Caleb." There are several other fine episodes during the season, but those three stand out.