THE FIFTH VICTIM**

• The tracks are two days old, according to Heyes, who has a certain confidence about him that he knows pretty much everything. Two hours fresh, counters the Kid. What makes the whole exchange charming is that when Heyes is proven wrong by the attack of the big cat, he can laugh at himself…and the two men have a couple’s moment. They are familiar, they flirt a little over it, and Kid asks Heyes if he has had enough for the day or wants to continue. It isn’t one of their more overt couple’s moments, but their closeness, and care for each other shows…

• My, my. A rather pleasant shot of Kid, from knee up to waist, as he loads his gun and deftly twirls it right into the holster. We girls do enjoy a nice knee to waist shot, don’t we ladies? §

• I laugh and shake my head as Ben mounts his horse without bothering to even touch the stirrup. It is astonishing to me that he would do such a thing. I cannot for the life of me imagine why. Except that it does show him to be athletic, and in quite strong shape physically. I wonder if he is showing off or just awkwardly unskilled when it comes to horses. I hate to say it, but my guess is the latter.
• I wish the boys were hired by Jake for some other reason than killing cougars. I understand in those days ranchers and farmers could be devastated by attacks on their livestock by the big cats and had no real alternative other than to kill off the predators. But it bothers me nonetheless to see the beautiful animals flung over the back of a horse and taken back to the rancher as proof of the execution. The props they use are quite realistic looking and it disturbs me. It is a survival of the fittest world, with humans being the fittest of all, but I would rather just not be shown the killing of these gorgeous animals.
• I don’t care as much for what I consider “heavy handed” humor, the more obvious comic lines—and I suspect the most popular among fans—like Heyes saying it wasn’t his life that flashed before him when the big cat jumped on him, but the floor plan of the bank of Ft. Worth—as I do for the subtle, somewhat more understated wittiness such as Jake telling the boys on the ride into town they will like the other poker players, who are “your kind of people”, and in the next scene we find that the other players are a judge and a sheriff. The obvious line is cute enough but humor that doesn’t slap me in the face with blatancy is always much more satisfying to my thinking mind.
• Being a bit of a poker player myself, I simply cannot stand a dealer who thinks he needs to tell the players what they have showing on the table. “Six to your nines, Judge. Spade, possible flush, Sheriff. Deuce, no help…” recites Jake as he deals the hand of what appears to be five card stud. I much prefer a professional dealer who runs a silent table, but in this game it seems Jake feels the need to narrate the whole game—telling people when to bet, when to ante, whose turn it is to deal. Does he think he is playing with a table full of imbeciles?

• To make sure I was hearing what Jake was saying correctly as he “narrated” the poker game, I turned on the closed captioning for the poker scenes, and was amused to find that the captioning confused Jake and Heyes’ voices during the first half. Whenever Jake spoke, the captioning cited Heyes and vice versa. Good to know those translating for the hearing impaired can’t hear themselves.
• I love almost any scene with Heyes playing poker. He has a savvy and strong instinct for cards and he is always particularly sexy to me in these scenes because we are made very much aware that he is intelligent and confident and *sigh* damn good looking.
• Ok, I just saw breakaway scenes while the men are playing poker that included two sunsets and two views of the town during the day. Does this mean these guys actually played cards for 48 hours straight? Or is it just questionable directing by none other than the swarthy Fernando Lamas?
• I love how Heyes looks at Kid when the judge asks what else the boys do besides kill mountain lions. “Oh, a little of this…” “…and a little of that…” finishes Kid, “as long as it is wholesome and honest, Judge.” Kid exasperates Heyes with the things he says at times, and it is an attractive dynamic between the two of them.
• It is a very nice scene when Heyes feels that the deck is short. It is Heyes at his best…fingers so sensitive to touch he can feel one card missing from a deck of fifty-two…*deep sigh* And it is also Peter at his finest, the way he delivers the line, with a release of breath and a look of discontent before he speaks. He allows his body to speak before he does. Perfect. Peter was a brilliant actor, and his nuances were unquestionably superb. ®
  

  

  *mmmmm*
• A very amusing running gag about the funerals becoming less and less reverent. By the third poor fool’s death, the funeral is just a rapid run through of the previous two.

• A gentle moment, when Heyes gets shot and Kid jumps off his horse, runs to him and puts his ear to Heyes’ chest to listen for a heartbeat. I would have liked to see Ben emote a bit in this episode though. Just one glimpse of fear or a sound of emotional pain over Heyes being nearly mortally wounded—an “oh, god” or a “nooo…” would have been enough for me. He does clearly show love for his partner on his face, however, during a later scene. That will appease but not totally satisfy me.
• Heyes is absolutely delectable lying there unconscious, having his head wound dabbed at by the doctor, and later, still unconscious, just lying there. This man could bring out the nurturer in any woman, unless, of course, she is dead.

  
• I like Kid in a crisp light colored shirt and no vest…very Old West GQ.
• Kid’s piercing blue eyes sure show up when he is looking like a drowned rat after being shot at and taking a dive into the river.

  

• I love the interaction between Helen, the saloon girl, and Kid. The way she says “Hello, Jones” really kind of defines her character for me, for some reason. I think she is one of the better female guest stars in the series, although her part is somewhat small. And speaking of small, well, did you notice her waist?
• Kid. You have been taught manners, if not by your mother, then at least by Heyes. Did you just blatantly look directly at Helen’s breasts when she said “I understand I may have something you want” and you replied with a flirty “could be”? Naughty boy.
• I love when I notice little flaws in the show. As Kid pours Helen a drink, a drop or two spills onto the table. In today’s TV shows and movies everything is so slick, every tiny imperfection is re-shot to obliterate any semblance of fallibility. This show seems more human because of the small spills, or fleeting breaks in character…I think it has to do a bit with why this show feels so charming.
• Kid is very, very good at flirting. “Now, Helen…that’s the way rumors get started. There’s only one girl in my life, and that’s you.” Very tasty, indeed. ®

• It cracks me up that the sheriff is waiting in his office while Kid, who needs to speak with him about Harvey Bishop, is having sex. When Kid does come into the sheriff’s office, I look him over closely for a discernable post-coital glow, but find none. He does seem particularly confident—even arrogant—though.



• The scene where Heyes regains consciousness is amazing, and in my opinion, some of Peter’s absolute finest acting in this series. I actually see fear and confusion, just a passing shadow of it, in his eyes and he conveys that feeling before saying a word. Brilliant. ®

  

• Peter has such a beautiful mouth. That unsure smile, starting at just the corners, moving to his eyes. Just beautiful.

• I am not certain how Peter does it, but Heyes has an entirely different voice when he is vulnerable. Talking to Mrs. Carlson, it is soft, almost childlike; but by the time he is ready to speak to the sheriff, it is in his normal baritone, masculine tone.

• I have previously made my preference for Peter’s left profile known. But his profile from the right as he talks to the sheriff, is absolutely breathtaking. This is just a beautiful man.

• Heyes lies in bed recounting what he remembers about the shooting. I love the way he points to Mrs. Carlson, first with his whole hand, then his finger, and then his thumb, before he lets his arm fall back to his chest. Delicious. ®

  
• We have gotten a couple of very nice glimpses of Peter’s hand and forearm in this episode, which is a very tasty morsel for my enjoyment, for sure. His hands are masculine and strong; his forearms are beautifully shaped, having the perfect amount of hair to be supremely manly, and well, just terribly sexy. *appreciative sigh* I have admitted to a particular attraction to a man’s hands and arms…which has led to some disappointment within the series because the hands and arms of both our boys are most often covered by long sleeves and gloves. ®§
• More of Peter’s flawless acting as he recounts what happened when he was shot. Some of it is very painful to hear, of course, knowing the outcome of Peter’s life. To hear him utter the words, “You oughta try taking a chunk of lead in the head sometime, Sheriff”, well, there is poignancy there that just hurts my heart.
• It nearly knocks the breath out of me when, as he recounts the moment of being shot, Heyes says "...the next thing I remember feeling like I had just been kicked in the head by a mule" and the corner of his mouth turns up—sharply, quickly—almost as if in a smile, or maybe a grimace and then falters. Something was being expressed here that I wish we could have seen; something we needed his eyes to fully explain to us. Somehow it feels very significant to me--an emotion we should have been allowed to see.
• In the scene where he is asked where his friend was when he was shot, Peter uses his eyes very deftly to show he is trying to remember. It is a subtle thing that we humans do when we need to recall something…our eyes look upward almost as if searching the brain. Peter as an actor knew his lines, I am sure, and wasn’t really trying to remember anything, and this movement of his eyes was purely beautiful acting; a fine distinction that meant the difference between very good acting, and brilliant acting, I think. Heyes’ gaze at Kid during this exchange also showed a very human memory tool…looking at the object you are trying to remember something about. I have read comments by some fans, before I stopped reading others’ insights, saying Heyes was trying to figure out what Kid wanted him to say, or that Kid was showing concern that Heyes might say the wrong thing. I don’t see that at all. I see Heyes, even after being shot in the head, as a very bright man who by instinct knows what would work as an answer and what would be an answer that would get the boys into trouble. To be honest, Ben is just stoic in this scene, almost expressionless, and I don’t see Kid conveying any message at all.

• It isn’t until the look that passes between our boys after the sheriff is done questioning Heyes that I see any real communication between the two. And I feel a deep sense of caring…a gaze of love and friendship that is very, very expressive.

• I absolutely adore Heyes’ smile and little laugh as the boys discuss where Kid really was when he got shot. I love how it starts as a small grin, broadens, and then takes over Peter’s whole face. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. To date, it is my favorite smile of Peter’s in the series. God, I just love this man.

• Even though it would probably be considered a “Kid episode”…it is obvious to me that these scenes are the soul of a very moving episode. All other scenes before and after these few moments are merely padding. I like Ben, but in all reality, thank god for the decision to change the story to Heyes being shot rather than Kid, as previously planned. I don’t believe Ben could have pulled it off.
• The way Jake says killin’ tickles the hell out of me for some reason. It just sounds kind of foreign…I don’t have access to the script for this episode, but I wonder if that is a Roy Huggins distinction.
• Some pretty fair acting on Sharon Acker’s part as she confronts Jake about the rumor. Certainly much better than her odd constant smile and stilted lines in the scene when Heyes regained consciousness. And seriously, what’s up with the huge streak of black down the back of Rachel’s pretty blondish, orangish hair?



• I like that the Kid is smart enough to figure out the crimes…smarter than the sheriff or anyone else. Even smarter than Heyes this time, since he was trying to convince Heyes the murders had to do with the poker game when Heyes got shot. Good for Kid. Maybe sex got his juices flowing. *giggle*
• I am fascinated by the women’s clothing in this series. I have made quite a few clothes in my life, and I cannot figure out for the life of me how these blouses and dresses are made to perfectly fit the form of these women. Putting darts in a blouse would make somewhat of a curve, but these clothes are form fitting—and very flattering (except on the fairly flat-chested Mrs. Hanley in Miracle at Santa Marta, on whom we will also see Rachel Carlson's outfit worn, quite unfortunately)—being flat and tight around the torso then tightly and exactly encasing the bust. What the hell? No one taught us how to do that in Home Ec sewing class.



• Almost everything about the final scene is delightful; Heyes gingerly mounting his horse, looking amazingly haggard and frail; the "You worry about staying on your horse, I'll worry about staying on mine." line; Heyes’ response when Rachel thanks the boys for all they have done; Heyes automatically assuming it is Kid who has somehow spilled the beans to Rachel about who they are; and Kid looking back as they slowly ride away, checking to make sure Heyes is ok and still with him. The only thing not adorable is the line from Kid about Heyes having a bullet in his head. Again, reality jolts its way in, and my heart hurts.

• And finally, there is Rachel with Halloween hair, half orange, half black. I just keep muttering why?