One of the best episodes of the series starts with some innocuous banter about Lily's new lace curtains but quickly turns darker when news that Lal Hoard, played with seething menace by Robert Wilke, has been paroled and is heading to Laramie. Lal has had 5 years to ponder the best way of getting even with Marshal Dan and his strategy is to set up a newspaper press, The Laramie Bulletin, and use it to destroy the reputations of Dan and Lily. After publishing stories about Dan's outlaw brother Clay and threatening to expose the criminal past of the Bank Manager Oren Slauson played by Vinton Hayworth, Lal gets enough influence with the Town Council to get Dan sacked. With Dan freed from the Marshal's code of conduct he goes to confront Lal at the newspaper but is saved from further ruining his reputation by the intervention of Slauson. Lal is taken away after shooting the Slauson who confesses he was blackmailed by Lal into getting Dan sacked. Dan is re-instated and Lily gets to tenderly pin his Marshal badge back on before Dan accepts Lily's offer to help her hang her lace curtains and they head off arm in arm to the Birdcage.
In this episode the regular stars of the series, John Russell, Peter Brown and Peggie Castle, all give their acting some oomph, relishing their dramatic screens played out with great dialogue provided by show writer Ric Hardman. One highlight is a touching scene where Lily and Dan discuss their pasts and agree that none of it matters to their current relationship. There are also some good points made about the media's power to influence public opinion and at episode's end the newspaper press is left standing in the hope that a new proprietor will come to operate it for the benefit of the town.
In this episode the regular stars of the series, John Russell, Peter Brown and Peggie Castle, all give their acting some oomph, relishing their dramatic screens played out with great dialogue provided by show writer Ric Hardman. One highlight is a touching scene where Lily and Dan discuss their pasts and agree that none of it matters to their current relationship. There are also some good points made about the media's power to influence public opinion and at episode's end the newspaper press is left standing in the hope that a new proprietor will come to operate it for the benefit of the town.
