Strong story. Matt and Chester encounter suspicious character (Hutton) on the prairie. He's got a pack of horses he says are his, but Matt says the brand indicates they belong to a farmer in the area. So Matt takes him to the farmer's place to see where the truth lies.
Hutton turns in a first-rate performance as the shifty-eyed stranger, managing to convey menace without acting tough. His smugly arrogant Joe Trimble is also one of the more dislikable troublemakers of the early series. There're also a couple of major twists, one of which the IMDb synopsis unfortunately gives away. Nonetheless, that and the final scene suggest something on the order of a cosmic justice should the human variety fail.
(In passing—I have mixed emotions about the very first scene that in effect removes all doubt about what happens later. I'm thinking the story would be more thought provoking had the scene not been included. See what you think.)
Hutton turns in a first-rate performance as the shifty-eyed stranger, managing to convey menace without acting tough. His smugly arrogant Joe Trimble is also one of the more dislikable troublemakers of the early series. There're also a couple of major twists, one of which the IMDb synopsis unfortunately gives away. Nonetheless, that and the final scene suggest something on the order of a cosmic justice should the human variety fail.
(In passing—I have mixed emotions about the very first scene that in effect removes all doubt about what happens later. I'm thinking the story would be more thought provoking had the scene not been included. See what you think.)