One of the ugliest plots of the entire series, but presented in a truly outstanding way. Featuring the stunningly beautiful Vitina Marcus, this episode deals headlong with racism, and how people filled with it can become capable of some of the ugliest acts in humanity.
What should have been among the more joyful moments of a father's life was turned into a human tragedy by a young son incapable of maturing into true manhood.
Too weak to either defend his honor with integrity, nor to look past his own selfish and immature desires, the son ruins the lives of many. Among the multiple morality plays that the Gunsmoke series delivered, this one, which premiered back in 1961, was jarring in its unflinching narrative. Perhaps no other TV series of that era had the guts to present such a raw narrative, or to so forcefully teach an essential lesson. And one suspects few, in any, would have the courage to tell it straight and honest today.
In doing so, Gunsmoke immortalized itself, and remains relevant to setting an example of what people of true courage and morality should always stand for.