Yes! If it's the episode I'm thinking of, it's "No Indians" from season two. Chester even protests the idea of Matt shooting first and asking questions later, and Matt only has empty justifications in response. And then the ambush happens, and Matt drops half of them immediately. It's pure Meston-era Gunsmoke.

John Meston told Time magazine, "We never say it, but Kitty is a prostitute, plain and simple." That was radio Kitty,though. TV Kitty wound up owning and running the place. I assumed she was a madam as well, Joanie Stubbs-style.

The final episode of the radio show is a similar idea: Doc has to decide whether to go run a hospital back East with all the then state-of-the-art technology or to stay in Dodge, not only where his friends are but a city that needs him.

I watched an episode yesterday where some 18-year-old is being harassed by dudes so Kitty goes to get Matt. He asks where the kid is now. She says, "In my room, why?" and he suddenly looks a little embarrassed and says something along the lines of "Just asking."

That's beautiful (except for the throwing up part). It is fascinating to watch the episodes where Matt just breaks. That's when you see just how good Arness is at showing the burden.

It depends on which ones you watch. In the early seasons, Doc, Chester, and Kitty are occasionally absent but Matt is front-and-center almost every episode. But in the color seasons Matt has a lot more time off. In fact, he's barely even in the finale if I recall correctly.

All credit goes to Todd (for us covering Gunsmoke, too). He picks the assignments, and I believe he'll be the one tackling Dynasty.

Wow, Mrs. Paley is an unsung hero.
My bad about the schedule. I believe Dynasty is up next, but I sent a note to the editors to update it. It's a holiday, though, so it might take until tomorrow.

What's crazy is that Gunsmoke still has 100 episodes on The Simpsons, and the difference is even greater in running time.

Haha, was not expecting that. Now we just need the intro where Matt and the guy sit down and hash out their differences.

Since I missed that one, I'll take this opportunity to say that I remember a couple of crushes before then, but what really sticks out in my mind is when Matthew Lawrence was getting dressed for the Boy Meets World wedding and walked out of the bathroom in his undershirt and I was like, yup, this is real, folks, this…

No, I know you weren't being comprehensive. I'm just supplementing. But like a commenter said above, I'm not sure we have enough data points to draw those conclusions. Which is kind of the bigger problem.

I just can't get over the distance of that shot, which felt to me like any old '90s same-sex story. Gay characters have been historically denied the opportunity to be actually gay on-screen, and Kalinda had already kissed men on-screen. Then they do their version of Mitchell and Cameron hugging next to Phil and Claire…

What lesbians are you thinking of? I ask because every one I can name is already out (Orange is the New Black, The Wire, Mad Men) or comes out similarly to gay men (Glee). I feel like bisexuality is a plot point far more than lesbians coming out (think of Marissa's 15 minutes with Olivia Wilde on The OC, or Kalinda…

I miss on-screen episode titles, too, esp. for well-titled shows like Mad Men. Adventure Time (like a fair amount of animated shows) still has beautiful title cards with episode titles on them. Another reason it's so remarkable.

Are you kidding, I love your long responses! That’s such a great point about Betty being free from expectations now. I used to think Betty reading The Group (and I feel like there were other examples) was a glimpse into her seeking stimulation, but it’s probably more about diversion. Or at least it starts that way.…

Smart take, flowsthead (don't know how to tag). The thing that's always stuck with me about Betty is in season two when she talks about how, growing up, she was taught the art of conversation. She learned to keep the socialization humming, actual content be damned. Her life is aesthetic.

I think Betty is (or was) stuck in a way that isn't flattering or glamorous. Don takes his rut out on the people around him (subordinates, usually), but the people around Betty are her children, and that's intolerable. But she begins the series with everything she wants, and soon realizes that it's no fairy tale.…

Yeah, I see what you mean, trend-wise. It's just that Mad Men has so many complicated women it's crazy. There's the main four—yes, even Betty, whose development has been extraordinary despite some overkill in the middle years—and Sally, but there's also Pete's wife Trudy, who diverges from Betty in fascinating ways,…

I'm sure I've heard misconceptions as wrong-headed as Mad Men having "uninteresting and superfluous female characters" but I can't think of any at the moment.