A solid and entertaining even if not exceptional episode of the series. Josh is hired by a ranch boss to track down and bring back alive Juan Portilla, a line rider accused of cracking the safe and absconding with the loot. Juan's father Luis tags along to ensure his son is treated fairly, making for an uneasy relationship on the trail. Luis does all he can to throw roadblocks in the path, like faking an injury after being thrown from his horse and playing the "old man who needs to rest" card. Josh doesn't buy any of it, of course. He's a young bounty hunter, but hard-bitten.
The unusual bounty hunter as hero angle of this series is addressed in a few good lines. First, ranch boss Noonan says he turned down three other bounty hunters who wanted the job because he wanted Randall, a man with a reputation for bringing 'em back alive. Second, Josh assures Juan's fiancée Conchita that his job is just finding the suspects, not judging them guilty. If the mercenary and merciless Daimler in the preceding episode "The Bounty" was the stereotypical bounty hunter, Josh Randall stands out in sharp contrast.
The big reveal and resolution of this episode's plot will underwhelm veteran viewers of mysteries and Westerns. It's telegraphed early on that this is a scapegoating con job. The wheels begin to wobble at the end. Why did Noonan think it a good idea to make it appear that Juan and Josh were in cahoots? And the irony of Noonan faking being crippled then actually becoming crippled was forced. Luis, who threatened Josh in the prologue, is inexplicably and suddenly quite stoic when he finds his murdered son and the unrepentant killer laying on the ground vulnerable.
Or maybe Luis knows the fearsome fate that awaits Noonan when they return to the ranch and Conchita and the "more than 20 Mexicans" working there learn the terrible truth.
The unusual bounty hunter as hero angle of this series is addressed in a few good lines. First, ranch boss Noonan says he turned down three other bounty hunters who wanted the job because he wanted Randall, a man with a reputation for bringing 'em back alive. Second, Josh assures Juan's fiancée Conchita that his job is just finding the suspects, not judging them guilty. If the mercenary and merciless Daimler in the preceding episode "The Bounty" was the stereotypical bounty hunter, Josh Randall stands out in sharp contrast.
The big reveal and resolution of this episode's plot will underwhelm veteran viewers of mysteries and Westerns. It's telegraphed early on that this is a scapegoating con job. The wheels begin to wobble at the end. Why did Noonan think it a good idea to make it appear that Juan and Josh were in cahoots? And the irony of Noonan faking being crippled then actually becoming crippled was forced. Luis, who threatened Josh in the prologue, is inexplicably and suddenly quite stoic when he finds his murdered son and the unrepentant killer laying on the ground vulnerable.
Or maybe Luis knows the fearsome fate that awaits Noonan when they return to the ranch and Conchita and the "more than 20 Mexicans" working there learn the terrible truth.
