Those familiar with Buddy Ebsen via his amiable portrayals of Jed Clampett and Barnaby Jones will be shocked by this episode, wherein Ebsen is cast as Elmo Crane, the corrupt, psychotic and thoroughly detestable marshal of El Paso. After years of being victimized and extorted by the venal Crane, the townsfolk hire Paladin (Richard Boone) to put an end to the marshal's reign of terror. But no sooner has Paladin agreed to take the job than he is brutally pistol-whipped and cold-cocked by Crane--leading to a tense climax wherein the enraged gunslinger must figure out a way to beat the marshal at his own game. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi