The Intruder

This episode should have been titled 'What a set of coincidences' rather than the given title.

When Festus rides out to collect a prisoner and bring him back to Dodge for trial is sets up a bizarre story that plays out during the show. It begins early as Festus witnesses the prisoner, Riley Sharp, assault the two prison guards but provides no extra caution on the horse ride back to Dodge. Of course Riley then tries to kill Festus before being overpowered which should have been another warning for Festus but again no extra caution is taken.

Riley had a bad wound on his leg and forced the wound to bleed making Festus try to find help. They ride upon a ranch house that is occupied by Henry, Ellie and young Timmy Decker. But hold on---the prisoner is Ellie Decker's husband plus the small child is the prisoner's son. What a odd coincidence! With Festus riding back to Dodge to bring Doc Adams. Riley makes a deal with Henry Decker. Riley will show Henry where $25,000 is located if he will take his abusive life away from Ellie and Timmy.

When the two make it to an old mine where the money is hidden things do not go as planned. With Festus on his way back to the ranch house it will be up to Timmy to bring some of the facts to light.

This was one of those shows that stretches the plot so far that it is hard to get into the story. Throw all sensibilities you have for believable stories out the window before beginning the show. This was not a good day for fans of the series.

Festus Haggen is picking up a prisoner named Riley Sharp to bring him back to Dodge City to stand trial. Sharp and his partners robbed the freight office in Dodge, killed a clerk, and stole and hid $25,000. They were all desperate for money. Sharp reasoned he could spend the prison time necessary and then use the money after he served the sentence, but he found prison life unbearable and managed to escape after eight long years.

Sharp has a leg wound that he intentionally makes worse. Sharp knows his ex-wife and young son live in a nearby farmhouse. By making the injury worse, he correctly reasons that Festus will choose to stop at the farm instead of continuing to Dodge.

Sharp's ex-wife, Ellie thought Sharp - who she knows as Bill Crawford - was dead. She has married a cruel, opportunistic man named Henry Decker. Decker cannot stand the idea of Sharp being in his house with Ellie tending to him. (He does not know about Ellie's past with Sharp until later.) When Decker rides into Dodge to find more information about Sharp, he learns about his crimes.

With Sharp suffering from blood poisoning, Festus decides to leave the farm to go to Dodge and bring back Doc Adams. When Ellie is forced to tell Decker about her relationship with Sharp, Decker decides to kill Sharp. He thinks he can tell everyone that he was forced to shoot Sharp when Sharp attacked him.

Sharp is saved by the fact that he knows where the $25,000 is hidden. He makes a bargain with Decker: Sharp will turn over the money if Decker will leave Ellie and Timmy, the son. Decker can go to Mexico and spend the money freely. Decker agrees, but he has other plans he chooses to keep to himself for the time being.

Charles Aidman makes his fifth and final Gunsmoke appearance as Riley Sharp/Bill Crawford. Aidman's involvement with the show goes all the way back to Season 4. He also played a leading role in the episode "The Money Store" earlier in Season 14. His performance in this story is particularly good as a desperate man who does desperate things.

John Kellogg played villains in six different Gunsmoke episodes. This is also his final appearance on the show, and he has never been nastier.

As with Aidman and Kellogg, Gail Kobe makes her final Gunsmoke appearance in this episode as Ellie. She had been involved in three previous episodes with her first involvement being in Season 3.

Child actor Eric Shea, who had also played Aidman's son in the earlier "The Money Store" episode, is Timmy Decker in this story. Timmy is a key character and provides some surprising revelations that significantly help Festus in resolving the situation.

This is a taught, well-acted drama, and it is one of those rare episodes where Festus is the main character in a serious story. Most of the story takes place away from Dodge City. The other series regulars are mostly or completely absent. The requisite Matt Dillon appearance does take place at the very end, but it is not vital to the story.

The only minor complaint I have about this episode is that it is one of those stories where nothing particularly applicable to Gunsmoke is involved. This story could be used with almost any other drama with some minor tweaks. However, it is still an entertaining story well worth a viewing.

(I do not understand the other reviewer that thought this episode contained too many coincidences. The story does not present the circumstances as coincidental.)

(There is also a documented "goof" that is incorrect. Festus went to Dodge to get Doc, but Doc is away, which is why Doc does not return with Festus. Furthermore, this situation sets up the final scene where Doc accuses Festus of practicing medicine without a license.)

Something happened between the prior episode (which also featured Festus) and this one. Festus seems to have lost his hillbilly accent and his habit of using flowery figures of speech.

When this episode started, I had to rewind a bit to watch whether it was Festus speaking--it did not sound like him. The voice was deeper, the accent was relatively unnoticeable, and every other line did not contain a humorous saying or figure of speech.

Maybe this indeed was a script for a different series which was adapted for Gunsmoke purposes, and there was insufficient time to add in the Festus-isms.

It was a good episode regardless of the change in Festus, though the plot was a complex as a soap opera.