If we made a list of the Top Ten half-hour TV dramas of the black-and-white era, this one has to make the list.
The story's been told elsewhere here. I just want to focus on the concluding MYSTERIES And, yes, this episode concludes with a shocking ending that leaves a number of unanswered questions as mysteries whose solution can only be guessed at based on available clues.
1. What happened to Pindle? We can presume the citizen vigilantes saved him from the two bullies but was he sent on his way before they meted out summary justice? Given that Pindle is an innocent who can't keep a secret (actually doesn't even comprehend the importance of keeping some things secret) it would have been wise not to allow him to see the hangings. Evidently Matt shows no inclination to track down Pindle (who wouldn't be hard to overtake on his slow burro) because we suspect Matt doesn't really want to know what happened...
2. Was Chester in on the lynching? He claims to have gone to bed right after Pindle finished singing. It's hard to imagine that Chester would lie so blatantly to his friend & boss...but he might do so to protect his fellow townspeople and to protect Matt from making a difficult decision. There is a scene right after the bullies leave town in pursuit of Pindle where a group of townspeople emerge from the Long Branch evidently determined to follow the bad guys. We only see one guy fully; the rest are just shots of legs rushing in pursuit and none are of Chester, whose legs are pretty recognizeable.
3. Was Doc in on the lynching? Some viewers seem to think so; he was clearly involved in all the important scenes before. He appears at the final scene with the hanging bodies to provide his expert opinion about "time of death." While it's hard to believe an honorable physician who's taken the Hippocratic Oath would help kill even two very evil men, Doc Adams does occasionally show violent inclinations in later episodes of the series. He does have a temper. My opinion is that he was not directly involved but probably has some knowledge of what happened. But that's just a guess.
4. What are Matt's real feelings here? He must be torn between his duties as a lawman, his sense of justice and his feelings for Chester, Doc and the other citizens of Dodge. He admits he can't arrest the whole town. Many a time Matt Dillon takes actions which are more "just" than "legal" and while I can't see him ever hanging a man on his own, he certainly has shot down men who could have been taken alive. I think Matt is more astounded by the degree of extra-legality by which the townspeople have exercised "frontier justice" than he is personally affronted by what they did. I think his concern is more about setting a precedent and that's why he makes clear that, basically, "I'll let this one go this time but this is the last time!" He doesn't use those exact words but his meaning is clear.
For 1955 TV this is a story compellingly and astronomically "above the mark" of conventionality. Super super storytelling which you owe yourself to view.
The story's been told elsewhere here. I just want to focus on the concluding MYSTERIES And, yes, this episode concludes with a shocking ending that leaves a number of unanswered questions as mysteries whose solution can only be guessed at based on available clues.
1. What happened to Pindle? We can presume the citizen vigilantes saved him from the two bullies but was he sent on his way before they meted out summary justice? Given that Pindle is an innocent who can't keep a secret (actually doesn't even comprehend the importance of keeping some things secret) it would have been wise not to allow him to see the hangings. Evidently Matt shows no inclination to track down Pindle (who wouldn't be hard to overtake on his slow burro) because we suspect Matt doesn't really want to know what happened...
2. Was Chester in on the lynching? He claims to have gone to bed right after Pindle finished singing. It's hard to imagine that Chester would lie so blatantly to his friend & boss...but he might do so to protect his fellow townspeople and to protect Matt from making a difficult decision. There is a scene right after the bullies leave town in pursuit of Pindle where a group of townspeople emerge from the Long Branch evidently determined to follow the bad guys. We only see one guy fully; the rest are just shots of legs rushing in pursuit and none are of Chester, whose legs are pretty recognizeable.
3. Was Doc in on the lynching? Some viewers seem to think so; he was clearly involved in all the important scenes before. He appears at the final scene with the hanging bodies to provide his expert opinion about "time of death." While it's hard to believe an honorable physician who's taken the Hippocratic Oath would help kill even two very evil men, Doc Adams does occasionally show violent inclinations in later episodes of the series. He does have a temper. My opinion is that he was not directly involved but probably has some knowledge of what happened. But that's just a guess.
4. What are Matt's real feelings here? He must be torn between his duties as a lawman, his sense of justice and his feelings for Chester, Doc and the other citizens of Dodge. He admits he can't arrest the whole town. Many a time Matt Dillon takes actions which are more "just" than "legal" and while I can't see him ever hanging a man on his own, he certainly has shot down men who could have been taken alive. I think Matt is more astounded by the degree of extra-legality by which the townspeople have exercised "frontier justice" than he is personally affronted by what they did. I think his concern is more about setting a precedent and that's why he makes clear that, basically, "I'll let this one go this time but this is the last time!" He doesn't use those exact words but his meaning is clear.
For 1955 TV this is a story compellingly and astronomically "above the mark" of conventionality. Super super storytelling which you owe yourself to view.