Lawmen: Bass Reeves tells the story of the first Black U.S. Marshal, Bass Reeves. In the fifth episode, titled “Part V,” after pandemonium erupts at Bywater’s store, Bass Reeves (David Oyelowo) is forced to choose between his oath and family.
The episode begins with Bass and Billy Crow (Forrest Goodluck) standing in front of a hanging body with a note attached, threatening Bass. Bass and Billy watch the Blywater Store from afar. They discern that Webb is in the store. They approach stealthy, only for a shootout to ensue. Billy is grazed in the neck by a bullet as Bass takes out all of the wanted men. Billy’s injury is minor, so Bass and Billy return to the station with the boots to collect the bounty.
At home, Jeannie Reeves (Lauren E. Banks) argues with her daughter Sally Reeves (Demi Singleton) about seeing a boy, Arthur Mayberry (Lonnie Chavis). Bass returns to the station and collects his money for the arrests. As he is about to go home and see his family, whom he hasn’t seen in 41 days, Sherrill Lynn (Dennis Quaid) approaches him and tells him he has an order for the Judge for a prisoner transport assignment, which will take a week.
Bass returns home, and Jeannie and Sally are excited to see him. Sally mentions going to the carnival the following day. That night Jeannie and Bass get romantic and have a nice night together. The following morning, the Reeves family eats together, happy to have Bass back, when Billy knocks on the door. Jeannie realizes Bass had been hiding he was heading out that day on another assignment and gets angry at him. She tells him he has been neglecting his family for his badge. Sally is disappointed since she won’t be attending the carnival anymore.
Bass heads off with Billy, and they meet the prisoner they are transporting, Jackson Cole (Tosin Morohunfola). Back on the road, Billy and Bass decide that they won’t make it before the storm comes, so they need to find shelter before nightfall. Jackson reveals he holds no remorse for the murder he committed, which rubs Billy the wrong way as he mocks him. Bass eventually gets fed up with Billy, telling him he doesn’t think he has what it takes to be a deputy marshall. Billy, hurt by this, asks if Bass is giving up on him, to which Bass tells him he never gives up.
At home, Jeannie tells Sally she can let Arthur take her to the carnival, to which she is ecstatic. At the carnival, Sally and Arthur enjoy their day when a young white girl cuts in front of them. Sally gets angry and the little girls tells them that they belong at the back of the line. That’s when her older brother comes by and picks the little girl up to go elsewhere.
On the way home, Sally and Arthur are approached by the older brother of the little girl from earlier. He and his friends beat Arthur and Sally. Able to escape, they run into Jeannie Reeves and hitch a ride with her.
On the road, Bass and Jackson have a conversation about being black men in the racist world. Jackson argued even with emancipation they were never free. He also argues that he and Bass are no different as they both have killed, but Bass retorts that he at least has remorse. Bass, Billy, and Jackson approach a house where a Mexican couple lives. The couple lets them stay the night. The Mexican lady tends to Billy’s wound and mentions that she sees death in Bass’s future. This freaks Bass out, as the lady asks if he wants his soul cleansed, but Bass rejects the offer.
Bass begins hearing things and heads outside. Jackson meets him outside, and they share a smoke. Jackson tells Bass that the man he murdered was a man who burned his slaves alive and passed it off as burning his crops when he heard the slaves had been emancipated. Years later, that man was running for Texas State legislature, so Jackson felt he needed to kill him to prevent him from coming into power.
The next morning, Bass, Billy, and Jackson set off to bring Jackson to the drop-off point. Bass has some hesitancy considering the story but ultimately handcuffs him, and they set off. The episode ends as they arrive at the drop-off location, only for them to find Essau Pierce (Barry Pepper), the former Confederate soldier who killed Chuck in the pilot episode.
In Lawmen: Bass Reeves episode 5, director Damian Marcano and showrunner Chad Feehan do a great job continuing to explore the themes of morality vs. what the law says. This episode does a great job intensifying the stakes between Bass’s personal and work life, as well as providing an extremely interesting moral question.
Rating: 8/10