- J.D. is badly shaken when he accidentally kills an innocent bystander while foiling a bank robbery, and Ezra gets down to the nitty-gritty in a high-stakes poker match up.
- J.D. accidentally kills an innocent women while stopping a bank robbery and killing one of the robbers. Now he has to not only deal with the dead man's twin brother, but suffers a crisis of conscience for killing the woman. Meanwhile, Ezra is confounded to meet his match with a gambler who keeps cheating him - and Ezra can't figure out how.—Gislef
- J.D. accidentally kills innocent bystander Annie Neuhaus while helping Chris catch and killing bank robber Hector Thompson, whose brother Achilles assembles their civil war rogues gang to come collect the body, and that failing blackmails J.D. to exchange it for Annie's, also wanting revenge. Ezra finally meets his match in fellow gambler Big Lester Banks, whom he keeps accusing of cheating can't beat at any rematch. J.D. decides to return to the East coast by stagecoach with the swindler, but it's attacked by Achilles, whom he kills while fighting off, the mates convince him to return and stay.—KGF Vissers
- Big Lester Banks comes into Four Corners and goes to Ezra's saloon, and asks Ezra if the town is god-fearing. Ezra sarcastically says that it isn't and Banks introduces himself. He says that he's hoping a card game is happening in the saloon, and Ezra takes out a fresh deck. Banks takes out a deck of the same brand and says that they share the same good taste in cards.
J.D. is at a fruit cart and bids Annie Neuhaus a good day as she passes. Meanwhile, two miners, Morris and Hector, go into the town bank and ask how much they can get per pound on the gold they brought in. The banker quotes them $16 per ounce, and the supposed miners agree. When they go into the bank, Morris draws a gun on the banker and tells him that they want to make a "withdrawal". Achilles goes out and tells the customers at gunpoint to put their hands up.
J.D. is passing by outside and hears the commotion, draws his gun, and tells the robbers to surrender as they come out. They exchange shots, and Hector goes down. When he's wounded, J.D.'s shot goes wild through a window. Morris leaps on his horse, and Chris hears the shots, runs over, shoots Morris in the butt, and brings him down from his horse. The banker and another customer carry Annie out, and the banker calls for help because Annie has been shot. J.D. realizes that his wild shot hit her.
Nathan arrives and has Annie taken to his place. Buck asks if J.D. is hurt, and he tells Buck what happened and Annie got shot as he stares at his gun in shock.
Vin and Josiah take Annie to Nathan's office. When Josiah asks what else he can do, Nathan tells him that he can pray.
J.D. is sitting in the saloon staring off into space. Buck comes in, and Ezra--playing cards--says he heard gunshots and asks if everything is okay. Buck tells him that everything is fine and sits down with J.D. J.D. says that everyone in town knows that it was his bullet that hit Annie, and Buck tells him that it was an accident. The younger man says that he panicked, and Buck says that it could have happened to any of them. That doesn't console J.D., who says that it happened to him.
Nathan removes the bullet from Annie's chest, and her husband Hiram comes in. She says that she can't feel her legs, and Hiram tells her that she'll be all right. He then asks Nathan if Annie will be, and Nathan tells him that he'll do what he can.
Vin says that he's seen Achilles before and is wanted for robbing a bank in Julestown, and Morris lays beside them and complains that his wound is getting dirty. J.D. comes over as a group of men ride into town. Chris greets their leader, Achilles Thompson by name. Morris says that robbing the bank was Hector's idea. Achilles says that Hector was his twin brother, and goes to his brother's corpse and says that John Brown said Hector was a hero at Harper's Ferry.
Morris tells Achilles that J.D. shot Hector and Annie, and J.D. says that he didn't mean to shoot Annie. Achilles says that he'll see that Hector gets a Christian burial, and Vin tells him that they can't let Achilles take the body until they hear from the sheriff in Julestown. Achilles glares at him, as Buck comes up ready to back Vin if Achilles argues.
Achilles says that his brother isn't going to Julestown and goes for his gun. Chris and the others draw their guns, and Chris tells Achilles that he doesn't want to draw. Achilles' men draw their guns, and Achilles puts down his hands and his men lower their guns. Saluting Hector, Achilles tells J.D. to show Hector the proper respect, gets on his horse, and rides off with his men. Morris yells at Achilles not to leave him there, and Achilles ignores him.
In the saloon, Ezra and Banks continue playing poker. Both of them reveal three kings. Buck is watching and comments on it, and Ezra accuses Banks of cheating. Banks takes offense and accuses Ezra of cheating, and as they prepare to fight Buck suggests that they play the hand over in the interests of fairness. Banks agrees but sways that he needs food. They agree to play the next day and Buck says that he'll guard the pot.
Morris sits in a jail cell complaining about his wound, and asking when he can see the doctor. Vin ignores him and goes through wanted posters, while Chris tells Morris to shut up. J.D. comes in and says that he'll feel better when he knows Annie is going to live. Vin finds a wanted poster for Hector, saying that he's wanted for robbery in three states. He wonders why Achilles sent just two men to rob the bank, and Chris suggests that Achilles has bigger fish to fry. Morris says that Achilles and Hector were heroes during the war, but Vin figures that men on a murder spree aren't heroes. Despite that, Morris insists that the Thompson brother were ex-slaves, who went back and freed slaves.
Cc complains loudly about his lack of treatment. Vin goes out and helps Mary put up a poster advertising the territory's first poetry contest. He figures that poetry is pretty fancy for Four Corners, but Mary says that some of the best poetry is just plain speaking. She suggests that Vin enter the contest, figuring he might have a lot to say. Vin says that he'll study on it a bit.
That night, a drunken Ezra sits at the bar in his saloon and tries to figure out how Banks cheated. Vin comes in and asks Ezra if he could write down his poem for him because of his handwriting. Ezra laughs at the idea of Vin writing a poem.
Josiah reads the Bible over a deceased Annie. J.D. comes in and looks on in shock as Nathan covers Annie over.
On the street, Achilles' men wheel out a wagon and tip it over. Chris, in the jail, notices, warns Vin, and the two of them go out to investigate as the men take cover behind the wagon. A man runs out, yelling that they're taking the body, and Achilles comes out behind him and shoots him in the back. Buck comes out as Achilles' men provide cover fire for their leader, and Buck takes cover behind a trough. Chris and Vin return fire, and Buck draws his gun and joins in. Achilles comes out and shoots as well, while the two men with him take the coffin holding Hector. They load the coffin on another wagon and ride off, and the men at the first wagon run after them. Chris prefers not to follow them at night, suspecting a trap, and tells Vin to ride out in the morning and find out what direction they're going in.
The next morning, Achilles' band stops and Achilles says that his brother should be buried with the American flag. He cuts open the coffin and finds Annie's body inside instead of Hector's, and screams in frustration.
In Four Corners, J.D. walks down the street and the townspeople stare at him as he passes. Casey runs up to J.D. and asks if he's all right, and he says that he isn't. J.D. asks what the townspeople are saying about him, and Casey asks if it's true that he killed Annie. He admits that he did and walks away, and Casey says to herself that she was hoping there was a mistake.
Ezra sits down with Banks to replay their hand, and he says that he'll be watching carefully to make sure Banks doesn't cheat. Banks removes his coat to show he has nothing up his sleeves except his holdout derringer. Ezra does the same, removing his own holdout, and Buck comes over and puts the pot on the table.
Outside, Hiram asks Chris why the marauders wanted Annie's body. Buck comes out as Hiram tells Chris that he needs to get Annie's back to give her a proper burial. Hiram asks what Chris is going to do about J.D., and Buck asks what he means. The husband says that J.D. is reckless and the townspeople would feel safer if J.D. was walking around without his guns. The other townspeople agree, and Buck asks if they remember the other things that J.D. has done. Hiram says that they're not forgetting, but he's a boy.
Buck takes offense, and Chris separates him and says that Hiram had made his point. When Buck asks Chris if he's going to let the townspeople run J.D. out of town, and says that it could have happened to any of the Seven, Chris says that it didn't and Buck walks off in disgust.
When Vin rides back, he tells Chris that Achilles' marauders triple-crossed their tracks to thwart any tracking efforts. Chris tells him to wait until morning to make a fresh start so he can ride with him, and Vin agrees. Mary comes up and asks Vin to give J.D. her best because she knows he's down. Vin agrees, and Mary tells him that she's waiting for his poem. He says that his scribing is hard to read, and she offers to write it down for him.
In the saloon, Ezra and Banks continue their game as the customers look on. Banks wins a full house, beating Ezra's three queens, and he points out that Ezra was the dealer as he collects the pot.
That night, J.D. is sitting on a bench on the boardwalk when Achilles finds and grabs him. Achilles says that guns don't bother him, and he's already been shot eleven times. He tells J.D. to bring him Hector's body, outside of town and alone. In return Achilles will hand over Annie's body.
The next day, J.D. drives a wagon with the coffin out to the stand of oaks.
Chris and Vin take an extra biscuit to Morris in his cell, and they notice that Hector's body in the next cell is gone. Morris says that it will cost them a steak and potatoes for him to tell what he knows. Chris throws the biscuit at him, and Vin draws his gun on Morris and threatens to shoot him if he doesn't talk..
J.D. arrives at the oak stand and finds Annie's coffin waiting on the ground. J.D. confirms that Annie is in the coffin and expresses his regrets for shooting her. He wishes it could have been him and not her, and Achilles walks up and says that it's too late for that. Achilles' other men step out of hiding, and Achilles invites J.D. to have some coffee.
In the saloon, Ezra is eating breakfast with Buck and Nathan. Ezra finally says that he saw the jacks that Banks made his full house with, on the bottom of the deck, and he couldn't have dealt them to the man. He blames his loss on lack of skill, and Nathan says that he feels the same about Annie dying under his care. Vin comes in and says that J.D. took Hector's body, and they all leave to ride after their friend.
Achilles and J.D. have coffee over Annie's coffin, and J.D. says that it's the first time he's killed a woman, and she's innocent. The marauder says that killing is killing, and tells J.D. that he's not a killer. Achilles says that he killed men and women in the war when he was J.D.'s age. When J.D. points out that he heard Achilles was a war hero, the ex-soldier says that it depends on which side you're on.
When J.D. asks about the origin of his name, Achilles says that he was named after the Greek hero, and is invulnerable like the Greek Achilles was. He then draws his gun, says it was nice talking to J.D., and prepares to shoot him. Vin shoots Achilles in the arm from the brush, and the others step out. Chris yells that it doesn't have to go any further, and Achilles yells at his men to take the Seven.
J.D. ducks down behind the coffin, and Achilles soon orders a withdrawal. The marauders ride off, while J.D. cows behind the coffin. The Seven ride back to town with both coffins, and Achilles watches them from hiding. He says that they're not invulnerable like him, and says that they'll finish their business and turn Four Corners into a graveyard.
In town, the people hold a funeral procession for Annie. J.D. and Nathan both watch from the sides. At the cemetery, Josiah presides over the funeral. Casey sees J.D., paying his respects, and goes to him. She asks why he's there, and he says that he's paying his respects. Casey says that he shouldn't be there, and admits that he can't make it right with her. Annie was her friend, and Casey goes back to the gravesite. J.D. looks at Hiram and his two daughters, now motherless.
Later, J.D. goes to the church, sets aside his guns, and kneels at the altar. Josiah sees him and comes in, and says that he hates funerals. J.D. asks him if he did something to make God mad at him, and says that he can't bear to touch his guns. Josiah talks about a bare-knuckle brawler in San Francisco that accidentally killed a man, and never won a fight again because he couldn't live with his own strength.
Ezra finds Banks at his hotel room, eating breakfast. He offers a wedding ring as stakes, and Banks takes it as collateral. Ezra insists that Banks still cheated him, and starts to remove his clothing. Banks does likewise, and Ezra challenges him to stud or draw poker. Banks merely says that it will become apparent shortly.
The two men go to the saloon and play, and finds Ezra and Banks playing naked.
Mary is working at her press when Vin comes in and asks her to transcribe his poem. He says it's called 'A Hero's Heart', and recites it. When Vin is done, Mary tells him that it's beautiful. She realizes that he can't read and there's nothing to be ashamed of. Vin angrily denies it and storms out.
The next day, J.D. goes to Annie's grave and contemplates his revolver. Then he places his gun and gun belt on the cross and walks away.
Ezra walks down the street, using a rug to protect his privates from public view. As Vin goes past, Ezra insists that Banks cheated, yells at the ladies staring at him, and goes on his way.
Buck finds J.D. selling his horse at the livery, and the younger man says that he's lost faith in Casey and town's faith in him, but hasn't lost his mind. He says that he's come to a decision and is going to head back East, and Buck tells him that they need him and he can't just leave. When J.D. says that he's slow him down, Buck tells him that he needs J.D. and he doesn't know what to do without him. J.D. just says that he'll think of something and walks off.
J.D. goes to the church and says that he's come to say goodbye. Josiah hugs him and says that J.D. did a lot of good while he was there. J.D. says that he's no hero, and Josiah tells him that it takes someone who is willing to sacrifice their life for the greater good to be a hero. He tells J.D. that he's proven that time and time again, and says that they've all made bad mistakes and that's what makes them human. J.D. gives Josiah some of his money and tells him to put it to the church, and leaves.
Vin returns to the newspaper office and apologizes for storming off. Mary says that she didn't mean to embarrass him, and says that he should feel proud of his poem. He has thought of another one, and recites it. It's about how he's just a man and has an Achilles' heel, and asks Mary to teach him how to read and write. Mary readily agrees.
As J.D. prepares to get on the stage heading East, Buck and the others arrive to see him off. Mary gives J.D. sandwiches for the trip, and Casey is there. Chris tells J.D. that he can change his mind if he wants to, and Casey looks despairing. J.D. says that it's for the best if he leaves, and jumps on the stage as it leaves.
As the stage heads through the countryside, Banks is aboard and offers J.D. a game of cards.
Chris and Vin release Morris, who asks if they're interested in a deal. They're not interested until Morris says that it's about J.D. Chris slams Morris against the bars and gives him until the count of 3 to talk. Morris breaks and asks if he'll get a little consideration, then says that the government is transferring gold to the mint and didn't provide an escort to keep it under wraps. Achilles has an old friend working for the stage company and learned about it. Chris tosses Morris back on his bunk.
One of Achilles' men shoots the shotgun rider dead, and the marauders ride down on the stage. Banks holds out his derringer and offers it to J.D., as the driver whips the horses up. J.D. tells Banks that Banks might need his gun, and he's not going to take it.
Achilles shoots the driver, and J.D. climbs out and up to the top of the coach, takes the reins, and circles the coach back to town. He goes through the marauders, and they give pursuit. One marauder jumps onto the side, and Banks kicks him off. The marauder grabs Banks' wooden leg and pulls it off as he falls.
The Seven ride up shooting, and the marauders peel off. Achilles, however, has gotten on the back of the coach and climbs toward J.D. He grabs J.D. from behind and they struggle, and Achilles says that killing is easy. J.D. throws Achilles over and he's run over by the stage wheels, and J.D. stops the horses. Ezra grabs the wooden leg as he rides past the downed marauder.
The Seven catch up to the coach, and Josiah says that what J.D. did is heroic. Buck gives J.D. his guns back. Meanwhile, Ezra returns the wooden leg to Banks and reveals the extra cards hidden inside. As they head back, Banks admits that he lost his leg in roulette, and Ezra suggests a rematch.
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