Lyle's Kid and Zavala

Yesterday I saw both the episodes Lyle's Kid and Zavala. I believe they are both from season 14.
They are very unlike each other, but I thought both were excellent.
LK has a lot of humor between Doc and Festus and a sweet romantic side bar involving guest stars, while the main story has Morgan Woodward wanting revenge. That part they let simmer while the rest of the cast has fun. Dillon doesn't need to do very much.
Then in Zavala, it's all Arness and a young Mexican boy. Their relationship is so warm and charming, while the mother is solemn and dignified (and beautiful but that isn't really an element of the story).
Most TV series start petering out way before the 14th season, but Gunsmoke was really strong in this period. Not having watched it as a kid, I'm having a ball seeing all this material I'm unfamiliar with.