Ep 6. The Peace Officer

Marshal Matt Dillon is the peace officer of Dodge City, and in this episode, he finds himself trying to maintain peace between two feuding families. The feud began when Tom Asbury killed Jack Drinkwater, and it has been raging ever since. Both families are determined to get revenge and tensions are running high.

Tom is hiding out in the hills, and Matt sets out to bring him in. He finds him and brings him back to town, but the Drinkwater family is not happy. They confront Tom and tensions rise once again. Matt steps in to try and defuse the situation, but it’s clear that things are only going to get worse.

The heart of the tension between the two families is the fact that the Drinkwaters want Tom dead in order to avenge Jack’s death. On the other hand, Tom claims that Jack was going to kill him first, and that he acted in self-defense. Matt has to decide whether to let the law take its course, or to try and find a peaceful solution.

Matt’s attempts to keep the peace are complicated by the arrival of Tom’s brother, Joe. Joe has heard about the situation and has come to town with his sights set on revenge. He confronts the Drinkwater family and things quickly turn violent. Matt’s sheriff, Newly, tries to intervene, but he’s beaten badly.

In the aftermath of the fight, Matt and Newly are both forced to consider their roles as peace officers. They start to question whether their job is actually possible or if it’s just a never-ending cycle of violence. They have to decide whether to let the families continue their seemingly endless feud, or to try and find a way to put an end to it.

As tensions continue to rise in Dodge City, Matt decides to take a bold step. He invites representatives from both families to his office and tries to broker a truce. He explains that the feud will only lead to more violence and that both families will only end up losing more loved ones. Matt’s words strike a chord, and both families agree to lay down their weapons.

Matt’s efforts to keep the peace in Dodge City are met with mixed results. He successfully manages to broker a truce between the two families, but not everyone is happy. There are some who are still determined to seek revenge, and the episode ends with the fate of Matt and Dodge City’s peace hanging in the balance.

Overall, The Peace Officer is a tense and gripping episode of Gunsmoke. It deals with themes of violence, justice, and the role of the peace officer in a lawless society. The episode is a testament to the show’s ability to tell powerful stories with complex characters and difficult moral dilemmas.