Lawmen: Bass Reeves Episode 5 Recap: 12 Story Reveals

WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Lawmen: Bass Reeves episode 5.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves episode 5 is jam-packed with action sequences and plot developments both fictional and based on true events. Part V of the eight-part miniseries follows Bass Reeves’ continued pursuit of various Old West outlaws with the help of his young sidekick Billy Crow. The episode also provides more coverage of Bass Reeves’ family life, particularly how much of it he is forced to miss out on as a result of his demanding yet valorous profession as a Deputy U.S. Marshal.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves episode 4 saw Billy Crow make his first kill on the job, a troubling yet necessary requirement of his job. Episode 4 also introduced the myth of Mr. Sundown, a slave hunter cannibal who spreads fear across Indigenous Territory and the surrounding land in Texas and Arkansas. Reeves’ determination reaches new heights in Lawmen: Bass Reeves episode 5 as he fearlessly goes after Jim Webb, a dangerous real-life outlaw whom Bass has been tracking for quite some time until he finally gets his shot.

12 Bass Reeves Kills Jim Webb After A Violent Shootout

A bullet grazes Billy Crow’s neck but he survives

At the beginning of the episode, Bass and Billy approach the Bywaters General Store in Indigenous Territory (modern-day Oklahoma), which is the actual location where Bass captured outlaw Jim Webb. After an intense shootout in Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Reeves comes out victorious by shooting Webb dead after being grazed by one of his bullets. Billy was also grazed by a bullet in the neck during the shootout and was lucky to have survived by such a slim margin.

11 Sherill Quinn Gives Bass A New Assignment From Judge Parker

Bass is to capture Jackson Cole & transport him to Red River

Sherill Quinn returns to hand Billy a new assignment after he returns from killing Jim Webb. Quinn himself has been demoted by Judge Parker, leaving plenty of work for Bass and fellow Deputy U.S. Marshal Issac Rogers. Bass explains to Quinn that he’s been away from home for 41 days, but that doesn’t stop him from accepting his assignment. Bass is instructed to capture Jackson ‘Jackrabbit” Cole for murdering a political candidate in Texas and deliver him to Red River jail.

10 Jennie Reeves Calls Bass Out For Neglecting His Duties As A Father

Bass returns from 41 days on the job only to stay home for one night

Upon his return home, Bass is warmly greeted by his wife Jennie and his oldest daughter Sally, but instantly feels the effect his continued absence has had on his younger children. Bass greets the kids who seem unfamiliar with their own father, including a young Bennie Reeves whom Bass would infamously arrest in the future for murdering his wife. When Billy shows up to his house the next morning for their next assignment, Jennie criticizes her husband for his negligence as a father.

9 Bass Reeves & Billy Crow Transport Jackson “Jackrabbit” Cole

Jackson is unlike most prisoners and appears non-threatening

Bass Reeves and Billy Crow begin their transport of Jackson Cole without much trouble, putting him in handcuffs and on horseback to be transported by the law to Red River jail. Cole had been arrested for stealing horses in Atoka but was discovered to have also murdered a prominent candidate for the Texas Senate, which had prompted the family of the deceased to have him hanged in the Lone Star State. Despite his crimes, Jackson appears to be level headed and non-threatening to Bass and Billy.

8 Sally Tells Off A Rude Young Girl At The Dundy Carnival

Sally goes to the carnival with Arthur after Bass lets her down

Sally is still able to go to the Dundy Carnival accompanied by her budding romantic interest Arthur Mayberry, whom her mother has yet to trust. Bass had planned to take Sally himself but was pulled away by the Jackson Cole assignment. While waiting in line at the fair with Arthur, a young girl blatantly cuts in front of them and makes a racist comment in an attempt to justify her disgusting sense of entitlement. Sally threatens the girl to get to the back of the line, saying she’ll be happy to “pull that hateful tongue” from her mouth.

7 Bass Tells Billy He’s Lost Confidence In His Abilities As A Deputy

Bass questions whether Billy truly has the grit required for the job

After Billy makes a series of sly comments to their prisoner Jackson Cole, Bass tells him to quiet down and stop acting foolish. The warning soon grows into an attack on Billy’s character, as Bass reveals that he’s somewhat disappointed in Billy’s progression as his posseman. This is likely prompted by Bass running into Issac Rogers earlier in the episode, who was one of his real-life possemen. Bass tells Billy that he hasn’t, and won’t, give up on him, but Billy should start showing more grit on the job.

6 Esme Shares A Disturbing Story About Her Friend That Went Missing

Esme visits Jennie at her house after waiting for an invitation

Esme rides her horse-drawn carriage over to Jennie’s house for an unannounced visit, which Jennie appears slightly annoyed by. Esme explains that she had been waiting for an invitation that had never arrived. The two share a drink as Esme tells Jennie about a story about the mysterious disappearance of her good friend Samson Flowers, who had gone to a part of Indigenous Territory called Red Fork with the intention of leasing land from the Cherokee Nation. Esme reveals that witnesses heard “thundering hooves” outside Samson’s hotel room before he disappeared, which could be an allusion to Mr. Sundown.

5 Bass, Billy, & Jackson Take Refuge At A Spanish Couple’s Home

A violent lightning storm forces Bass to rely on the help of strangers

Bass, Billy, and Jackson are forced to take refuge at a nearby house to take shelter from a violent lightning and hail storm. The Spanish-speaking homeowners are skeptical at first but eventually allow the two lawmen and their prisoner to stay the night. During their visit, Bass is the only one of the three travelers to drink an unspecified beverage given by the Spanish man that Billy immediately finds suspicious. The Spanish woman appears to be a soothsayer, predicting death in the future for Bass.

4 Bass Sees The Ghost Of Curtis In The Darkened Woods

Curtis was tragically killed by Esau Pierce in episode 1

While it’s not explicitly explained in Lawmen: Bass Reeves episode 5, Bass appears to be experiencing a psychoactive and hallucinogenic response to the suspicious drink. He stares into the fire in a daze and seems to be entering an altered state of consciousness. The soothsayer offers to clear his thoughts but Bass denies her offer, hearing overlapping howls and voices outside that leads him to go outside. Bass is terrified by the ghostly spirit of his old friend Curtis in the dark woods, whom he had lost tragically long before he became a Deputy in Lawmen: Bass Reeves episode 1.

3 Jackson Cole Explains To Bass Why He Murdered Politician James Nebbett

After the Civil War ended, Nebbett burned his newly freed slaves

Jackson Cole had fought for the Union Army during the Civil War and tells Bass that he had been in Galveston when General Gordon Granger announced the emancipation of all slaves. Cole’s regiment moved throughout Texas to various plantations in order to spread the word, which is when he came across the Rockrose Plantation owned by James Neblett. To Cole’s horror, Neblett had burned all of his slaves, either alive or after having killed them as punishment for supposedly taking arms against him. When Neblett announced he was running for the Texas Senate, Cole took action and killed him before he had the chance.

2 Sally & Arthur Get Jumped By The Young Girl’s Brother & A Group Of Boys

Sally and Arthur are able to fend them off but are scared of future consequences

As Sally and Arthur walked home after the carnival at night, the older brother of the rude young girl approaches them from the dark with three of his friends. The brother racially insults and pushes Sally, which forces Sally to punch the boy right in the face. A fight breaks out between Sally, Arthur, and the four racist boys, but Sally and Arthur are able to fight them off and send them running. Arthur is worried about the future consequences of this scuffle, but the confident Sally isn’t intimated at all, much like her father.

1 Bass Reeves Runs Into Esau Pierce Who Appears To Be A Texas Ranger

Bass hasn’t seen the former Confederate soldier since he shot & killed Curtis

Billy’s assignment was to deliver Jackson Cole to the Texas Rangers at Red River, but he did not realize that former Confederate soldier Esau Pierce had become one. Pierce was the one who had murdered Curtis in cold blood during episode 1, placing Bass in an incredibly unqioeq and emotional position, especially considering his newfound understanding of Jackson Cole. In Lawmen: Bass Reeves episode 6, Bass will be force to choose between his obligation to his lawful badge as a Deputy U.S. Marshal and his empathy towards Cole’s murder of the wicked James Neblett.