Good all-around episode. Paladin travels to capture a killer and return him to justice. Trouble is Paladin doesn't know him by sight and, at the same time, must compete with old bounty hunter Larker (Patterson) for the reward. There's something of a wary respect between the two competitors as they check into Mrs. Madison's boarding house where the killer is holed up. But which boarder is he, and who's the bigger menace, Larker or the escaped killer?
The plot develops some suspense as we wonder how events will play out. Then too, which of the boarders is the guilty party. Larker knows but Paladin doesn't. Two good scenes highlight the 30 minutes. The crowded dinner table develops nicely. Catch how our professional gunfighter tries to make small talk while everyone chows down. Also, gruff old man Patterson and Ellen Atterbury as the boarding house tyrant deliver first-rate performances. Be sure too to catch the final scene where the supremely self-assured Paladin reflects on his own mortality in a nicely shaded existential moment.
The plot develops some suspense as we wonder how events will play out. Then too, which of the boarders is the guilty party. Larker knows but Paladin doesn't. Two good scenes highlight the 30 minutes. The crowded dinner table develops nicely. Catch how our professional gunfighter tries to make small talk while everyone chows down. Also, gruff old man Patterson and Ellen Atterbury as the boarding house tyrant deliver first-rate performances. Be sure too to catch the final scene where the supremely self-assured Paladin reflects on his own mortality in a nicely shaded existential moment.
