Season Two, Episode 25

Sometimes an episode comes along that just feels like a beast to talk about. Too many guest stars!! Not enough time! It’s the struggle of a nostalgia nerd. Frankly though, this was not what I was expecting when I read the “Rope of Lies” episode description.

As the credits roll, we’re dropped into a “Steve episode”. We return to Medicine Bow where people are perplexed. There’s a new “lady rancher” (Diana Millay) in town. She has beauty, money and — perhaps even more exciting– a mysterious past. There’s one more thing though… she needs a new foreman and she has her eyes on Steve.

Before long, Steve throws caution to the wind and takes the job. It’s unfortunate though that it soon becomes clear she comes with more than her share of murderous baggage.

The guest stars this week are a western lovers dream. Paul Fix, William Smith, Peter Breck… I mean *chef’s kiss*. There’s a lot here to enjoy for those who eat up classic westerns of all shapes and sizes.

However, before yours truly digs into this fascinating cast, I must give time to Diana Millay’s disarming, albeit frustrating performance as rancher Alma Lowell.

The Dark Shadows alum was a mainstay on television during this time. Like many performers during this era, westerns and thrillers were her bread and butter. Though, for every Rawhide and 77 Sunset Strip, there was a My 3 Sons and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.

Throughout the episode, I found myself fully bought into her character. I was vibing with Millay’s performance as the super independent “Lady Rancher”. I was equally intrigued as she begins to show her true colors and this went from an almost progressive example of femininity to a western femme fatale. However, the show seems to have a focus problem. Steve, The Virginian, heck, even Betsy have a lot to do here and unfortunately, much of Millay’s juiciest work happens off-screen and she’s never allowed to find the spark that’s percolating under the surface. Think of what someone like Kathleen Hite would have done with this script… more on this later.

Peter Breck, meanwhile is an actor on the rise in this episode. He’s a figure who’s heavily associated with this era of the western. Coming in early 1964, this came roughly a year before he landed what is probably the most recognized role on his filmography, Nick Barkley on The Big Valley.

At this point in his career though, Breck had already established himself as a mainstay on television going back to the middle of the 1950s. In 1963 he released two feature films, Shock Corridor and The Crawling Hand. While both works couldn’t be more different, both are must sees… just for incredibly varying reasons. Friends, listen to me. He jumped from The Crawling Hand to The Virginian. You can’t beat that cinematic whiplash.

I would, however, be shirking my incredibly important responsibilities… that’s my story and I’m sticking to it… if I didn’t call out character actor extraordinare William Smith popping up in this episode.

For those who might not know the name, if you watched an action or exploitation film in the 1970s and 1980s, you’ve undoubtedly looked upon his formidable presence in dumbstruck awe. Can you tell I’m a little biased. 2025 has been the year of William Smith in my house and I’ve been catching up on huge chunks of his filmography that I (honestly!) should have remedied years before this.

This is the second episode we’ve seen him. Smith popped up in a very small part in “A Killer in Town” (season two, episode four). However, both appearances predate the one most will remember. For those in the know… he’s not playing Joe Riley this time around.

Smith’s breakout came in the 1965 western comedy series Laredo opposite Peter Brown and Neville Brand. The show was conceived as a “backdoor pilot” on The Virginian when the characters were introduced in “We’ve Lost a Train” (season three, episode 30). It’s really cool to think this might have been the work that helped Smith land his part in Laredo. I hope to look more at his work in the future… stay tuned for this rabbit hole to be further explored.

In the grand scheme of things though, the handling of Steve as a character has been really interesting to watch at this point in the series. I keep expecting him to get phased out! Yet here we are, super late in season two, and we’re still getting really interesting Steve episodes. Clarke continues to explore the character and it’s really annoying that we won’t get much more of that.

This ended up feeling like a frustrating Steve episode. He is the primary narrative figure here and he has a lot of work to do. There could be a lot more though. Clarke feels underutilized and in his hands, Steve feels equally frustrated. He’s chomping at the bit. He’s looking for bigger and better things beyond Shiloh. Perhaps this is telling. Much like his character Clarke’s own restlessness shows through in this episode. While Clarke is still with us and as of 2025 still working, I can’t ignore that I’ll miss Steve in Medicine Bow as he gives his final farewell.