The unplanned series finale gets mixed reviews. I can't say it's a masterpiece. Still there are worse things to watch including other Gunsmokes. Victor French is associated with dramatic performances in this series. He played a number of villains. Here he plays a lazy sharecropper to comedic effect. The role doesn't always work. Still it's worth staying with. Along with some decent music, the real star of this one is Ken Curtis. Festus was never better. Here the beloved deputy evokes laughs without seeming moronic. And a message extolling hard work and making things right slips in. Part of the appeal of this series is it has so many episodes. There's bound to be some worth watching. This one works well enough. If you're down on this one you can go back to the series beginning. As for me it's wistful thinking about how bad TV got after canceling an iconic show.