In my opinion, the section of Season 13 that features this episode contains some unusually poor quality installments of the series. I suppose a series that runs for 20 years is bound to have some bad episodes here and there, but this trifecta is not characteristic of the normal high-quality Gunsmoke often produced.
Episode 14, "Wonder" is an absolute mess. Episode 15, "Baker's Dozen" is an uncharacteristically sentimental attempt to offer a feel-good episode at Christmas, and this episode, "The Victim" is a tired, predictable story that lacks anything particularly interesting.
This is another of those episodes where Matt is on his own away from Dodge City. Cliff Osmond plays a fairly stereotypical overgrown brute with a low IQ named Bo Remick. Bo has a crush on Lee Stark, who is apparently the town's token "saloon girl." When Bo happens upon a situation where Billy Martin--the son of the town's patriarchal namesake, Wes Martin--is harassing Stark, the chivalrous Remick comes to Stark's defense, and Martin is killed.
Remick is arrested and charged with murdering Martin. The elder Martin is understandably angry over the untimely death of his son, and, for some unknown reason, the other townspeople seem all too eager to punish Remick. The sheriff--apparently the only person in the small town that cares about justice--sends word to Matt Dillon that he needs help to prevent a lynching.
If this seems like familiar territory for Marshal Dillon, it is because it is. There are a number of other episodes of Gunsmoke where Matt finds himself in some small town facing a potentially violent vigilante mob that are more interested in their misplaced vengeance than they are in seeing actual justice done.
Unfortunately, this particular version of the familiar story does nothing to build suspense or even make the viewer care that much about the outcome.
There is even an absurd scene where Matt essentially tricks a couple of the more vocal townspeople into being deputized and has to resort to beating them up to make them wear their badges and perform their "sworn duties."
There are some recognizable actors in this episode. James Gregory plays Wes Martin, but his performance is bland and uninspired. Beverly Garland handles her role as Lee Stark well enough. Cliff Osmond plays a character he has played many other times. I suppose when you are a bigger, somewhat unattractive man, it is easy to become stereotyped as a brutish simpleton. There is nothing much notable about any of the performances.
There is simply nothing much to recommend about this episode.
Episode 14, "Wonder" is an absolute mess. Episode 15, "Baker's Dozen" is an uncharacteristically sentimental attempt to offer a feel-good episode at Christmas, and this episode, "The Victim" is a tired, predictable story that lacks anything particularly interesting.
This is another of those episodes where Matt is on his own away from Dodge City. Cliff Osmond plays a fairly stereotypical overgrown brute with a low IQ named Bo Remick. Bo has a crush on Lee Stark, who is apparently the town's token "saloon girl." When Bo happens upon a situation where Billy Martin--the son of the town's patriarchal namesake, Wes Martin--is harassing Stark, the chivalrous Remick comes to Stark's defense, and Martin is killed.
Remick is arrested and charged with murdering Martin. The elder Martin is understandably angry over the untimely death of his son, and, for some unknown reason, the other townspeople seem all too eager to punish Remick. The sheriff--apparently the only person in the small town that cares about justice--sends word to Matt Dillon that he needs help to prevent a lynching.
If this seems like familiar territory for Marshal Dillon, it is because it is. There are a number of other episodes of Gunsmoke where Matt finds himself in some small town facing a potentially violent vigilante mob that are more interested in their misplaced vengeance than they are in seeing actual justice done.
Unfortunately, this particular version of the familiar story does nothing to build suspense or even make the viewer care that much about the outcome.
There is even an absurd scene where Matt essentially tricks a couple of the more vocal townspeople into being deputized and has to resort to beating them up to make them wear their badges and perform their "sworn duties."
There are some recognizable actors in this episode. James Gregory plays Wes Martin, but his performance is bland and uninspired. Beverly Garland handles her role as Lee Stark well enough. Cliff Osmond plays a character he has played many other times. I suppose when you are a bigger, somewhat unattractive man, it is easy to become stereotyped as a brutish simpleton. There is nothing much notable about any of the performances.
There is simply nothing much to recommend about this episode.