Despite an impressive opening shoot-out in which Jesse dominates a bar full of people and Billy avenges Miguel's blood in the span of Episode 2, "Two Shots," I find myself strangely unengaged with Billy the Kid Season 3. As the premiere suggested, this feels like a show that has reached its endgame and is now simply waiting for an obligatory conclusion, with real-life history already prescribing a somewhat dishonorable end for the eponymous gunslinger.
Perhaps it's just me, but the clockwork certainty of Billy and Pat Garrett circling each other feels somewhat dramatically inert. The opening gunfight, which injures Juan and Fred Waite but leaves Billy and Pat free to cross paths again, is a cool scene, well-staged and impressively orchestrated, but it lacks proper excitement given the inevitability of it all.
And the villains are dull, aren't they? There's a shrugging bit of business with Murphy telling Riley that he's handing over the remaining shares of his business – aka The House – to him, but it's difficult to care. Likewise with Catron and Edgar Walz. The latter and Emily attend a dinner at the former's house to celebrate Emily's pregnancy, which turns out to be inviable, prompting a nasty argument that leaves Walz attempting to leave Catron's employ. But no such luck; he knows too much about Catron's operations to ever be allowed to leave them. At some point, you run out of sympathy for people whose bad decisions end up costing them.
Meanwhile, Billy takes the remains of his crew to Fort Sumner to hide out with Pete Maxwell, who is sympathetic to their cause. Charlie Bowdre is there, telling Billy that far from being over, the Lincoln County War is only worsening. Governor Lew Wallace – Catron was gloating about this earlier – is expecting to be removed from office for failing to put an end to it, paving Catron's way to the position. All the cards are in the hands of the bad guys – for someone like Walz, his position is so inescapable and untenable that he'd rather hang himself than face it.
Somehow, Jesse emerges as the most interesting figure in all this. In Billy the Kid Season 3, Episode 2, he is distraught over Ana's death and his subsequent murder of her father, albeit in self-defence. He initially drowns his sorrows but it's clear he's looking for a fight. Bob Olinger comes out worse off, but Sam pulls a gun on Jesse and makes him leave, which doesn't do much for his self-esteem. At his lowest ebb, he goes to Pat and confesses to the killing, which Pat sees as an opportunity to deputise him and use him in the manhunt for Billy. It's a cynical play, but Jesse, who still clearly has some affection for his old friend despite denying it, represents one of the only possible sources of genuine surprise this show has left (in 1882, Jesse Evans disappeared and was never seen or heard from again, giving the show a lot more latitude with his eventual fate).
The posse, led by Jesse, eventually reaches Pete's abode and delves into a thorough search. However, Billy and the Regulators have already vanished into the wilderness, setting up camp to devise their next move: securing a hideout and amassing more weapons for the impending battle. Despite the risks, Billy's public support remains robust, fueled by the county's collective thirst for vengeance against their oppressors in the House and the government, whose sinister and blatant actions have stirred up a frenzy of resentment.
In "Two Shots," Billy takes his revenge in a stealthy fashion, sneaking into town to stab Otero to death. It is indeed what Otero deserves, but the lack of prior development and understanding of Otero's true motivations undermines the scene's impact. Assuming this to be but the first in a long line of victims for Billy, should the House not destroy itself due to its leadership's incessant bickering and backstabbing, Billy's own fate begins to feel overdue. He has ceased to be the most captivating aspect of his namesake show.
