In Dodge City, only a U.S. Marshal can handle killers with the smell of Gunsmoke.
The episode opens with an introduction to Gunsmoke, starring William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon in Dodge City. It describes the violent west and the role of the U.S. Marshal. The setting is established with intense heat and dust on the plains. Matt Dillon, Doc, and Chester ride out to Old Man Gore's place ten miles away. Old Man Gore has had trouble with one of his hands. The hand has gone loco with liquor and been shooting up the cabins. The group finds the hand nearby, stripped naked and on his haunches. He is crying and drunk over a parched waterhole. Doc gets him to bed and fixes him up some. After this intervention, Matt, Doc, and Chester head back for Dodge. The episode focuses on a single incident of frontier disturbance. It shows the marshal's duty to maintain order in a lawless territory. The harsh environmental conditions add tension to the narrative. The hand's drunken violence contrasts with Doc's medical care. The resolution involves treatment rather than immediate punishment. The story highlights the human elements of western life. It ends with the group returning, suggesting ongoing patrols. The episode is a self-contained case of frontier justice.
