Billy the Kid is back for Season 3, his escape from custody in the second season finale still fresh in our minds, as he becomes a thorn in the collective sides of the House. The premiere, "The Beginning of the End," doesn't necessarily live up to its title, as it doesn't feel like a significant departure from where we left off. But plot-wise, there's no denying we're heading towards a real climax, and this season will be the last—Billy's fate is a tragic reminder of his impending demise, a fact that hangs heavily in the air.
He certainly has no shortage of enemies, and he's starting to adopt the vibe of a cop in a crime drama who is due to retire, thereby confirming their imminent demise. After being sprung from captivity by Dulcinea, the two of them hide out in Saint Patricio, New Mexico, trying to figure out how best to take the fight to their enemies. When Dulcinea reveals she's pregnant, it's like a death knell for Billy. Suddenly having something much more important than himself to fight for is a hangman's noose in TV terms.
Interestingly, there's a theme of doomed love threaded through this premiere. Billy and Dulcinea fare better than Jesse, who goes to great lengths to enact a prison riot to steal a moment with his beau, Ana, only for their secretive late-night tryst to end in tears. Despite Ana warning him that her father could turn up at any moment, Jesse charms his way into her bed. When daddy does arrive, he catches them right in the middle of their no-pants dance. He calmly pulls his gun and fires at Jesse, but misses completely and kills his own daughter. Then Jesse kills him. The unexpected flurry of violence and tragedy in such a tragicomic context left me feeling much like Jesse himself—utterly dumbfounded.
While this will likely make Jesse yet another thing for Billy to worry about, he's far from the only problem. Billy's apprehension has evolved beyond a necessity for the House and into a key issue for various political careers. There's a fair amount of backroom maneuvering in Billy the Kid Season 3, Episode 1, with Catron pulling strings in Congress to remove Governor Wallace after his mishandling of Billy's escape. It's a worthwhile reminder that the system, such as it exists in this time and place, is controlled by a handful of powerful men and by no means represents justice and fairness in any traditional sense of the terms. This underscores the importance of Billy's battle and why his continued elusion of the authorities is such a pressing concern—his freedom is anathema to the authority that people like Catron want to wield.
From the very start of this gripping series, Billy has consistently outmaneuvered his pursuers, effortlessly demonstrating his commitment to the righteous cause. This becomes evident when the House consistently and brazenly commits atrocities, making it clear who the true villains are. However, ironically, it is this very good fight and Billy's perceived genuineness that conspire to put him in peril in Season 3. As we approach the historic fate that has become synonymous with Billy's name, the show's straightforward A-to-B plotting takes on a more ominous hue, adding an extra layer of tension.
Billy is inclined to believe Miguel Ortega when he claims, despite his previous association with Riley and her crew, he saw the error of his ways and realized they were monsters. Ortega asserts that his sister, Isabel, was needlessly killed during the women's march against the army, and Dulcinea confirms this, lending credibility to Ortega's claims. This makes Billy seem genuine, almost like another version of himself, driven by personal loss to seek revenge on the true villains. Billy has no reason to suspect Ortega's loyalty, which makes it all the more painful when he discovers otherwise.
Billy believes he is using Ortega as a pawn to spring a trap on Riley and Sheriff Garrett, unaware that he is actually allowing Ortega to set a trap for himself. What he thinks is his moment of triumph turns out to be his march into potential doom. This sets the stakes for the season nicely and early. But am I the only one who feels like this show is simply going through the motions until it reaches this climactic point?
