Gunsmoke The Devil's Outpost (1955–1975) Online

***SPOILERS*** Yup, just like usual. I thought I recognized the pretty brunette in the opening scenes, and it was a pleasant surprise to find out who she was, wasn't it? Now, I hate to disagree with other reviewers, but, in this case, I must. I found this episode to be well written, action-packed, good looking girls, thoroughly despicable outlaws,very well acted; a very quick moving drama that grabbed right at the start and stuck with it through to the end. It was gratifying to know that these complete rats would get what they had coming to them - at the end of a rope.

Just a couple of thoughts. We KNEW that the telegraph operator was in trouble when Matt left without making sure the message was sent out right then. Why didn't they change horses right then? Why didn't Matt put the dead rat's and Cody's guns in the stage? Just in case the posse (that couldn't show up) needed extra weapons? Why didn't the stage driver get to shoot at least one of the dirtbags? The verbal dueling between Macgruder and Cody was great, by the way. The driver just grinding it in to what was gonna be Cody's final moment, and telling him that he was nothing but bit. First to catch his brother, and then food for buzzards. Adios, creep.

The very best conversation was, of course, between Festus, Doc, and Newley about a telegram that was sent to Festus by Matt. The way Festus uses his own logic to explain why learning to read telegrams might be a bad thing is as hilarious as it is flabbergasting. You MUST see it for yourself. The acting is terrific, the story tough, and clean, scenery just right. I liked it a lot. This is a strong 9.

This is a routine western script that has been played out many times in this series plus is usually a main plot in about every western show or book since the beginning of the written word. What the writer has to do is change the setting and characters to produce and interesting plot and it seems the job was done well enough to at least stir some interest.

The main plot is when one of the gang members has been arrested by the law and the rest of the gang think of a way to spring their friend from the grasp of imprisonment. In this script, Matt is on a stage when Cody Tyce, the younger and wilder brother of the gang leader Yancy Tyce, gets caught by the Marshal when he tries to rob the stage. When word gets to Yancy, he vows to rescue his brother and make the Marshal pay for shooting another member that was in on the robbery.

With Festus out of town, Newly gets a telegram advising to meet the Marshal at an outpost outside of Dodge. When Newly gets to the stopping place the gang of robbers are already there where they will hold Newly as hostage until the stage carrying the captured gang member arrives.

Even though the story was well done by the actors involved, the circumstance of the situation did not lead itself to a suspenseful show. It was fairly obvious how the ending was to be played out early in the episode. And when one of the main characters gets shot, the writer came up with a unbelievable happening to keep the person alive. Not really a poor show but one that was predictable nearly from the start.