This is only the second episode of Tombstone Territory I have seen - a western series that seems near forgotten when considered alongside its contemporaries such as Gunsmoke.
I was struck most by its realism - this is a gritty tale that sees horse riders struggling their way through long wild grass and not the stony desert plains often seen in westerns.
The main guest character, Frank Masters, played by Ken Drake, is a dying man and he genuinely looks like someone at the very edge of life. His deeply lined face is narrow, emaciated, sweating constantly as he convulses with consumption. There is an aside moment, not a big speech, just a statement where he admits his terror of death and begs the Sherriff escorting him to not let him die. It is little touches like this and the stark monochrome photography that almost make the episode feel like found footage from the 1800s - long before film even existed.
The brief twenty five minute story sets up a scenario where a stagecoach robber is sought out due to the large reward for his capture on offer. The final outcome of the search and what happens to the reward provides an effective surprise ending.
I was struck most by its realism - this is a gritty tale that sees horse riders struggling their way through long wild grass and not the stony desert plains often seen in westerns.
The main guest character, Frank Masters, played by Ken Drake, is a dying man and he genuinely looks like someone at the very edge of life. His deeply lined face is narrow, emaciated, sweating constantly as he convulses with consumption. There is an aside moment, not a big speech, just a statement where he admits his terror of death and begs the Sherriff escorting him to not let him die. It is little touches like this and the stark monochrome photography that almost make the episode feel like found footage from the 1800s - long before film even existed.
The brief twenty five minute story sets up a scenario where a stagecoach robber is sought out due to the large reward for his capture on offer. The final outcome of the search and what happens to the reward provides an effective surprise ending.
