Deputy U. S. Marshal Virgil Packer is rounding up a posse and plucks the prize plums of the High Chaparral's ranch hands, much to Buck's chagrin. A ruthless bandito band led by the murderous marauder El Lobo is within reach of the law. Buck says it isn't their fight; besides, it's roundup time. But Big John overrules his kid brother. He knows they need law and order in this land, and when it shows up on their doorstep, they can't turn it away.
Begrudgingly, Buck rides along, intent more on being a thorn in Packer's side than an able assist in capturing the men who have left a bloody trail of innocent blood north of the border before fleeing to safety south of it.
Since Packer is intent on crossing into Mexico and thus onto Montoya land, Manolito tags along. Victoria makes a point about the pact between Big John and Don Sebastian Montoya; namely that Cannon's men cannot cross onto Montoya's land, and that her marriage to John is the sign and seal of that pact. Where did this pact come from? Buck just a few shows back pulled Montoya's fat from the fuego in "The Filibusteros." Certainly Montoya would welcome back Buck and company ready to rout a brutal band of blaspheming, beef-stealing cucarachas? (Blaspheming, you ask? Those goblets Mano and Lobo gulp wine from were sacred vessels stolen from a church!)
As it turns out, Montoya gives a wink and a nod to El Lobo's heinous crimes as long as they are committed against gringos north of the border. We knew Don Sebastian was mercenary, but to tacitly condone murder as long as it's not in his backyard tarnishes whatever luster remained on the Montoya family honor.
As for Manolito, is he a longtime friend of literally every lowborn varmint and villain? To Mano's credit, he walks the tightrope of playing both sides against the middle. When you ride with both sides, asks Lobo, what do you do when you come to a fork in the road? A good question, and Mano's actions offer an excellent answer.
Robert Lansing plays the stone-faced and imposing authority figure he's played dozens of times in dozens of shows. His Deputy U. S. Marshal Virgil Packer could be the great-grandaddy of Detective Steve Carella that Lansing so memorably played on 87th PRECINCT.
Packer is cool, quiet, and in possession of qualities that convince you he knows what he's doing. The writers unwisely pitted Packer against Buck, who was jittery, quick-tempered, and bullying. The result was I found myself rooting for Packer! Yeah, Buck was trail smart and knew how to play Montoya's meddlesome men. Packer would have led with his badge and been riddled with bullets in record time (we don't need no steenkin' badges, right?).
Sam Butler gets more to do here than usual, though ugh--that beard! He just can't grow a good one. Beards figure large in this episode to indicate spans of time passing. Lansing is seen shaving at one point, but later looks like a fuzzy old prospector. Mano fares the worst with a scraggly beard supposedly to indicate he's been riding for days if not weeks to find Lobo.
Big John, Blue Boy, and Victoria were left sitting on the bench this time around, appearing only in short scenes to bookend the show. The elder Montoya himself is also a no-show, though oft spoke of.
The story is long on action. Maybe too long? I would have enjoyed learning more about Packer and Lobo instead of protracted gunfights and long rides along scenic trails. Lansing was able to demonstrate his talents, though his character was a cardboard cutout of the dedicated and indefatigably determined lawman. Caruso fared worse, playing a cartoon character bandito, laughing maniacally, gulping booze, and grabbing at women. Better roles awaited each actor.
For example, when I saw this episode boasted two beloved second season STAR TREK guest stars, I was going to make a lame joke about a battle of wits and blazing sidearms between Bela Oxmyx and Gary Seven. But this episode predates those two classic performances. Anthony Caruso's "A Piece of the Action" would air in January 1968, a month after this show's broadcast, with Lansing's "Assignment: Earth" following in March.
I suspect this story's struggles are due to writers Bob and Esther Mitchell's unfamiliarity with the Western genre and with this series' characters. They primarily wrote crime and detective dramas, such as HIGHWAY PATROL, and were just coming off a 17-episode stint writing the war drama COMBAT. Knowing that, this episode feels like an unused and reworked COMBAT script with cop show elements (enhanced by casting Lansing, well known in both genres). This would be the Mitchells' sole episode of the series.
As it stands, this was an undistinguished but enjoyable episode of the series with an added appeal for Buck and Sam fans and for center-season TREK enthusiasts.
