Sweet and Sour

Interesting premise— sweet young Rena (Sharpe) gets harassed in stage depot, causing Matt to intervene. Now Matt wants to help her by getting her a job at the Long Branch. But Kitty senses something about the girl, except Matt's skeptical since the girl is so sweet looking. Now there's going to be trouble.

It's a clever twist on the sweet-young-thing that populated so many oaters of the day. However, in my book, the impact is lessened by clumsy staging and an over-done script (Meston). Did the entry really need so much clumsy gunplay when fist fights, for example, could have made the same point. All in all, it's a 30-minutes that doesn't execute the premise very well.

Matt and Chester see this pretty gal called Rena at the stage depot in Wichita. She is harassed by some galoot and, of course, Matt intervenes, stopping the guy in his tracks with a punch, and befriends Rena, and even gets Kitty to give her a job, however Kitty complains to him that Rena is trouble. She seen that kind before. The kind that likes to stir up trouble between men. Before long, two men kill each other over her manipulation and two more are going to hit the floor before the day is over.

I guess it's forgivable to think that this episode is over the top as how can a filly arouse men to gun each over her. But it's not totally impossible in regards of a lady getting two men to fight each other. Especially in the Wild West when men didn't see a woman for a while. Of course, the idea is exaggerated a mite to fit a western! It's fiction after all - it's meant to be a bit exaggerated and dramatic.

Karen Sharpe plays Rena and one look at her and you can understand why men are shooting each other for her. Not a great episode but has a neat idea and very good acting from Karen Sharpe.

This episode is about manipulation for the benefit of one's ego and/or profit. It could be a man or a woman, but in this case it happens to be about a woman. Beware of manipulators. I've run into them my whole life and I've hated them my whole life. They are nothing but trouble. You can't just punch them and shoot them like you can on TV westerns, so they are much more difficult to deal with in real life, especially when they win the confidence of one of your family members.

Matt Dillon runs into a beautiful young woman and rescues her from a trouble maker. Then the woman turns up in Dodge needing a job. Matt wants Kitty to hire her at the saloon, but Kitty doesn't want to saying she thinks the girl is a manipulator and that Matt is being suckered by her pretty face. And of course Kitty is right and Matt is wrong. Dead wrong. But Matt persists and Kitty gives in and hires the girl, warning that somebody is going to get hurt because of her.

I'll stop right there, but anybody can probably guess what's going to happen. A pretty girl right in the middle of tough guys in a country awash in guns. Gee, what could possibly happen?

Anyway, this is a very good episode. And a good lesson for all of us. Beware of manipulators. They are everywhere.

Others have reviewed this episode very well so all I will talk about my experience as it relates to this episode. Having played guitar in every sort of Honky Tonk bar, I have seen it all when it comes to a beautiful woman causing a real stir. Some reviewers are saying this episode is way over the top. NOPE. Mix alcohol, testosterone, and a sexy woman and you have a real problem. I have never seen a death but have seen guns, knives, fists, and even a chain saw pulled out over a woman. All a woman had to do was look at a man, and her boyfriend or husband was ready to fight. The plot of this episode happens all over the world. Some bars I played in asked you at the door if you had a gun or knife before they let you you in. If you replied NO, they said well in that case we'll loan you one. LOL

Anyway this was an interesting episode to me and that Karen Sharpe really lived up to her name. What a looker ! If you are in the mood for a little something different, don't miss this one. This 30 minute episode goes by like it was only 5 minutes long.

I don't remember who played the role of Rena on radio. Karen Sharpe was very good at portraying this sort of role on TV. She did pretty much the same thing on Bonanza in The Ape. Pretty on the outside and VERY ugly on the inside.

This is a very good episode.