Summary :
Under pressure from the railroad, a federal marshal is brought in to look after the town, and the seven are relieved of their duties. Now they must return to what they were doing before fate brought them to the town. But will they be able to leave without regret and resume their lives?
Memorable Scenes :
Scene One - The Town
A group of bandits enters the town, but the seven are ready for them. The lead flies, and so do the bodies. When the dust clears, the bandits have been subdued, but several buildings have been wrecked and some of the townspeople are angry about the mayhem. An army sargent, with a bandage around his head, limps after the seven and their prisoners, swearing at them for killing his driver and stealing his artillery wagon.
- Sargent :Where's my artillery wagon, you bastards?
- Vin :Loaded wagon should be easy trackin'.
- Sargent :You volunteerin'?
- Vin :You payin'?
- Sargent :$5.00
- Vin :You'll get your wagon back then.
Just then, the stage coach arrives with Judge Travis and another man - Federal Marshal Walter Bryce, the new law in town. Bryce knows about the seven and their arrangement with the judge. He tells them he does not allow guns in his town and gives them 24 hours to comply, after which time they must leave town, hand over their guns, or go to jail.
- Buck :Mister, you better be prepared to fight for these guns, ‘cause that's the only way you're gonna get them.
- Bryce :If it comes to that, so be it.
- Chris :You don't want it to.
- Nathan :Without us you got no back-up.
- Josiah :Except for the good lord, and he's got lousy aim.
The judge explains the railroad wants a badge in the territory, someone "official".
- Nathan :Lotta good official will do when those bullets start flyin' everywhere.
- Judge : The marshal's been doin' things his way for a lot of years. He's got a rock solid reputation for cleanin' out a lot of rough towns back in Kansas.
- Vin :This ain't Kansas.
The judge tells the seven they're relieved of their duties and leaves them to let the news sink in. Chris goes to the livery to get his horse ready. Mary tries to talk him into staying, but Chris figures he's stayed too long and he has some unfinished business he's been putting off.
In the saloon, JD is trying to find out what the others are going to do. Nathan plans to stay because he's all the town has in the way of a doctor. Buck is staying to "go head to head" with Millie, a young lady he has been working on for three months. Vin figures is just a matter of time before Bryce finds his name on a wanted poster. JD figures it's time Vin did something about clearing his name.
- Vin :I aim to kid, right after I track down the sargent's artillery wagon.
- JD :Artillery wagon? Well, maybe I'll go with ya.
- Ezra :I don't believe he invited you son. As for myself, I'm a few well played poker games away from owning this saloon and with no guns in town there should be fewer ways for disgruntled losers to seek reprisal.
- Vin :There's always tar and feathers.
Bryce enters the saloon and hangs a poster with the new rules for the saloon: an 11:00 curfew after which there will be no loitering, no imbibing of alcohol, no gambling, effective immediately. Ezra has just seen his future in the town disappear.
Outside, the townspeople are divided over whether the new marshal's rules will be good for the town. Casey shows up to comment on the fight that morning but JD's not in the mood to joust with her.
- Casey :So it's true? You seven are breakin' up?
- JD :We're not breakin' up, alright? We're just doin' somethin' different for a while.
JD figures he can get work as a hired gun, or he might go to Texas to join the Rangers. Casey tells JD that if he stays in town he could get a job. When he laughs at her she slugs him and storms off.
- JD :This day just keeps gettin' worse.
Scene Two - Stewart James's ranch
The scene with the seven, the judge and Bryce was observed by Earl, who works for Guy Royal, a cattle rancher who has had a run-in with the seven in the past. Earl and Royal go to the ranch of Stewart James, who has also had a run-in with the seven. Royal suggests they band together - with Earl doing the dirty work they can burn town, which will force the settlers to move and the territory will be wide open for the ranchers to move their cattle across the country without having to go around all the homesteads, and they could take control of a lot of valuable land when the railroad comes through.
Scene Three - the town
Back in town, Bryce notices Nathan's sign "Bones Set, Wounds Healed".
- Bryce :I've being doing this job for a long time and I've seen a lot of snake oil sold off
the back of wagons.
- Nathan :Snake oil? You call sewin' up gun shot wounds and settin' broken bones snake oil?
- Bryce :No, I call it practising medicine without a licence and from this point on, you're out of business.
Buck and Millie leave the saloon, but Buck has to answer the call of nature. He's in the nearest alley when the marshal happens by and arrests Buck for indecent exposure. JD catches up to Josiah as he gets ready to leave town.
- JD :Town's gonna be a preacher's dream, no drinkin', no gamblin'.
- Josiah :Not much to do for an old reformer like me. Besides, if God's everywhere, best
to start lookin' sooner than later.
- Nathan :That means he's gonna find a burnin' bush to talk to.
Nathan is also leaving and has decided to go back to the Indian reservation where he figures his help will be appreciated. Chris, Vin and Ezra are on their horses, ready to go. Vin has found some wagon tracks east of town. Chris is going south to Purgatory.
- Ezra :I suggest we leave before the cold shroud of puritanism smothers us all.
The men aren't sure what to do or say but finally Ezra takes the lead and they head their separate ways, leaving JD behind to wait for Buck, who is in jail for a couple of days. Twenty-four hours has passed and the marshal comes out of the jail and asks JD for his guns, which JD reluctantly hands over, while Earl watches from the side lines.
JD wanders down the street to where Mary and Billy are working outside the newspaper office. Casey is hiding around the corner when Mary offers JD a job. Billy lets the secret slip that it was Casey's idea for Mary to offer JD the job, but Mary assures him she really does need the help. JD promises to think about the offer.
Scene Four - Purgatory
In Purgatory, Chris is sitting outside when one of the town's prostitutes catches his eye and they go to her room.
- Maria :So, cowboy, what can I do for you?
- Chris :You can start by not callin' me a cowboy. My name's Chris. What's yours?
- Amora :Amora.
- Chris :No, your real name.
- Maria :Maria.
- Chris :Well, Maria, what I want you to do, you might not never done before.
- Maria :You'd be surprised.
- Chris :Could be dangerous.
- Maria :I like you. Keep talking.
Chris tells Maria about Cletus Fowler. He wants her to ask around, to find out if anybody knows who hired Fowler to kill his wife and son. He gives her 10 tostons and gets up to leave, in spite of Maria's offer to do more for him.
Scene Five - East of town
Somewhere east of town, Vin has found the artillery wagon, with one lone guard who is asleep. Vin chucks a couple of stones at him, to wake him up. The man jumps up and aims his rifle at Vin, who smiles and holds out his hand, dropping the shells from the rifle on the ground.
- Vin :Sargent needs his wagon back. Now why don't you make it easy on the both
of us?
The man turns and runs off. Vin runs after him.
- Vin :Ah, hell, so much for easy.
Scene Six - The town
Back in town, Mary is interviewing Bryce for the paper. They are sitting in the saloon and Bryce is giving Mary his views on the role of women. Mary is clearly not impressed when Bryce expresses his concern about Mary being forced to do a man's work. He does admire her spirit, however, for being able to keep herself busy until she remarries. To show Bryce what she thinks of his opinions, Mary grabs a bottle of liquor and takes a long drink.
Buck is out of jail and he tells JD it's time for them to get out of town. JD runs to tell Mary he's quitting his job and Millie comes along. She has been pining for Buck and drags him into the alley to tell him how much she missed him while he was in jail. She kisses him and starts pulling his clothes off, and the two of them collapse on the ground, just as the marshal happens by. Buck is back in jail. JD sees Buck back in the cell and decides he's leaving without him, even though Mary tries to talk him into staying.
- JD :Ma'am, I'm a gunslinger, not an ink slinger.
He looks over his head and all around him.
- JD :Now, can you tell me which way is Texas?
JD isn't out of town before Earl and his hired guns ride in. Mary goes to warn Bryce, who is sitting at this desk, with Buck in one of the cells. As Bryce loads a rifle, Buck asks to be let out, to back up the marshal. However, Bryce refuses and goes out to face the gunmen alone. He tells them his rule about no guns in the town and gets shot for his trouble. Earl shouts a warning to the people that they have 24 hours to get out of town before it's burned down.
While the residents begin to pack up their belongings, the gunmen lock Bryce in the other cell and take the keys and the guns. They cut the telegraph wire and start looting the shops. Buck guesses they are working for the cattle ranchers who are the only people who will gain from the destruction of the town. Mary brings medical supplies to help Bryce, but she can't get to him without the keys.
Scene Seven - Purgatory
In Purgatory, Chris is back out on the boardwalk when Maria arrives to tell him nobody knows who hired Fowler, or at least nobody is saying. She gives him back his money but he tells her to keep it. Just then, Mary arrives on horseback, with several of the male residents of Purgatory grabbing at her. Chris chases them away and Mary tells him he has to come back to help the town.
Scene Eight - The town
Back in the town jail, Bryce is dying.
- Bryce :She was right. I was a fool.
- Buck :Marshal, you got more guts than they could hang on a fence and they're probably gonna hang a medal on you.
JD arrives at the window and Buck tells him to go get the others.
- JD :Hey, I ain't no kid that needs to run for his big brothers. I can handle this. You stay here.
- Buck :Don't try to be no hero now, JD.
But JD is off, and finally, Bryce takes his last breath.
Scene Nine - East of town
At the artillery wagon, Vin has caught and tied up the man who was guarding it. Chris and Mary ride up.
- Chris :Been lookin' for you. There's bad trouble in town.
- Vin :How bad?
- Chris :You and me alone aren't gonna be enough.
While Chris and Vin go to find the others, Mary stays with the wagon. She can see the town in the distance, with smoke already rising in the air.
Scene Ten - Indian Reservation
Chris and Vin go first to the reservation, where they find Nathan pulling a tooth.
- Nathan :I don't suppose you came to get your tooth pulled?
- Chris :The town's in trouble.
- Nathan :This the same town that's got Marshal Bryce?
- Vin :And a whole lotta other people need our help.
- Nathan :It's always good to be needed.
Josiah is up on a ridge, trying to talk to God.
- Josiah :C'mon lord, I know you're out there. Give me a sign now. Talk to me.
A dog barks and Josiah looks up to the heavens.
- Josiah :Betcha thought that was funny, huh?
The dog lies down beside Josiah, who is still looking up.
- Josiah :What kind of sign is this?
Scene Eleven - Somewhere in the country
When they find him, Ezra is making a hasty exit from a small town. He looks a little worse for wear, with a little tar and some feathers on his face and his clothes. The townspeople are chasing after him.
- Vin :Make some new friends back there, Ezra?
- Ezra :I neglected to abide by a fundamental tenet in my line of work. Never gamble
with an entire clan.
Scene Twelve - The town
Meanwhile, the townspeople are arriving at the location where Mary is waiting by the wagon. The five protectors also arrive. Chris tells the others to stay and unload the guns while he and Vin go into town.
One of Earl's hired guns has the keys to the jail and he's walking by an alley when someone calls to him to help with a heavy barrel. When he gets close enough, JD - in disguise - knocks him out and grabs the keys. He's on his way to free Buck when two more men come into the alley. They are about to shoot JD when Chris and Vin sneak up from behind and knock them out. The three of them free Buck and they ride back to rejoin the others.
Scene Thirteen - The town
The boxes in the wagon are full of army uniforms, not rifles, and there is a cannon but it only has one cannon ball. But Chris has an idea and soon everyone is putting on a uniform.
At day break, a rider comes through town, shouting in English and Spanish that the army is coming and Earl tells his men to start burning the town. As the rider reaches the far end of town he stops and we see it is Ezra, who pulls off his disguise and heads back out of town.
As the people, dressed as soldiers and pulling the cannon, march towards the town, the seven take their places in front of the column to lead the way. Some of Earl's men panic when they see the arriving army, and flee. Earl and the remaining gunmen prepare to face the soldiers, but Earl suddenly realizes it's not really the army. A gun battle erupts and the men who aren't able to ride away are killed or captured. A group of them take refuge in the bank and the cannon is fired through the from window, bringing the battle to an end.
Scene Fourteen - The town
As the people begin to clean up the mess and start to rebuild the town, the judge has returned. Chris thinks he knows who hired the gunmen, but there's no proof.
- JD :So, judge, when are they gonna send up another marshal?
- Judge :They're not.
- Ezra :May we assume you had something to do with that, judge?
- Judeg : Damn right. Wired those railroad bureaucrats, told them how it's done in the
West. I also told them I hired seven lawmen to look after their interests.
- Chris :I ain't workin' for no railroad.
- Buck :I'm not wearin' no badge, neither.
- Judge :Don't have to. It's unofficial. The town needs you. Just a little while longer.
- Ezra :Perhaps if some sort of bonus were offered...
- Judge :Well, a dollar a day plus room and board, just the same as before.
- Chris :Well, boys, what say we head on over to the saloon and ponder the judge's proposal?
- Ezra :Wonderful idea.
- Vin :Reckon I could do some ponderin'.
The seven are back together, and their fate is once again entwined with the town.
Trivia :
- Brion James and Tim Thomerson both appeared in season one eps as the same characters (in "One Day Out West" and "The Collector", respectively) and are good friends in real life
- Dana Barron appeared as Casey in "The Collector"
- At the beginning of the show, the Judge says he is headed to Watsonville, one of the shops in town is called Watson's - both named for Executive Producer John Watson.
