Lawmen: Bass Reeves Episode 5 Recap With Spoilers

Last episode of Lawmen: Bass Reeves, the legendary lawman began working with a partner, Billy Crow, while at home issues of race begin to slowly come to a head with the arrival of Edwin Jones, a man pushing for the Black community to prosper and own their own property. There are changes within Reeves’ family, too, as Sally starts to lie to her mother to secretly meet with a young man, Arthur. This week, the Reeves will deal with racism at home and away while a figure from Bass’ past makes an unexpected appearance. Here’s what happened in “Part 5”.

Warning: spoilers for Lawmen: Bass Reeves “Part 5” beyond this point.

What Happened in Lawmen: Bass Reeves “Part 5”?

The episode opens with a dead man hanging from a tree as a warning to Bass, a note on his chest reading “Bass Reeves will swing here”.  Elsewhere, Bass stakes a place out as Billy goes into a general store. Billy reports back that there are five armed men inside including the outlaw that they are after, Jim Webb. As Billy and Bass move in, they come under fire immediately. Bass gets in the building and he goes back and forth with Bible passages with Webb and the men. As the confrontation really get going, there’s a shootout and some of Webb’s men die, but Billy takes a bullet to the neck. Webb runs and Billy pursues, ultimately taking him down. Inside the store, Billy is okay, but someone he shot is fatally wounded, which freaks Billy out. Bass tells him that shooting people never gets easier and Billy puts the dying man out of his misery. After taking the boots form the dead, Bass frees a dog chained outside.

Back at home, Sally isn’t happy about working with her mom on the farm as she thinks her dad makes enough money for them to hire help. Jennie says that by working themselves, Sally won’t get spoiled. She also tells Sally that she knows about the secret meetings with Arthur.  Elsewhere, Bass goes to Judge Parker’s courtroom having turned in the men he captured and collects the money he’s owed so he can head home. However, Sherril Lynn tells Bass that Parker wants the man to escort the prisoner Jackson Cole to Red River to go on trial for killing a Texas state senate candidate. Bass goes home for a brief time, but has to leave the next day, upsetting Sally who had wanted to go to the carnival with her father. Jennie is also upset because Bass is always gone, so much so that the other kids don’t recognize him and she wonders what her husband’s priorities really are. Later, Jennie suggest Sally ask Arthur to the carnival.

Back at it, Bass and Billy pick up Jackson and Billy is doing a lot of talking so Bass sends him ahead to scout. Later, when they’re taking a break, Billy just keeps talking and Bass calls him out, the situation prompting Bass to explain that he no longer thinks Billy is cut out to be a Deputy Marshal and that he blames himself for not teaching Billy how to handle the job but Bass also says he’s not giving up on Billy. While the three men wait out a storm, Jackson reveals he was present for the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation but says that he realized that he wasn’t witnessing history, just “a white man reading words”.

At the carnival back home, Sally and Arthur have a nice time looking at the attraction until a white girl shows up and cuts in line so she can see the elephant. Sally isn’t okay with that, but the girl’s father shows up. Back at home, Jennie and Esme visit and Esme tells her that Black people have been disappearing, something Jennie thinks is a rumor. Esme tells her about a man named Samson, however, and Jennie realizes that her friend could be right so they go to the carnival to check on Sally and Arthur.

Bass, along with Billy and Jackson seek shelter at a house because of the thunderstorm they’re in. While they are eating dinner, Billy notices mushrooms on the counter and tries to alert Bass and Jackson not to drink anything. However, Bass did take a sip before Billy had said anything. Billy speaks to the woman asks if she can do magic and get the woman he loves to want him but she says he doesn’t need that because he’s already lucky and indicates his survival of the neck wound. Bass hears voices as he stares into the fire and the woman offers to clean his thoughts, but he declines. Bass goes outside to smoke with Jackson, who in turn talks about how he went through Texas with his regiment spreading word about how the slaves were free after the war and ended up stopping at the plantation owned by James Neblett and there discovered the man burning his slaves. A decade later, Jackson discovered that Neblett was running for office on the promise that he’d set things back to the way they were before the war and Jackson couldn’t let that happen again.

Back at home, Sally and Arthur are headed home when four men, including the brother of the girl from earlier, surround them. Sally punches one in the face and a fight ensues. Arthur also joins in and the fight is over soon with the other boys running away. Arthur says they need to tell someone, but Sally says it’s over. Jennie and Esme show up just then but neither Arthur nor Sally tell them what happened. On the road, the next morning, Bass, Billy, and Jackson leave. Bass has to put the cuffs back on Jackson because despite being impacted by what Jackson told him, he still is following the law. They make it to meet with the Rangers to hand over Jackson but Bass is stunned to discover that the Ranger he’s meeting is none other than Esau Pierce — the man who killed Curtis in May 1865.

New episodes of Lawmen: Bass Reeves debut Sundays on Paramount+.