User Reviews

Gotta agree with the other reviewers, not much here. But when a series runs twenty years and over 600 episodes there are bound to be a few that aren't great. Despite some good acting the story couldn't carry the half hour. Even Matt's lines seemed forced. I guess when you're cranking out 30-39 episodes a season this could happen. But guess what? It's still better than most of it's competition in the 60s and better than ANYTHING on today. Nuf said.

This episode centers around a man, Print Asper, and his two sons that live outside of Dodge. Print is getting on up in age and went to a lawyer, Jay Rabb, to have the land turned over to his sons. However the slick lawyer knew that Print could not read and actually made the deed out to himself rather than the sons. When Print finds out about the deed, his returns to Rabb's office and makes him fill another deed out at gunpoint.

Later Rabb gets shot in the back while working in his office. He tells the Marshal that it must have been Print since he had already threatened him. While recovering in Doc's office someone returns and finishes the job on Rabb. Marshal Dillon believes that someone in the Asper family may have something to do with this murder and sets off to find out.

Nothing really remarkable about the episode other than the cavalier attitude of people at the end of the episode. One person in this episode loses everything dear but it seemed not to effect the person. Anyway, it was a nice plot that was played well by the actors. But it is also one that the viewer was glad to see come to an end when the unusual action was finally put to a stopped.

That opening scene may not be too plausible-- why would lawyer Rabb admit so easily to defrauding his victim-- but it is Ted Knight of the Mary Tyler Moore Show playing the slimy slickster Rabb. Otherwise, the entry is unusually uncompromising in its grimness. Looks like the Aspers may have spent too much time alone on the prairie. Except for Will, they're a hardened lot. So when tricky lawyer Rabb turns up dead, the only question is which of the Aspers did it.

Pat O'Malley gets a rare non-humorous role as mean old dad Asper and is convincing as all get- out. That last scene is treated about as unsentimentally as anything similar in the series. Not even Matt registers a discernible emotion. To me, it's one of the offbeat episodes that clearly separates the series from the rest of the six-gun pack.

(*Marshal Dillon quote*) - "I see. Any idea who did it?"

Print Asper unknowingly hires a crooked lawyer to take care of his business affairs around his ranch out in Coldwater.

When Print's 2 grown sons find out that their father has been hoodwinked by the shifty lawyer, there's some retaliation taken on their part.

Marshal Dillon does his best to investigate the whole ugly situation.