A Native American from a Cheyenne tribe named Chato is responsible for the death of Marshal Dan Cooter. Marshal Cooter had pursued Chato for some time. Matt Dillon credits Cooter's diligent pursuit of Chato for preventing the half-Cheyenne man from killing more people. Cooter was Matt Dillon's friend, and now Marshal Dillon is sent to arrest Chato for Cooter's death, as well as the many others he has murdered.
The Marshal talks with a man named Juanito, who was a mutual friend of Marshal Cooter and has prepared a supply horse for Matt to take on his journey. Juanito tells Dillon that Chato is a loner who lives in a cabin high in the Sangre de Cristo mountains. People who live in the area and know about Chato call him "Muerte," which means "Death."
Juanito informs Matt about the area where Chato can be found, but he warns Dillon that capturing Chato will be extremely difficult. The people of the village near where Chato roams are not likely to provide any help. Chato's one potential weakness is Mora, Chato's companion.
Marshal Dillon rides to the village and, as Juanito warned, the people provide little help. In fact, Chato is watching Matt as someone is tending to a wound on the renegade's arm. Matt leaves the village. He later finds Mora in a nearby dwelling in the mountains and takes her into custody in the hopes of using her to lure Chato. (How the Marshal knew where to find Mora is never explained. Juanito had warned Matt that Chato's cabin was isolated in a remote area, but Matt does not appear to have trouble finding it.)
The feisty Mora tries to discourage the Marshal from further pursuit of Chato, but Dillon does not fall for any of her lies. Failing that, she tries to use threats to scare Matt away. Mora tells Matt that Chato is motivated by an incident that occurred when he was a boy where his people were attacked by U. S. soldiers. His mother was killed, but she used her body to protect her half-Cheyenne son. Chato is now on a mission to kill as many white soldiers as possible as an act of vengeance. Mora warns Matt that he will soon suffer the wrath of Chato if he continues his pursuit.
(Chato's quest for vengeance recalls Quint Asper's similar quest after his father was killed by white men in Season 8's "Quint Asper Comes Home" episode. This is the episode that introduces the Quint Asper character as played by Burt Reynolds.)
As expected, Chato eventually catches up with the Marshal and Mora. An exchange of gunfire alerts some men from a rival tribe. Suddenly Chato, Mora, and the Marshal are forced to defend themselves from these men. Mora is shot and seriously wounded in the incident.
Chato proposes a temporary truce with Dillon. They will get Mora medical help and address the Marshal taking Chato into custody later.
At this point, the story shifts from Dillon versus Chato to the two working together to get help for Mora while eluding the rest of the tribe that attacked them and injured Mora. However, the ultimate showdown between Chato and the Marshal continues to hang over everything.
Ricardo Montalban makes his single Gunsmoke appearance as Chato. This appearance was about three years following his iconic performance as Khan in Star Trek: TOS. Chato and Khan are similar characters, although Chato is not nearly as menacing and self-assured as Khan. It is easier for the viewer to empathize with Chato's actions, once they are better understood.
Miriam Colon returns for her fifth involvement in a Gunsmoke installment. She plays the Mora character. This episode is essentially the Montalban-Colon show, and I actually think Colon's is the better performance. This is not discounting Montalban's efforts, but Colon really shines in this story.
Rodolfo Hoyos and Peggy McCay both have short-but-important scenes earlier in the story. McCay plays Marshal Cooter's widow. Hoyos portrays Juanito. It is a bit surprising this marks the only Gunsmoke appearance by Hoyos, as he was no stranger to television dramas and Westerns during his lengthy acting career.
I do not know if the writer intended it, but this story highlights an important life fact: it is much easier to despise people we objectify. When Matt Dillon initially takes up the pursuit of Chato, he only knows of his reputation as a notorious killer who murdered his friend. Once he finds it necessary to spend time with the man, he can see Chato's humanity more clearly. He even learns to trust Chato to keep his word.
It is interesting that an episode was chosen to begin Season 16 where the only Gunsmoke star featured is James Arness, and the entire story takes place away from Dodge City. Writer Paul F. Edwards won a Golden Spur Award from the Western Writers Guild of America for this story. This is the first of five episodes Edwards wrote, but he was credited as a Story Consultant in over fifty episodes.
The resolution of this story is inevitable, but it is not expected in a day where more emphasis was placed on neater, happier endings and a reduction of violence. It is a promising episode to begin Season 16. It represents a return to form of sorts for this iconic series.
The Marshal talks with a man named Juanito, who was a mutual friend of Marshal Cooter and has prepared a supply horse for Matt to take on his journey. Juanito tells Dillon that Chato is a loner who lives in a cabin high in the Sangre de Cristo mountains. People who live in the area and know about Chato call him "Muerte," which means "Death."
Juanito informs Matt about the area where Chato can be found, but he warns Dillon that capturing Chato will be extremely difficult. The people of the village near where Chato roams are not likely to provide any help. Chato's one potential weakness is Mora, Chato's companion.
Marshal Dillon rides to the village and, as Juanito warned, the people provide little help. In fact, Chato is watching Matt as someone is tending to a wound on the renegade's arm. Matt leaves the village. He later finds Mora in a nearby dwelling in the mountains and takes her into custody in the hopes of using her to lure Chato. (How the Marshal knew where to find Mora is never explained. Juanito had warned Matt that Chato's cabin was isolated in a remote area, but Matt does not appear to have trouble finding it.)
The feisty Mora tries to discourage the Marshal from further pursuit of Chato, but Dillon does not fall for any of her lies. Failing that, she tries to use threats to scare Matt away. Mora tells Matt that Chato is motivated by an incident that occurred when he was a boy where his people were attacked by U. S. soldiers. His mother was killed, but she used her body to protect her half-Cheyenne son. Chato is now on a mission to kill as many white soldiers as possible as an act of vengeance. Mora warns Matt that he will soon suffer the wrath of Chato if he continues his pursuit.
(Chato's quest for vengeance recalls Quint Asper's similar quest after his father was killed by white men in Season 8's "Quint Asper Comes Home" episode. This is the episode that introduces the Quint Asper character as played by Burt Reynolds.)
As expected, Chato eventually catches up with the Marshal and Mora. An exchange of gunfire alerts some men from a rival tribe. Suddenly Chato, Mora, and the Marshal are forced to defend themselves from these men. Mora is shot and seriously wounded in the incident.
Chato proposes a temporary truce with Dillon. They will get Mora medical help and address the Marshal taking Chato into custody later.
At this point, the story shifts from Dillon versus Chato to the two working together to get help for Mora while eluding the rest of the tribe that attacked them and injured Mora. However, the ultimate showdown between Chato and the Marshal continues to hang over everything.
Ricardo Montalban makes his single Gunsmoke appearance as Chato. This appearance was about three years following his iconic performance as Khan in Star Trek: TOS. Chato and Khan are similar characters, although Chato is not nearly as menacing and self-assured as Khan. It is easier for the viewer to empathize with Chato's actions, once they are better understood.
Miriam Colon returns for her fifth involvement in a Gunsmoke installment. She plays the Mora character. This episode is essentially the Montalban-Colon show, and I actually think Colon's is the better performance. This is not discounting Montalban's efforts, but Colon really shines in this story.
Rodolfo Hoyos and Peggy McCay both have short-but-important scenes earlier in the story. McCay plays Marshal Cooter's widow. Hoyos portrays Juanito. It is a bit surprising this marks the only Gunsmoke appearance by Hoyos, as he was no stranger to television dramas and Westerns during his lengthy acting career.
I do not know if the writer intended it, but this story highlights an important life fact: it is much easier to despise people we objectify. When Matt Dillon initially takes up the pursuit of Chato, he only knows of his reputation as a notorious killer who murdered his friend. Once he finds it necessary to spend time with the man, he can see Chato's humanity more clearly. He even learns to trust Chato to keep his word.
It is interesting that an episode was chosen to begin Season 16 where the only Gunsmoke star featured is James Arness, and the entire story takes place away from Dodge City. Writer Paul F. Edwards won a Golden Spur Award from the Western Writers Guild of America for this story. This is the first of five episodes Edwards wrote, but he was credited as a Story Consultant in over fifty episodes.
The resolution of this story is inevitable, but it is not expected in a day where more emphasis was placed on neater, happier endings and a reduction of violence. It is a promising episode to begin Season 16. It represents a return to form of sorts for this iconic series.
