This was a joy to watch. A well written script, full of good humour, bounded with a nagging realism that both highlights and dampens the optimism of its main characters.
At the centre of all this is a beautifully measured performance from Steve Cochran as the main cowpuncher, Dobbs, hoping that the good old days and ways are still around the corner, as long as he is heading west. Dobbs' dream is encouraged by a couple of buddies with a similar outlook, roping in Trampas for the ride. On the journey they encounter an old outlaw gang led by Jack Scratch, a superbly menacing cameo by Leo Gordon. (I really hope he had some hand in the writing of his part.) While refusing to acknowledge it the outlaws way of life is also being controlled and destroyed by changing times. Dobbs and co then go into a town they formerly knew as espousing wild west 'eye for an eye' values. They are both bemused and disappointed with what they find.
This story could have been an inspiration for 'The Wild Bunch', though much less violent of course. For a tv western series that held the usual tight deadlines to develop plot and characters, this episode was a standout. Believeable people both good and bad, I empathised with most and ended up frustrated with a conclusion aided by the mark of progress. Please see this, it should have you smiling, frowning, and reflecting.