I just recently started watching this show, and I just don't understand how Angel Bassett's police officer character is always without a partner, just doesn't make sense to me.

According to a book on "Gunsmoke"'s history, Amanda Blake saw a draft of the script during the 1973-74 season and refused point-blank to do this episode, which has Kitty getting raped, beaten, exposed in the desert and getting into a cat fight with another woman. Producer John Mantley dug in his heels and planned the episode for the following season - without Blake, who left "by mutual consent." The role was not rewritten and the character was Kitty in all but name.

this is the first episode of the series to be shown in color

this is the last black and white episode of the series