West is wounded while guarding a shipment of smallpox vaccine and both he and the vaccine disappear, having been hijacked by outlaws who leave Jim for dead. The Secret Service receives an ultimatum: pardon and free Furman Crotty (Edward Asner), a nihilistic crime lord currently serving time in Leavenworth, or the vaccine will not be returned. Since waiting six days for a new supply means that many more people will die of the disease, the thieves' demands are met. Gordon sets out to follow Crotty, find West and stop an epidemic in the making. And finding Jim won't be easy, since the outlaws' attack left him with amnesia and he's wandering around trying to remember who he is...
Disguises used by Artie: Dr Zorbi, Stage Magician
(20:25)
Tropes present in this episode:
- Death of a Child: See Would Hurt a Child below.
- Easy Amnesia: A bullet creases Jim's skull and he forgets who he is. The memories come back as soon as he sees Artie in danger.
- Finishing Each Other's Sentences: Artie sets up a joke and Jim delivers the punchline without missing a beat.
- Large Ham: Ed Asner really, really chews the scenery, starting at one corner and working his way to the opposite, as main villain Furman Crotty.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Jim comes down with a case. It strips him of all knowledge of his identity but leaves all his skills intact.
- Might as Well Not Be in Prison at All: Furman Crotty manages to engineer his escape and maintain quick, reliable communication with his gang while behind bars.
- Misanthrope Supreme: Furman Crotty plans to wipe out all human life except for himself and rule a machine world instead. He refers to the epidemic victims as "inferior" and "the great unwashed".
- Missed Him by That Much: Artie comes into town looking for Jim, riding past his partner at the exact moment that Jim's face is turned away.
- Omnicidal Maniac: Furman Crotty, as noted in Misanthrope Supreme. He even calls his hideout "Crotty's Genocide Club".note
- Pull a Rabbit out of My Hat: When "Zorbi" is confronted by one of Crotty's Mooks, he claims to be looking for a White Bunny who escaped from his hat. What the hat really contains is a bouquet of flowers that emits Knockout Gas.
- Shoot Out the Lock: How Rusty opens the box containing the smallpox vaccine.
- Stage Magician: Artie disguises himself as "The Mystical Dr. Zorbis" to find Jim.
- The Starscream: Silas Crotty to his brother Furman. Silas helps get his brother out of jail but doesn't like Furman and has decided to work out some plans of his own. Furman is aware of Silas' treachery and kills him at the first opportunity.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: Jim's jacket and shirt are stolen by elderly Prospector Claude Pepper while he's unconscious, so this is how Cloris finds him.
- Would Hit a Girl: One of Crotty's henchmen slaps Cloris when she delivers a message for Jim and later takes her hostage.
- Would Hurt a Child: Furman Crotty doesn't care who dies due to the lack of vaccine; in fact, he intends to increase the number of victims a thousandfold. The fact that this includes small children is poignantly illustrated when Artie stops near a church to watch a small casket being carried down its steps.
