Episode Overview
Joe is taken aback when he spots his former fiancée, Emily Anderson, in Virginia City. They had a romantic history in Monterey five years ago, where they had planned to marry. However, her overbearing father deemed Joe too reckless and destroyed all of Joe's letters before Emily could read them. Despite their lingering feelings for each other, Emily conveniently omits that she is now Emily McPhail, married to Deputy Marshal Wade McPhail, who is currently on duty with Marshal Calhoun to safeguard a $90,000 currency shipment. Emily insists they must leave Virginia City to protect their marriage from Joe's presence, but Wade refuses to go. When he discovers Joe and Emily in an embrace, he confronts Joe, leading to a brutal fight where Wade nearly shoots him. This shocking encounter is Joe’s first realization of Emily's marriage, but it’s just the beginning of her deceit, which ultimately results in Joe being shot and wrongfully accused of murder.