Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Lawmen: Bass Reeves season 1 finale!
Lawmen: Bass Reeves star David Oyelowo has opened up about the ending of season 1, explaining the deeper meaning behind the show’s conclusive moments. The series’ star portrays Bass Reeves, the first Black Deputy US Marshal in the West. The final episode of season 1 ends with him reuniting with his family after a number of harrowing experiences, a much quieter moment than the finale had presented up to that point.
Speaking with Variety, Oyelowo – who also serves as an executive producer on the series – revealed the deeper meaning behind Lawmen: Bass Reeves‘ ending. The actor explained the importance of highlighting a Black family reflective of what that means in the US. Check out what Oyelowo had to say below:
Platforming and celebrating this Black family at the center of this story was incredibly important to us. Despite all of that degradation and all of the challenges they come back together — it’s them and their kids, and there’s joy and love. That’s not just an attempt at a happy ending. That’s what it is, in my opinion, to be African American in this country. There is a resilience that you must have to have Black excellence, to have “Black boy joy,” to own the reality of being an American citizen. Because the alternative to that is a brokenness that’s impossible to come back from.
More to come…
