The two-part series premiere Lawmen: Bass Reeves depicts a somewhat fictional account of how the legendary lawman became a Deputy U.S. Marshall.
The two-part series premiere of Lawmen: Bass Reeves debuted on Paramount+ setting up the rest of the action for the highly-anticipated miniseries. Originally thought to be a part of the Yellowstone universe due to its association with creator Taylor Sheridan, Lawmen: Bass Reeves has proven to be an entirely separate and standalone series that has no connection or overlap to the John Dutton family saga. Showrunner and former Ray Donovan writer Chad Feehan has taken the reins from Sheridan along with Christina Alexandra Voros (Yellowstone, 1883, Big Sky), who directed five of the eight Lawmen: Bass Reeves episodes including the first three.
Lawmen: Bass Reeves episode 1 chronicled the origin story of real-life slave-turned-lawman Bass Reeves, who notably fought alongside the Confederate army against his will at the Battle of Pea Ridge. Bass was born a slave to William Reeves and later Geroge Reeves, who was a real-life Colonel in the Confederate Army who fought at the Battle of Chickamauga and many others during the Civil War. As depicted in the Lawmen: Bass Reeves premiere, Bass beat up George Reeves and escaped slavery, living among the Seminole Nation in Indigenous Territory until he was liberated in 1865.
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Deputy U.S. Marshall Sherill Lynn Recruits Bass Reeves To Join His Posse
Lawmen: Bass Reeves episode 2 picks up ten years after the events of the first episode with Bass and his wife living on a farm in Van Buren, Arkansas in 1875. The real-life Bass has taken to farming after reuniting with his lover Jennie and meeting his eldest daughter Sally for the first time in 1865. After a poor harvest season, Bass and Jennie appear out of luck financially until Deputy U.S. Marshall Sherill Lynn enters the picture. Sherill shows up unannounced to Bass’s farm, which initially makes Bass suspect he’s looking for trouble. Surprisingly, Sherill asks Bass to join him as a member of his posse.
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Bass Reeves & Sherill Lynn Search For A Fugitive Named One Charlie
Sherill tells Bass he needs someone who speaks the language of the Choctaw Nation to assist him in finding a fugitive named One Charlie. Eager for money and to do the right thing, Bass is incentivized to help Sherill out. The two begin searching around Arkansas for One Charlie, whom Sherill later reveals was wanted for murdering a lawman, a tragic event that Sherill witnessed with his own eyes. Along the way, Bass and Sherill get caught up in a shootout with a gang of bandits who murdered and presumably stole from an elderly traveler. Bass and Sherill are able to fend off the outlaws and Bass gives the elderly traveler a proper burial.
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Sherill Lynn Reveals He Was Nearly Scalped During The U.S. Civil War
Bass gets to know Sherill on a more personal level one night by the campfire. Sherill reveals to Bass a gruesome war story in which Sherill was nearly killed by drowning after an ambush of the Union Army Steamboat he was on, the J.R. Williams. Sherill explains the horrors of the real-life event to Bass, which was considered the only naval battle of the U.S. Civil War. Sherill claims that hardly any of his fellow Union soldiers were able to escape and many of them drowned in the bloody waters. Sherill describes a terrifying scene in which a Confederate Indigenous person tried to scalp him, which is why he carries so much hate for Indigenous people.
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Bass Reeves & Sherill Lynn Investigate One Charlie’s Suspected Wife
Bass and Sherill acquire information about one of One Charlie’s known accomplices, who they presume to be his wife. After Sherill shoots the lock of her door and barges into her home, Bass is able to neutralize the tense situation and speaks to the woman in Choctaw. Bass discovers that the woman is not One Charlie’s wife but is actually his cousin who has had plenty of disagreements with One Charlie over the years about his life choices. Bass demonstrates his impressive detective skills, which are true to the real-life lawman, to gather enough information to continue his pursuit of One Charlie with the trigger-happy Sherill.
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Bass & Sherill Locate One Charlie & Face Him In A Shootout
Bass and Sherill are able to locate One Charlie who refuses to surrender or go down without a fight. An intense close-combat gunfight breaks out between Bass, Sherill, and One Charlie, who hides within a locked cabin. Bass and Sherill take cover behind a wagon before Bass makes a move to run around the back of the cabin, surrounding One Charlie. In the process, One Charlie shoots Sherill in the arm, which aggravates Sherill to up the ante of his attack. Bass gains control of the situation and appears to start convincing One Charlie to surrender, another indication of Bass’s natural skills as a lawman.
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Sherill Lures Out One Charlie With Molotov Cocktails & Bass Kills Him
Sherill lights two Molotov cocktails and throws them into One Charlie’s cabin, which instantly ignites One Charlie. Screaming in pain, One Charlie runs out of the cabin and rolls on the ground trying desperately to put the fire on his body out. Bass returns to the front of the cabin, horrified by the level of brutality that Sheriill has inflicted on One Charlie. Bass aims his rifle at One Charlie, realizing there’s no other choice but to put him out of his misery. Sherill tells him not to waste his bullet but Bass ignores him, shooting One Charlie dead.
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Bass Punches Sherill In The Mouth For Nearly Burning One Charlie Alive
Bass is disgusted and angered at how Sherill handled the killing of One Charlie, thinking that it was an incredibly dishonorable way to capture and eliminate the fugitive. Bass lets his fists do the talking, punching Sherill right in the mouth to express his disapproval of the entire situation. Knowing he instantly made a mistake, Bass gets on his horse and is about to ride away. Sherill tells Bass that he won’t be getting his pay and Bass doesn’t care, believing it’s more important to stand up for what’s right than to be seduced by the allure of compensation. Bass rides off and leaves the hateful Sherill alone and behind.
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Judge Parker Names Bass Reeves A Deputy U.S. Marshall
After returning to his farm in Arkansas to be with his wife and daughter, Bass is once again visited by Sherill along with two other members of his posse. At the sight of Sherill, Bass believes that he is bound to be arrested or face some form of punishment for assaulting a lawman. Instead, Sherill tells Bass that he was impressed by Bass’s rare and earnest nature and that he recommended him to Judge Parker to become a full-time Deputy U.S. Marshall. Shocked, Bass sees the value in the offer and accepts the new title, making him one of the very first Deputy U.S. Marshalls at the end of Lawmen: Bass Reeves episode 2.