One of the most poignant Gunsmoke episodes ever! The script is so complex and nuanced that the viewer is guessing throughout that there is something different at work here, but remaining unable to put the pieces together until the end. And that ending is so emotionally powerful and refreshing, that one wishes to convey the details, but refuses as it would be a disservice to those who have not seen it.
Characters are presented without stereotyping. All have a real sense of duty and integrity, and it is nice to see the conflict wind its way through devoid of intellectually lazy falsities.
Doc's explanation to Bohannan near the end is outstanding and a perfect explanation for the positive role being played in faith. In its own way, the episode also reveals how only someone of intense morality and humility can practice such acts without turning it into an instrument of harm or amoral exploitation.
I don't know that any series in TV today would have the guts to tell a story like this one, and as a society we are the poorer for it!