An extremely dramatic episode showing off the talents of series Director Robert Sparr, Writer Clair Huffaker, Cinematographer Warren Lynch and Editor George Luckenbacher. When Pa Jutes and his two sons, Rood and Logan, ride quietly into town under the cover of darkness, they take over Marshal Dan's office while he and Deputy Johnny are having their dinner at a local café. Grabbing Lily and town paperboy Joey as hostages the Jutes force Dan to stop the train taking another son, Lester to be hanged. There's nice use of the latest telecommunications technology by Dan to send a Telegraph message down the line to locate Lester Jutes on the train. Dan hatches a plan for Johnny to don Lester's clothes to impersonate him, drawing Pa Jutes out into the street. The ruse works long enough for Johnny to gun down Pa Jutes, while Lily swipes Logan with a spur, distracting her captors, giving Dan enough time to burst in to finish off the Jutes boys. There's also a romantic storyline to resolve as Lily, to focus attention away from Joey, had told her captors that she and Dan were engaged to be married. Dan was perplexed by this when Pa Jutes goaded him about it, leading to the episode's sweet final scene in which Lily, with an enigmatic smile, tells Dan it was all part of the ruse, or was it? Special mention must go to the very effective episode soundtrack composed and arranged by Bert Shefter, Paul Sawtell and Erma Levin, and Joey's parents played by Joann Manley and Robert Nelson who give us plenty of pathos.
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