SMILER WITH A GUN**

• What a lovely teaser scene as two gorgeous men, sturdily astride muscular horses, ride into town all road-tired and dirty. Yes, indeed, those producers have teased me enough…I will certainly stick around for the rest of the story!
• I have never heard a person whose voice fit their looks less than this actor playing the barker in charge of the fast-draw contest. At first, I looked around to see who was speaking…it seems very foreign to his looks.
• The “town’s people” extras in the fast draw contest scene overdo it a bit, especially the little boy who opens his mouth in a full-fledged guffaw that is so fake looking you can’t help but want to advise him: “Go to college, kid, you will need to pursue a different career.”
• Monty Laird is there also, overacting as usual—but endearingly so—and off in the background is Hal Frizzell, barely reacting at all.
• I really enjoyed Monty’s shooting and especially the amazing gun twirling, forward, then back, then squarely into the holster; with his left hand, no less.
• Ok, right off the bat, I dislike this tall cowboy entering the shooting contest as he walks up to the barker and arrogantly throws his trash on the ground. Things like that just irk the hell out of me, and I wonder about why it would even be included. What did it do for the storyline? Unless maybe we are supposed to see that Danny Bilson is a jerk even before we know anything about him. Unfortunately, my ordered script for this episode is still in the hands of the United States Postal Service, so I can’t research—as I normally would—for any clue as to the reason for the littering. OK, I realize I tend to make gargantuan mountains out of tiny litter mole hills. But it really does bug me. I wonder if I should just blame it on the direction of poor Fernando Lamas, who took such a beating over his zoom shot of the gun and holster hanging in the sheriff’s office in Fifth Victim, and leave it at that.
• Before shooting in the fast draw contest, Roger Davis as Danny puts on his left glove, leaving his right—shooting—hand glove free. I understand leaving the shooting hand bare, but I wonder about the reason for putting a glove on their non-shooting hand at all. If it had been only here that I have noticed it, I would just figure it is a Roger Davis quirk, but I have seen other actors do it in other westerns. I ponder such things.
• From Peter’s face, I suspect he is telling us Heyes had an adored grandfather in his young life, before tragedy befell his family. [:The Men That Corrupted Hadleyburg He appears so reverent when looking at Seth…I almost see a little boy at his grandfather’s feet, gazing up at him in awe. I know Peter was deeper than the role of Heyes, and there are certainly moments when I see a glimmer of a story behind his eyes. But I also see physical changes in Peter that truly amaze me. As he watches Seth, I discover he has somehow transformed his face almost to that of a child, with a tiny overbite and wonderment expressed in his eyes. Nothing overt; in fact changes so subtle sometimes it takes looking at a still picture to see the tiny, most exquisite nuances. But they are there and they speak. Do you see the little boy I see? ®

• I wonder if Roger Davis was a cigar smoker. He is so natural at it it almost seems he must be. Puffing, chewing it and talking all at once. A good touch. It takes away from the uniqueness of his voice, which actually grates on me at times.
• I adore Seth’s observations of the boys…“Smith here…a solid poker player, he knows just when to bluff…” and Heyes smiles, with pride, and again with that beautiful reverent look. “And Jones here…he must have invented poker face…” and there sits Kid as stone faced as it is possible to be, not even a twinkle in his eye. Kudos on the acting boys…have I told you lately that we love you?




• There are our boys, working in the heat of the desert. Even under the filth, I see a beautiful man in Heyes. It reminds me of the first time I became aware of Mel Gibson, in Mad Max, Beyond Thunderdome…I saw this gorgeous man under the dirt and matted hair…and I was right! I don’t care too much for the beard on Peter—to me it feels like a tragedy to hide those dimples—but I still find him enormously attractive. I honestly don’t believe it is possible to hide his beauty…



• Roger Davis’ voice really does grate on me at times, like fingernails on a blackboard. When he comes yelling out of the mine, “Come on! I got another load! Come on!” I want to scream. But that would scare my dogs. So instead, knowing the scene is about to commence, I simply hit my mute button. Hallelujah and yee-haw for modern technology!
• ONE MONTH????!!!!! There must be some mighty powerful testosterone coursing through their endocrine systems if these are beards with only one month’s growth!



• Can someone with some knowledge please enlighten me as to where the water for the mining operation comes from? It perplexes me and I could find no answer on the web.
• If they are so tired of beans, why does no one think to eat the rattlesnake Kid kills? Rattlesnake was commonly eaten in the west. It would have been a real treat to the team, I would think. And it is my guess that as good a shot as the Kid is, he probably didn’t obliterate the snake.
• Now, speaking of the rattlesnake. Is it just me or was it just a teensy bit of overkill (pun intended) for Kid to throw himself to the ground in an all out ambush of the snake? Couldn’t he have just as successfully very quietly raised his gun from its holster and blown the snake to hell? I understand they needed the drama to make Danny suspicious in the storyline, but still. And it appears to me that Ben almost limps after the shot. I wonder if he hurt himself taking the dive…
• Also, still speaking of the rattlesnake, I love a couple of the subtle moments between Kid and Heyes…the second he has shot the snake, Kid looks over at Heyes in an Oh, damn, I think I just blew my cover acknowledgement, and Heyes at the same time, gets a look of resignation on his face, with a one-eyed gaze, like, Oh, damn, Kid, I think you just blew your cover!
• Giving me a huge twinge of wistfulness…the scene where Heyes stands and observes while Kid and Danny discuss Kid’s gun is just stunning to me. He is just gorgeous, beard and all…standing there like that, with his right leg slightly hiked on something; his pants fitting at just the perfect spot on his waist; his flat belly and strong chest and shoulders; the patch of hair on his chest, visible in the v-neck of his henley; his beautiful forearms and hands, dirty from work, and so masculine; his disheveled hair and the look on his face…I tell you I am a bit overwhelmed. ®§§

• I am, from life experience, not a fan of drunk people. I normally have to look away from scenes of drunkenness; they make my stomach hurt. But, other than the insane dance Heyes is doing, this is cute as far as drunk scenes go. This is the most manic group of drunks I have ever seen! And I absolutely love when the Kid passes out. Really top notch acting on Ben’s part. I actually see that he gets the spins before he passes out. Ben hasn’t been known to me as a terribly emotive actor…and certainly not an actor anywhere near as skilled as Peter at non-verbal communication, but this scene is absolutely point-on. Way to go, Ben!! Give yourself a pat on your nicely tanned, well toned back!
• Heyes waking up with a hangover is so natural it is more than a little sad. The breathing, the sounds, the clearing of his throat…so very real. It sadly makes me think this isn’t so much acting as reenacting on Peter’s part. Brilliantly done, poignantly moving, ultimately tragic.

• Old Will Geer is the master of the quivering bottom lip…
• That jug isn’t the only thing they had that would hold water. They have the coffee pot and the hanging pot. I understand the propensity for water to slosh as you move with it and there would be some definite loss of valuable water as they walked with the open pot, but it might have afforded them and extra two or three days of hydration, and it would have been well worth the effort.
• Another good scene for Ben as he tells Seth “a man can make it through a whole lot more than he thinks he can, if he’s got a good enough reason.” His eyes look spent…he looks resolved and tired and exactly as emotionally depleted as one would expect him to look. Good job on the acting in this whole episode, Ben. I am proud of the job you have done.



• Well, gee, Ben. Gesundheit...



• Both boys are respectful of Seth and carefully guide and help him. I love the care they show him. They are in as precarious a situation as he, and yet their first concern is for him…getting him into shelter, urging him to continue, giving him the very last drops of water. I love our boys in this episode. I love their core of honor and respect.
• I am moved deeply by the death of Seth. The boys wake to find him gone…in the heat of the day. When they find him dead, Kid very gently moves him onto his back; Heyes squeezes his arm; a gentle, and private, goodbye.





• And our boys stand over the body of their friend, very close to each other, shoulders leaning against each other--maybe feeling comfort in the closeness--and speak slowly about how it is all happening as Bilson had planned. It makes me think about all the things these two young men, who clung to each other through tragedy as boys and have always had only each other to depend and lean on, have experienced and witnessed together in their short lives. It is visually and emotionally poignant. It is a story between the lines, because we are given only glimpses…but it is a moving story and if we think about it, it is a beautiful love story. ®



• Weakened almost to the point of not being able to continue, Kid falls and Heyes falls on him, trying to help him sit up. They are at the end of their endurance, it seems. As the boys lay there, and Kid falls back, no longer attempting to sit up, I notice something I had not noticed before, and I have rewound it and played it in slow motion to be certain of what I see…Kid’s hand falls onto Heyes’ hand, and as he adjusts his position it moves away but finally rests back on Heyes’ hand as Kid loses all energy. I think this was very intuitive acting on Ben’s part, and it was equally intuitive on Peter’s part to not move his hand away, as most men would in a real life situation. These two masculine men, these two closest of friends, touch each other frequently; they are not embarrassed or bothered by it, and they are not afraid of it. At this moment, when they think they cannot go on and they will soon die, lying there under the baking sun, they touch each other. Not a blatant touch, not holding hands…but showing an even deeper connection. Absolutely beautiful, and profoundly poignant. ®



• Kid hears something…water…and they joyfully run to a water hole. I thought I didn’t like this scene; I thought it kind of turned me off…the silly squeal of joy Heyes lets out as he runs toward the water, the very strange way Heyes drinks the water…but when I paused the scene to write down my notes on it, I realized I was smiling from ear to ear. I liked it more than I realized…
• A very subtle couple’s moment, when Kid lifts his head after shaving and drying his face and reveals his new mustache. “What’s that?” Heyes asks, with obvious distaste. Just a sweet, possessive comment…



• I am not a huge fan of the Lurene scene, but I am immensely impressed by the acting of Peter and Ben in it. Starting with the reaction Heyes has as he watches Lurene drink, and then the wonderful communication from both boys as they are made to down shot after shot of whiskey, to Peter carrying the scene through to its end by showing the after effects of drinking that much whiskey so quickly—with hoarseness and apparent burning of his throat. Just so perfectly done it is remarkable.



• Ben is quite handsome with the mustache. I think it fits him quite well and it is during the episodes with it that I find him very attractive. He’s a good looking guy, always, but really quite hot with some facial hair.



• What a delicious and satisfying moment when Danny walks up behind Heyes and the Kid in the saloon and they turn to face him. The two men turn toward each other first then turn to face Bilson, a movement I find quite unusual...and very telling of the unity they feel as they stand up against the man who killed their friend and left them to die.
• There is such extraordinary expression on Heyes’ face as the boys face Bilson. Peter manages to convey disgust, anger, hatred and intimidation…without a word. And when he smiles when he says “Seth didn’t make it”, I am shaken. Even as the boys follow Danny to a table in the back, we get just a fleeting glimpse of Heyes’ walk…his walk expresses anger. And power.
  
• And as they sit, and listen to Danny call them out as outlaws, Peter’s acting is entirely visual…not a word, not a movement…except his breathing has changed…his breathing is angry. He is seething. He is dangerous. And when Heyes does speak it is with such anger it is palpable. This is a man to be frightened of. I am once again in complete awe at the depth of Peter's talent. This is just the most exquisite acting…®®
  
• The disgruntled loser in the saloon cracks me up…first because of his shirt being unbuttoned nearly to his waist, (this ain’t a gay bar, sweetheart) and secondly because he seems to so proudly proclaim, “I ain’t gonna get out. I’m a loser!” It just makes me chuckle. I thought it would be fun to see what this actor looks like today…see?



• Just as Peter has a very distinctive way of putting his hands on his hips, which is all Peter and not Heyes, it seems Ben has a way of crossing his arms that is quite unique also. When asked about it in an interview, Ben brushed it off by saying the example the interviewer gave was in a stage coach and there probably wasn’t room…but I have seen it many other times, when Ben is purely Ben…



• What a weird way Danny wears his gun in some scenes…in the front, just southeast of his belly button. Only character I think I have ever seen wearing a gun like that.



• Oh, my god. Is that James Quirt’s weird Halloween vest Bilson is wearing?
• As Kid angrily throws the $500 in Danny’s face, Heyes never takes his still seething eyes off Bilson. I think I would be deathly afraid of this man in this state.
• The sight of our two boys leaving the saloon after Danny calls the bluff takes my breath away. What gorgeous men they are…I admit to a special attraction to Peter when his hair is that long, and his skin that tan; the two of them walking, shot from that angle is just stunning.

• The line from Bilson about Kid being a “small man with a big grudge, except you haven’t got the guts to do anything about it, except in maybe the dark, behind someone’s back…” makes me CRAZY. It was Bilson who left three people to die horrible deaths of exposure and dehydration…in the dark, behind their backs. Cowardly bastard.
• Heyes is afraid for Kid, and tries to dissuade him from a confrontation with Bilson. But Kid doesn’t listen to his partner—and in the only time I have ever witnessed it, I believe, doesn’t even acknowledge or consider Heyes’ words. Instead, ignoring his friend, he walks out into the street to respond to the aggressor as Heyes looks on with concern.



• And so, Bilson lay dead in the street…beaten to the draw by Kid Curry, who has never killed a man before. A worthy first kill, Kid. Take heart.





• I must give Fernando Lamas props for an episode very well directed…and everyone else for their amazing acting and writing in this deep and poignant episode. Well done, indeed.