Jim Barrett is a tired gunslinger who cannot escape his past, as much as he wants to. When he kills the young, loud-mouthed, brash Joey Jeffords--played by a young Zalman King, who would go on to long a career in erotic, soft-core films--in a fair gun fight, a series of events are set in motion that are bound to end in tragedy.
Throughout the episode, we learn a lot about Barrett's regrettable past while Pa Jeffords rounds up his clan to find Barrett and exact revenge for Joey's death. We never learn much about Jeffords and his family, other than they are all ornery and determined to avenge Joey's death.
This episode features another outstanding cast, particularly with Jack Elam's Jim Barrett character and Lee Van Cleef as the Jeffords patriarch, although as another reviewer suggested, Van Cleef is pretty much wasted here. Tino Pollick is good in his role as David.
The problem with this episode is that it is predictable and weak on substance, despite having two different story arcs. The Jeffords clan never seems particularly menacing. One has to wonder how they managed to survive as long as they have given their arrogance and oddball sense of justice. David's hatred for Jim Jeffords seems a bit contrived, given the circumstances. The ending is quite predictable by the time we arrive there.
Elam's performance here is the highlight, and it elevates the episode somewhat. He does a great job at eliciting a certain level of sympathy for his character, although we know he is just reaping what he has sown during his career. He knows he has no future, and he fully accepts his regrettable past.
This is another episode where the stories could have been part of any western. The Dodge City regulars are merely side players, and, once again, Matt has to leave town to attend to other duties. The premise of the episode was promising enough, but the poor script doesn't live up to the promise.