Killer's Widow

So, who's got the missing money? Importantly, Randolph thinks it's Paladin, while Paladin thinks it's Lucy, wife of the man he killed. The bundle is there, somewhere, but where.

Paladin separates himself from other fast-draw artists of the day by an appreciation of life's "finer things". Here, it's specially bred roses that he immediately knows about. Several points to add to zsenorsock's excellent review.

Note the dust on Paladin's shirt as he rides into town in the opening scene— an attention to detail usually overlooked in these hurry-up filming schedules.

After Paladin shoots the man through the window, he has a rare moment of self-doubt about his career with a gun. The scene closes out by enveloping him in expressionist darkness. Needless to say, such "existential" moments were unusual for any TV series of the day, but help make HGWT one of the few Western series worth re-visiting.

Note Roy Barcroft as the roughneck rancher John Griffin. Barcroft's a good example of a guy who started off as a stuntman and double, before eventually working his way into acting parts. He's very good, too.

Anyway, it's an unusual episode when the gunfighter's usual steely self-assurance dissolves into a recognizably human side, making him more than just a cultured high-brow with a fast gun.