The Raid: Part 2

We pick up in this second part after the Stark Gang has just robbed the Dodge City Bank. But because of Marshal Dillon and Festus, things did not go as planned and some of the gang members are killed before getting out of town.

When things went wrong, the one gang member that posed like a regular citizen, Les McConnell, kidnaps Doc Adams and then sets some random fires around Dodge so that Matt cannot form a posse until the danger of the fires are quieted. This will give the remaining gang members some extra time before making their way to Oklahoma.

With the gang members at odds with each other on what is best for the group, it will lead to a cleansing of the group. The large gang will be reduced to only a few as Matt and Festus keep tracking the gang across the state.

It will all come down to a final stand with Doc Adams in the middle. As Matt and Festus approach the group the leader, Jim Stark, demands that he be the one to kill the Marshal. And when the first shot rings out the pressure will be too high for some to take.

With the first part packed with action, the tracking across the prairie and desert seemed rather slower. But it was so germane to the story that it had to be done and actually went by rather quickly. I have never been fond of two part episodes but will say this is the exception. A very well written story that was interesting the entire two hours. Good Watch.

I am a big fan of Gary Lockwood, but he goes overboard as the hot tempered outlaw leader. A lot of yelling and screaming is about all he does. Nothing new here, but still entertaining.

The Stark Gang has brazenly robbed the bank in Dodge City, but a diversion Jim Stark had planned did not work as expected, primarily because Clell Williams was impatient and veered off the plan. The result was that Matt Dillon and Festus Haggen returned to Dodge earlier than expected. As a matter of fact, they come riding into town just as the Stark Gang is making their exit. One of the gang, Jeff Fraley, is shot and seriously injured during the ensuring gunfight.

Les McConnell was supposed to stay behind in Dodge for another day, but that depended on the robbery plan working as expected. When Jeff Fraley was shot, his brother Pence went after Doc Adams, wisely realizing Jeff would need a doctor's care. McConnell set several fires to keep the Dodge City citizens occupied and left with Pence Fraley and Doc.

When the gang arrives back at the Early farm they were using as a meeting place/hideout, Jim Stark confronts Williams about his failure to execute the plan properly. Jim Stark also gives Mr. and Mrs. Early (and the viewer) a little speech justifying his actions. Stark tries to make the case that he is some kind of Robin Hood figure stealing from banks, trains, and "rich Northerners" and giving the plunder to more deserving people. No one really buys Stark's reasoning, not even Stark himself.

The story now shifts to a more familiar cat-and-mouse scenario where Marshal Dillon, Festus, and the posse from Dodge City is pursuing the gang, but there are surprising developments along the way as the story builds to an inevitable conclusion, particularly as both the "cats" and the "mice" suffer from attrition along the way, and Jim Stark descends into an increasing state of madness at his inability to control the situation.

Arguably, this is the best two-part episode in the entire Gunsmoke series. The cast, the acting, the story, and the direction are all top notch. The episodes could easily be edited into a movie. The two episodes offer some intense, compelling viewing.