The Deadly Wait

"The Deadly Wait" is the 26th episode of The Rifleman Season One and the 26th episode overall. Directed by Joseph H. Lewis and written by Arthur Browne, Jr., it aired on March 24, 1959.
==Synopsis==
The outlaw responsible for crippling Micah Torrance's arm gets released from prison and arrives in North Fork intent on finishing Micah off.
==Watch==
==Plot==
Lucas McCain arrives in a deserted North Fork and finds Micah Torrance outside the marshal's office. Micah reveals that Dan Maury, the outlaw who crippled his arm five years earlier, has been released from Yuma prison and is in town to kill him. Maury has been holed up in the saloon all night, with Micah keeping watch, not letting his shotgun out of sight.
Lucas confronts Maury in the saloon, warning him that if anything happens to Micah, Maury will have to face Lucas. Maury hints that he plans to outwait Micah, who will eventually fall asleep, giving him the chance to disarm him. Lucas threatens Maury, forcing him to leave town temporarily, but Maury warns Micah that Lucas won’t always be there to protect him.
Later, while chopping wood at his ranch, Lucas is ambushed and shot twice by an unseen assailant. Meanwhile, in North Fork, Micah, exhausted, falls asleep in his office but is awakened by Maury’s return to the saloon.
Mark McCain discovers his injured father and takes him to town for medical help. As Lucas recovers, Micah, worn out from days without sleep, starts to doze off again. Lucas, still weak, notices Maury leaving the saloon and tries to intervene. Maury seizes Micah’s shotgun and challenges him to a gunfight with a side-shooter, knowing Micah’s impaired shooting ability.
Lucas, barely able to stand, stumbles into the street during the confrontation. He quietly instructs Micah to draw his gun when he moves in front of him. Lucas then starts stumbling towards Maury, allowing Micah to draw his gun without Maury seeing, before dropping to the ground and allowing Micah to land several shots on Maury, killing him.
==Cast==
===Main===
*Lucas McCain - Chuck Connors
*Mark McCain - Johnny Crawford
*Micah Torrance - Paul Fix
===Recurring===
*Sweeney - Bill Quinn
*Doc Burrage - Edgar Buchanan
===Guests===
*Dan Maury - Lee Van Cleef
Category:Episodes
Category:Season One episodes
Category:Episode pages with completed plot sections
Category:Episodes where Lucas gets shot