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FIFTH SEASON (1961-62)

09/16/61	The Vigil	Traveling through winter mountains, Paladin and a naive, prissy nurse encounter two prospectors who may have murdered their partner		Supporting cast is annoying and story is a bit slow-paced
09/23/61	The Education of Sarah Jane	On the trail, Paladin stumbles into a deadly feud between rival "clans," plays peacemaker between young man and woman on opposite sides		Gives new meaning to the word "cornball"
09/30/61	The Revenger	Mexican bandito and compadres force Paladin to decide which stagecoach passenger must die		Unconvincing throughout
10/07/61	Odds for Big Red	Female saloon owner is hit by bullet during Paladin's gunfight, can only be saved by dubious medical ability of former boyfriend		Great gunfight and considerable dramatic tension
10/14/61	A Proof of Love	Momma's-boy hires Paladin to retrieve his peppy, Greek mail-order bride from other man in neighborhood who's stolen her away		I say: let him keep her
10/21/61	The Gospel Singer	Paladin is hired to disarm a small town weary of violence, and he's alternately impeded and helped by a young, eager female missionary		Many interesting elements (and, thankfully, no singing)
10/28/61	The Race	Paladin switches sides, represents downtrodden Indians in two-man, no-holds-barred, winner-take-all horserace		And the winner is... us, the audience
11/04/61	The Hanging of Aaron Gibbs	Destitute black woman wants chance to say last goodbye to condemned husband, take body home for burial		Well-intentioned but plodding tale of respect for the dead
11/11/61	The Piano	Celebrated German pianist's piano is being held for ransom, and Paladin is hired to retrieve it		"Chopsticks" is more interesting
11/18/61	Ben Jalisco	Escaped murderer seeks revenge against wife who informed on him, and the man who brought him to justice -- Paladin		Disjointed script disappoints
11/25/61	The Brothers	Paladin kidnaps a murderer from outlaw town he rules, treks across desert with him, meets nutty old man in covered wagon		Good acting, but wacky, talky suspenseless script
12/02/61	A Drop of Blood	Daughter of irascible Jewish immigrant from The Fatalist is about to be married, but the same old villain intends to ruin the wedding day		Absolute dreck from start to finish
12/09/61	A Knight to Remember	Paladin is hired by wealthy Mexican to "rein in" his senile father, who believes he's Don Quixote		One paladin meets another
12/16/61	Blind Circle	Cattlemen want to clean up act, hire Paladin to stop their employee -- an eccentric, aging killer of cattle rustlers -- from killing again		Where's the beef?
12/23/61	The Kid	Paladin "wins" blowhard's young, unkempt son in poker game, cleans him up and sends him to school		Barely acceptable
12/30/61	Squatter's Rights	To pay off a Civil War debt of honor, Paladin agrees to help a ruthless land baron drive off a squatter and wife from his land		Dark, atmospheric, and complex
01/06/62	Lazarus	Eccentric town weakling who erroneously believes he's terminally ill kills town bully; Paladin helps him deal with the mix-up		Good premise not fully realized
01/13/62	Justice in Hell	A psychopathic killer is protected by a town occupied solely by outlaws, and Paladin risks his life in a rigged "trial" to get his man		Eerie sense of profound evil permeates the air
01/20/62	The Mark of Cain	Paladin escorts British criminologist seeking support for phrenologic theory to aging, reclusive gunfighter		A few bumps, but much better than it sounds
01/27/62	The Exiles	Lower-class Mexican general, seeking millions in missing bonds, hires Paladin to find and gain an audience with exiled aristocrats		The general's about as Mexican as Betty Crocker
02/03/62	The Hunt	Bored Russian prince wants to hunt a human animal, and nominates Paladin		Ludicrous, preposterous, hackneyed asininity
02/10/62	Dream Girl	Naive gold miner aims to wed long-lost, venal bar-girl; it's up to Paladin to protect his money and show him the truth		Fool's gold
02/17/62	One, Two, Three	Eccentric astrologer hires Paladin to find potential $500,000 lottery winner, but his three leads get mysteriously killed, one after another, right under Paladin's nose		Only good thing is last two minutes
02/24/62	The Waiting Room	While escorting two murderous brothers on the trip to their hanging, Paladin wonders which of the strangers they meet will try to kill him		Talky and predictable
03/03/62	The Trap	Paladin stops at an inn on a dark and stormy night, encounters a worried female innkeeper, a nervous marshal, and his help-me-I-didn't-do-it prisoner		Something of a washout
03/10/62	Don't Shoot the Piano Player	Poet hires Paladin to rescue her missing fiancé from the seamy underbelly of San Francisco		Story of moral depravity doesn't go anywhere
03/17/62	Alice	Educated daughter of missing female bar-owner hires Paladin to take her to mom's town, find her		Silly, preachy throughout
03/24/62	The Man Who Struck Moonshine	Paladin comes upon isolated man trying to beat alcoholism, but unfortunately his water-well produces whiskey instead of H2O		Unusual premise soon drowns in bathos
03/31/62	Silent Death, Secret Death	Tracking a woman's ne'er-do-well brother, Paladin discovers a typhoid-stricken, self-styled colonel/dictator in an abandoned fort -- and he's wanted by Indians!		Too much talk, too little action
04/07/62	Hobson's Choice	Paladin must find and transport inventor Alfred Nobel's latest discovery out of San Francisco -- a missing case of nitroglycerine!		Nonsensical; the antithesis of ka-boom!
04/14/62	The Coming of the Tiger	A Japanese priest and a samurai warrior are coming to America, to foment discontent among Japanese immigrants; Paladin must intercept and neutralize them		So inscrutable you'll want to commit hari-kari
04/21/62	Darwin's Man	Aging rancher pits two sons against each other in deadly "survival encounter"; one flees, hires Paladin to prevent tragedy		Not fully evolved
04/28/62	Invasion	Paladin tries to stop smooth-talking Irish rabble-rouser from raising an army and invading British-controlled Canada		Great sneering ending
05/05/62	Cream of the Jest	Paladin meets a practical joker who just doesn't know when to quit		Last scene salvages this one
05/12/62	Bandit	A scrappy female outlaw warms up to Paladin		Intriguing man-woman interaction
05/19/62	Pandora's Box	Paladin and his prisoner, a psychotic murderer, interact with a group of homeless, wandering, white-trash saloon people		Failed attempt at existential theater is absurdly superfluous
05/26/62	Jonah	Paladin goes underwater to recover $20,000 in stolen gold at the bottom of a lake, opposed by an obsessed fisherman and the three robbers		Sinks about halfway through
06/02/62	The Knight	Aging German nobleman hires Paladin to help him track down a notorious killer, also from Deutschland		He calls Paladin a "spiritual assassin" -- gotta love it!