The Unseen Confrontation: Lawmen Bass Reeves' Deleted Scene

The Unseen Confrontation

The Lawmen: Bass Reeves finale left out a crucial scene that would have completely changed the ending for a crucial character in the series. The eight-part miniseries concluded with Bass Reeves (David Oyelowo) facing off against the recently discovered Mr. Sundown (Barry Pepper) in an intense Old West shootout. While Bass' fictionalized moral and religious dilemmas were able to come full circle by the end of Lawmen: Bass Reeves, the matter of his wife Jennie's safety against several racially charged threats on their family ranch in Van Buren, Arkansas doesn't feel quite as complete.

Bass Reeves in Lawmen Bass Reeves episode 7

The Lawmen: Bass Reeves ending featured heroic performances by Bass Reeves, Billy Crow (Forrest Goodluck), and Sherill Lynn (Dennis Quaid) as they rescued Jackson Cole from the treacherous captivity of Mr. Sundown, also known as Esua Pierce. Back at home, Jennie Reeves (Lauren E. Banks) had reconciled with her old friend Esme who had used her to connect her business associate Edwin Jones with Bass. In the Lawmen: Bass Reeves finale, Jennie is stunned to be visited by the wife of her former slave owner Rachel Reeves (Jessica Oyelowo) who returns with a sinister intention of bringing the Reeves family back to Texas in chains.

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The Impact of the Deleted Scene

The deleted KKK confrontation scene involving Jennie Reeves undermines the series' climactic build-up. The scene, featuring Jennie Reeves holding a gun outside her Van Buren home to a mob of apparent Ku Klux Klan members, was one of the most intense and memorable scenes in the Lawmen: Bass Reeves trailer but didn't make the final cut of the series finale. Throughout the later episodes of Lawmen: Bass Reeves, there had been a climatic build-up toward the confrontation between the KKK and Jennie Reeves that was depicted in the trailer, but it ultimately didn't happen in the Lawmen: Bass Reeves finale.

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The showrunner and creator of Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Chad Feehan, explained that the scene was removed to have a more 'impactful' ending, citing a decision to revisit Jennie and Bass as a more mirrored experience for the two of them. However, the omission raises questions and leaves loose ends in the series. The connection between the racist girl Clementine, her older brother Brent, and Rachel Reeves is left unexplained, and the confrontation between Jennie and the KKK as shown in the trailer is replaced by an anticlimactic and random appearance from Rachel, which feels less impactful.

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The Unanswered Questions

The removal of the KKK confrontation scene raises questions about the series' unresolved plot points. The connection between the racist girl Clementine, her older brother Brent, and Rachel Reeves remains unexplored, leaving the audience wondering about their significance in the story. Additionally, the scene with the burning effigy outside the Reeves family home in Lawmen: Bass Reeves episode 7 points to the confrontation between Jennie and the KKK as depicted in the trailer, but the audience is given an unexpected and less impactful appearance from Rachel. Furthermore, the fate of Arthur Mayberry, Sally's love interest, is left unaddressed, leaving viewers to speculate about his involvement in the deleted scene and its potential impact on the series.

Bass Reeves at Sara's in Lawmen Bass Reeves epiosde 6