Doc always made any Gunsmoke story a lot better with his witty remarks and warm personality. On a few occasions, Doc humbly and bravely took the blame for things that were out of his control. Doc Adams was a good character, and Milburn Stone was a great actor. Doc often showed a level of compassion for others that was not appreciated or understood by some of the rough characters that were on Gunsmoke.
Eunice Christopher plays Sara, the wife of Tom, played by Joe Don Baker. In 1969 she was a full 45 years old, and she looked 50. I thought she was Joe Don Baker's mother the first time I watched this show, and I figured that his wife died with the baby.
Later on when she says she is pregnant again, I realized that she was Joe Don Baker's much-older wife. Back in the 1870s, it was not common for any 45 year old woman to get pregnant or bring the child to term. Her pre-natal needs would have been way beyond the scope of Doc Adams.
Most of the acting by Eunice Christopher reminds me of Hope Summers, the old lady that was the store keeper in The Rifleman and who also was Aunt Bea's best friend in The Andy Griffith Show. Eunice had the same "kind old lady" personality as Hope Summers.
Eunice looked out of place as the wife of Joe Don Baker, who was 12 years younger than her, and honestly looked like he was in his twenties (but he was 33 in 1969).
She and Joe Don Baker cannot muster up a kiss in any scene. Towards the end, she just got saved from a fire, and Baker is holding her in his arms telling her how much he loves her, but he pulls back when she nudges towards him for a kiss. They never kiss. That's why I thought she was his mother when I saw this episode the first time.
The rest of this story features Joe Don Baker ranting away in his Buford Pusser (Walking Tall) Southern accent. Baker is enraged at Doc Adams because Adams stayed in Dodge to remove the bullet from Jack Lambert, instead of going out to Bakers' farm to deliver the baby.
Jack Lambert always played a nasty villain. After Doc saves his life, Lambert tries to kill him because he is the witness to the murder that Lambert committed. I always thought it would be nice if Doc Adams had put a scalpel into Lambert's guts when Lambert threatened to kill him while he was laying in bed. Friendly Doc Adams could have gotten away with it. "He bled out after the operation, Matt. Nothing I could do."