In the earlier days of television, a series season was quite long. Season 12 of Gunsmoke contained 29 episodes. The Gunsmoke producers would use various strategies to give actors a break. That's why we occasionally see episodes like this one where Matt is on his own away from Dodge City. The other regular characters enjoyed some well-deserved time off. Likewise, some episodes barely feature James Arness at all. Fans of the show will certainly recall episodes where Matt tells one of the other characters he has to leave Dodge for some reason at the beginning only to return at the very end of the episode. This is one of the "Matt only" episodes.
The Marshal has been sent to Mexico to pick up a prisoner named Jim Bassett that is being extradited to the United States. (Whether a U.S. Marshal would have actually been asked to complete such a task, especially without any assistance, is very doubtful.) Matt runs into trouble when he is beaten and robbed by a couple of fellow Americans in a small Mexican town.
The situation is complicated by a Confederate Colonel and a loyal Sargent who are essentially still fighting the War Between the States as refugees in Mexico. The Colonel refuses to help Matt once he learns that Matt was a Union soldier and is now a U.S. Marshal.
One would think that after being beaten, robbed, and refused help by the Colonel, Matt would simply try to make his way back to the U.S. and regroup. But we all know that is not Dillon's style. He stubbornly continues to pursue the outlaws that robbed him, despite having no jurisdiction in Mexico. (I don't think his authorization to transport Bassett back to the U.S. would have given him the authority to engage in shootouts throughout another country.)
This episode features another outstanding cast. Robert F. Simon and Steve Ihnat make another of their many Gunsmoke appearances. It is always a joy to see Warren Oates, Arch Johnson, and Jim Davis. The acting and entertaining story are good enough to overlook some of the questionable liberties taken with history.