The Other Half

If you enjoyed this episode, I don't want to talk you out of your enjoyment. I thought the story was satisfactory. But Jess/Jay was, in my opinion, miscast.

Lee Kinsolving came from a theatrical acting background, which is quite different from TV or even radio. I am sure that Gunsmoke did not allow for weeks of rehearsal and character development, and I'd say that director McLaglen did not have the time to work with Kinsolving to shape the performance.

I forced myself to watch this show to the very end, thinking that maybe there would be some late development to explain why Kinsolving was acting like that: strange affect, paranoia, obsession. The character obviously was written with the idea of the actor basically acting the lines without needing to get in touch with life experiences or the "inner child." In other words, to deliver a performance similar to what a TV or radio actor would do. It would have been good to be able to understand "why" rather than to chalk it up to insanity.