Yet again, the Season 7 predilection for stories built around female characters is present in "Lacey." Lacey Parcher is in love with Jess Ayley. Lacey's father, Cyrus, strongly disapproves of the relationship. When he finds Lacey and Jess kissing in the barn, Cyrus tells Jess to leave and never return. This leads to an ugly scene inside the Parcher house where Cyrus further refuses to condone the relationship between Lacey and Jess and even slaps Lacey.
Soon, Lacey and her mother, Ellen, ride into Dodge City. They go to Marshal Dillon's office and Lacey confesses that she has killed her father. The primary plot centers around Matt's efforts to discover exactly what happened.
I think it is often the little glimpses into life in Dodge City or the lives of the Gunsmoke characters that make the show so interesting. In this episode, we get to spend some time with Ma Smalley who runs a boarding house in the town.
Unfortunately, this is one of those episodes that perhaps would have been better in the half-hour format from the previous six seasons. The story plods along at times. Matt tries his best to find answers that make sense, but no one is willing to tell everything they know. This requires many slow, talky scenes with characters staring longingly into the distance.
This episode features a strong cast with Sherry Jackson as the pretty, young Lacey, Dorothy Green as her stoic (and stubborn) mother, and Jeremy Slate as Jess, who is too stupid and careless for his own good.