Life was very hard for a black man in the 1800s, and the first two episodes of Lawmen: Bass Reeves made us privy to the kind of atrocities he had to bear to survive. Though Bass Reeves was a free man, he knew that he would never get the kind of opportunities in life that a white man did. He was an excellent shooter, and he had many more skills that made him stand apart from the crowd, but still, he struggled to provide for his family. Reeves was banking on the harvest, and all his hopes were shattered after it was destroyed. He didn’t know what kind of lesson God wanted to teach, but his spirit was slowly breaking. His wife, Jennie Reeves, was always by his side, but he still knew that, at the end of the day, she was too dependent on him. When all hope seemed lost, Sherrill Lynn arrived at Reeves’ doorstep and asked him to be his posse and assist him on a mission. Reeves was reluctant at first, but his wife persuaded him to take the offer because she knew that any government official was very handsomely compensated for his duties. The mission was accomplished, but Reeves didn’t feel like he was doing the right thing from within. He saw how Sherrill treated his subjects, and he didn’t like his condescending behavior. He assaulted Lynn and decided not to work for him. But surprisingly, Sherrill Lynn seemed to develop a liking for his righteousness and earnestness, and he approached Judge Parker, who in turn decided to make Bass Reeves a deputy marshal. Bass couldn’t believe his ears when he heard about it, and his wife asked him to take the job as she knew that they didn’t have a lot of Venus to earn money from. Bass was embarrassed on a new journey, and he had no clue about the kind of conflicts that awaited him. So let’s find out what happened in Lawmen: Bass Reeves Episode 3 and if our protagonist was able to succeed in his first mission as the deputy marshal or not.
Spoiler Alert
What was Reeves’ first job?
Reeves was officially appointed as the deputy marshal by Judge Parker, who told him the kind of perils would fall on his lap because of the nature of his job. Reeves told Parker that he would fulfill his duty and make sure that he didn’t lose his conscience while doing it. Parker told Reeves upfront that he had selected him for the job because of his color. Parker felt that considering he knew the languages of the native Americans, he could communicate with and understand them better and solve issues that others maybe couldn’t. The first goal of Reeves was to catch a fugitive by the name of Billy Crow, who was involved in a stagecoach robbery. This Billy Crow worked with Huff Underwood, though he didn’t hold a very important position in the gang and had just joined them sometime back. When Reeves was given the job, he didn’t know that he was not the main man behind the robbery, as otherwise, he would have asked the question of why the system was going for this person when they could actually catch the leader and put an end to the crimes once and for all. Garett Montgomery, a white man, volunteered to be Reeve’s posse, and together, they went to Checotah to get more information about this Billy Crow. Reeves reached a bar that was frequently visited by the marshal, and he found members of the Underwood gang sitting there and playing cards. He knew that he would have to take some risk to get information from them since no one was ready to utter a word there. Reeves sat on the card table, played a good hand, and won the round. The gang members got agitated, and that’s when he told them that he didn’t want their money, but he was just looking for a man named Billy Crow. Reeves found Billy and took him into custody.
What offer did Billy Crow make?
In Lawmen: Bass Reeves Episode 3, when Garett Montgomery and our newly appointed deputy marshal reached halfway through, Billy Crow made an offer to them. He said that he knew where all the treasure was hidden from the stagecoach robbery, and if they promised to leave him, he would take them there. Bass and Garett had a conflict where the former just wanted to take Crow back to Fort Smith, but the latter was of the opinion that they should take the treasure and tell the court that they weren’t able to find Crow. Just then, the Underwood gang attacked them, and Bass Reeves showed us once again why Judge Parker had so much faith in his abilities. Reeves didn’t miss a shot and killed all the gang members single-handedly. Garett Montgomery lost his life in the crossfire, and his dead body was taken back to Fort Smith by Bass Reeves. After reaching the courthouse, Bass Reeves handed over Billy Crow to the concerned authorities, though he was still in doubt about whether he had done the right thing. Billy Crow was not bluffing when he said that he knew where the treasure was hidden. He knew that Billy was not the main culprit, but still, he was going to be put behind bars, whereas the real perpetrators roamed free.
What did Reeves feel about Myson Davies?
The deputy marshal at the beginning of Lawmen Bass Reeves episode 3 had noticed a young black man named Myson Davies standing outside Judge Parker’s office. The boy was in a terrible state, and he asked Reeves to help him. He told the deputy that he was not at fault and that he was hungry, which was why the altercation had happened between him and his master, and it didn’t end well for the latter. Reeves felt a pang in his heart, and he even asked Judge Parker if something could be done about the boy, but his request was denied as Parker was a man who went strictly by the book.
At the end of Lawmen: Bass Reeves Episode 3, Judge Parker gave a death sentence to Myson Davies for committing murder, and our deputy marshal just stood in the courtroom, feeling a myriad of things at that very moment. He didn’t know whose side he was on or if he was doing the right thing. There was a conflict brewing inside him, and with a clouded mind, he reached him and found out that Jennie had given birth in his absence. In the subsequent episodes, Bass Reeves will have to deal with this conflict and decide if he will be able to bear all that he saw during his job or if he doesn’t want to be a part of the discriminatory setup that was meant to oppress black people.
