A trio of disabled Vietnam veterans attempting to open up a restaurant together in the desert town of Deadman are being threatened by local corrupt landowner Frank Gaines. Frank wants their land for the artesian wells under their property, which will allow him to develop his own land more easily, but he also doesn't want to pay them a fair price for it. The three go to the V.A. hospital to recover after getting beaten by Gaines' thugs, and while there they meet Murdock and the team, who come in to help.
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Accidental Misnaming: Face, attempting to woo the Girl of the Week, accidentally calls her Wanda when her name is actually Amanda. She doesn't seem too bothered.
- Accidental Truth: One of the villains asks the team if they're refugees from an insane asylum. Murdock immediately looks over at Hannibal and asks how they knew that.
- An Arm and a Leg: Two of the disabled veterans are this. One is missing his right leg below the knee, and the other is missing his left arm. The third has all his limbs, but is paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair.
- And This Is for...: Early in the episode, the villain shoots out the window and tire of B.A.'s van. Later on, the team gets the drop on Frank in his bar, B.A. blasts the bar apart, specifically saying "that's for the window in my van" and "that one's for my tire."
- Blackmail: A heroic example. To ensure that the villains don't come back, the team let them attempt to burn down the town of Deadman, with Amy secretly taking pictures of them. They tell Frank if he ever comes back to Deadman or tries to hurt any of the people there, she'll print the pictures in her newspaper, right after also turning them over to the local district attorney.
- Bland-Name Product: Gaines' shotgun is a $20,000 "Super Crown presentation-grade Benetti". The real version of this is Benelli, also an Italian firearms manufacturer, and they really do sell handmade shotguns and rifles for thousands of dollars. They don't have a "Super Crown" though.
- Bullying the Disabled: All three of the clients of the week are veterans with some form of disabling handicap. Doesn't stop the villains from wailing on them with axe handles, and even ripping the wheel off of one's wheelchair.
- Combat Pragmatist: Hannibal, naturally.Hannibal: Frank. That is your name, isn't it, Frank? You don't believe in that "western code" thing? Never shoot a man in the back, let him draw first, that sort of thing?
Frank: No, sir, I surely don't.
Hannibal: Ah, good. Neither do I. (Punches the villain square in the jaw.} - Cut Lex Luthor a Check: Frank Gaines wants access to the artesian springs underneath Deadman, so that he can more easily develop his own land. The clients, on the other hand, don't have the resources to dig for the water themselves. Surely a deal could be easily made, whereby Gaines would use his own resources to dig for the water, and then share it with the clients for a reasonable price, and everybody wins. This is specifically called out by B.A. Hannibal informs him the problem is that Frank Gaines is an egomaniac who wants everything for himself; cooperating with others for their mutual benefit doesn't suit his ego well enough.Hannibal: He doesn't want to buy this land, he wants to steal it. He wants to prove he's a better horse trader than his granddaddy who stole this land from the Indians 50 years ago.
- Cut Phone Lines: Face and Murdock do this to the water company before going in to scam them, to prevent the company from calling to check their credentials. They also cut Frank Gaines' phone lines to stop him from calling in the sheriff.
- Every Man Has His Price: The veterans refuse to sell multiple times, with one of them quipping that "No" means the same thing in 3/4 of the civilized world, so he doesn't understand why Gaines can't interpret it. The villain gives a variation on the trope-naming phrase when told the place is "not for sale."Gaines: Jamie, when you've been in business a little longer you will learn there's no such thing as "not for sale."
- Fun with Acronyms: Frank Gaines writes a letter threatening the group to sell their restaurant. He signs the letter with "Sobaco Ecological Leadership Lobby, S.E.L.L." Face points out he didn't think the villain had that much of a sense of humor.
- Graceful Loser: Murdock and Face go to scam the water company. He races Face to the door, saying "last one there is Corky Duke!" Face rushes and grabs Murdock by the suspenders just before he can touch the door to beat him there. Murdock calmly accepts his loss, and agrees to go by Corky for the duration of their scam.
- Karmic Injury: Invoked by the team. Gaines sends his men to threaten the water delivery truck before it can deliver its next shipment in order to force the veterans to comply. Hannibal counters by sending Face and Murdock to scam the water company and shut off water to Gaines' house.
- Only Sane Man: Joked about, while discussing with the Girl of the Week how crazy their situation is, Face suggest that Murdock is the one who's actually sane and the rest of them "need to be sprinkled over a chocolate sundae".
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: The girl of the week points out that the villain works this way. "He can afford not to play by the rules" as she says. It doesn't do much good facing a group of outlaws.
- Shout-Out:
- When discussing the villain's threats, one of the guys says "maybe if we play our cards right, he'll make us an offer we can't refuse."
- When discussing his tiny invisible friends, Murdock compares them to The Dirty Dozen.
- When pressuring the water man to let them do "maintenance", Face quotes "Gunga Din", saying that he's a better man than Face is if he thinks he can deal with an irritated Frank Gaines.
- When Murdock sees the villains coming, he yells to Hannibal, calling him "Wyatt" (as in Earp) and saying the Clantons are here, a clear reference to the gunfight at the OK Corral.
