"Billy the Kid" Season 2 Episode 3 begins with a bit of Deja vu, as we again find Sheriff Brady serving Deputy Dick Brewer with official papers to shut down one of John Tunstall's businesses. While last week's Episode 2 saw the crooked lawman closing down his bank, this week's episode, dubbed "The Agony," sees him shuttering his store.
And once again, while Brewer angrily protests, Brady insists he's just doing his job, upholding the law per D.A. Thomas Catron's orders. But this time, the corrupt Sheriff ups the ante, also taking Brewer's badge and informing him that both Tunstall (Linus Roache) and his loyal attorney McSween (Luke Camilleri) are being investigated for "serious crimes."
If all that wasn't enough to put a crimp in the Englishman's ambitious plans, it seems his horses are due to be seized the next morning. After several attempts to avoid a bloody battle with Major Murphy's camp, Tunstall no longer has any choice but to go to battle with his rival. And so the Lincoln County War is officially on - let's head to the front lines and dive into this week's episode.
Warning, spoilers ahead for "Bily the Kid" Season 2, Episode 3.
The first shocking fatality
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With Brady's boys due to arrive at Tunstall's ranch to take his horses, Billy (Tom Blyth) and his men batten down the hatches and prepare for a fight. But John's getting cold feet again. He fears putting his men in danger and wants to avoid bloodshed at any cost. Against Billy's advisement, he decides not to defend the ranch but leave it behind and move the horses to a new, safer location. En route to the hiding spot, John and Billy bond a bit, discussing the Kid's troubled childhood and how his father gave up on life and let him down. Tunstall promises to stick by Billy and never abandon him the way his dad did.
As expected, Jesse (Daniel Webber) and his Seven Rivers gang soon arrive at the Tunstall ranch - with "legal" writ in hand - to seize his property. Furious to discover John has fled with the horses, Jesse wants to follow him and finish the job. Some of his men protest, however, warning they're working within the law for Sheriff Brady and shouldn't take matters into their own hands. But there's no talking Jesse down. "We are the f—king law. We do what we want. My knife is sharp and I feel like scalping." he yells. And with that, his men quickly fall in line and give chase.
With a seemingly sizable head-start and hungry bellies, Tunstall, Billy, and his men decide to stop along the trail and hunt for dinner. But they severely overestimate their safe distance from their pursuers, who soon arrive to find Tunstall all by himself, babysitting the horses. After a brief stare-down between Jesse and John, the former pulls his pistol and shoots the latter in the gut. John falls off his horse and attempts to defend himself, but it's too late. The Seven Rivers thugs proceed to take turns riding past John and firing shots at him.
Having watched the tragedy unfold from a distance, Billy arrives to find his boss riddled with bullets and bleeding to death. With all his conflicted emotions brimming to the surface, Billy blames himself for John's death. He takes Tunstall's body back to the ranch, where he tearfully ponders not only the loss of his friend and father figure, but the second chance he'd kindly given him. Billy swears on his mother's grave that he will "kill everyone involved" in John's senseless murder.
An unwelcome visitor
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Meanwhile, a giddy Jesse is delivering the news of Tunstall's death to Brady, who's deep into a bottle at the saloon. He tells the Sheriff that John resisted arrest and that he had no choice but to shoot him in an act of self-defense. But Brady isn't impressed. Upon telling Jesse to wipe the smirk off his face, he informs him his reckless actions could carry terrible consequences. Later that evening, Murphy (Vincent Walsh) and Riley (Shaun Benson) don't seem to share the Sheriff's concerns. In fact, they're throwing a rowdy, raucous party, where many a glass is being raised in celebration of Tunstall's demise. Their parade is soon rained on, however, when the weaselly Edgar Walz pays them another surprise visit the next day.
Catron's menacing agent/son-in-law brings news of his boss' displeasure. While he's happy Tunstall will no longer be a problem, he's less enthusiastic over Riley's inability to run a profitable business. Catron is also concerned over the growing threat of Billy the Kid. Walz makes Riley an offer he can't refuse: Mortgage all his holdings to Catron for a large loan to get the business back on track. But if it's not paid back promptly, all properties default to Catron.
This fresh wrinkle further aggravates Riley and Murphy's contentious partnership. For the second time this season, Riley nearly puts a bullet in the smug Irishman. But in his usual drunken state, Murphy laughs off the threat, reminding his associate he needs him to keep the peace with Catron. Walz's visit also plants a potential partnership between him and Jesse. The pair meet unexpectedly, and while it's a bit of an awkward encounter, it concludes with Walz telling Jesse he might have use for a "dangerous man" like him in the future.
Billy suffers another loss
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Back at the Tunstall ranch, John's being lowered into the ground while Billy's flashing back to his own father's funeral. But there's little time to grieve as he and his men need to plot their next move. McSween wants to go the legal route, finding a legitimate way to put Jesse and his boys behind bars. But Billy, Brewer, and the others want blood - they enthusiastically declare war on Murphy and his men. George nominates Billy as their leader, and Charlie suggests they call themselves the "Regulators." The Kid accepts, vowing to fight by their side until the bloody end.
Before bringing the battle to Murphy, Billy pays Dulcinea (Nuria Vega) a visit to let her know he's decided to take matters into his own hands. With John dead, he tells her the law-abiding future he'd hoped for no longer exists. The couple passionately kiss, confess their love for each other, then promptly break up. Well, more specifically, Dulcinea refuses to support Billy's return to outlaw life and tearfully demands he leave.
With nothing left to lose, the Kid takes the first step toward avenging Tunstall. In town, he and Tom O'Folliard (Pepe Johnson) ambush one of Jesse's men. They interrogate him on who was responsible for John's murder. After a persuasive pistol-whipping, the prisoner gives up some names, but doesn't point the finger at Jesse. Billy and Tom bring the false intel back to the ranch, where they also learn from McSween that the courts won't be helping them capture John's killers.
Billy decides to start making things right by reclaiming the horses Jesse raided at the start of the season. The Kid, Brewer, and George arrive at the camp where the stolen property is being kept, but a couple of Jesse's men spot them and take off. Billy's crew soon catches up with the pair and convinces them to surrender. Brewer even gives his word that they won't be harmed. But as the Seven Rivers goons reluctantly relinquish their weapons and approach Billy, the Kid pulls out his pistol and brutally executes them both. As Brewer and George's jaws drop in surprise, Billy calmly walks away from the corpses and declares, "We're the law in Lincoln now."
Questions and Predictions
- Prediction: Dulcinea will be back: Given the couple's break-up and the demands the escalating war will put on Billy, it seems there's little room left for romance this season. That said, the series has invested plenty of time in their burgeoning relationship, leading us to believe we haven't seen the last of Billy's love interest.
- Who'll survive the season? With Tunstall dead and the Lincoln County War in full swing, we know the demise of many more main characters is on the horizon. But the series has not yet been picked up for a third season. So will Season 2 bring Billy's story — and the lives of many of his friends and foes — to a satisfying close, or will all fates be decided in an assumed third season?
