Chapter Three: Alliances – The show begins with a man driving his horses and wagon hard. In a remote desert location, Christian (Gbolahan Obisesan) pleads for his life while buried, with his head sticking out of the ground. Human skulls are scattered about the area. Peterson (Michael Power) asks Christian if the salt is burning his body. He says yes. The Stranger (Eugene Brave Rock) sits on the ground, with his hands bound. As Peterson continues to taunt Christian, The Stranger frees one hand from the handcuffs. When Peterson orders him to move, The Stranger grabs his rifle and hits him with it. He grabs a knife and kills all three of his captors.
The Stranger retrieves a device that appears to be some type of weapon from the wagon. With it strapped around his forearm, he connects a rubber hose, and the canister begins to fill with blood. He walks over to a man lying on the ground and shoots him with the device. Ignoring Christian, he hops on a horse and flees the scene.
Sheriff McCoy (Dominic Cooper) wakes Red Bill (Douglas Booth) while he sleeps on the ground. When Red Bill rubs his cheek, McCoy tells him it was revenge for stealing his horse. He promises to buy him another horse. McCoy assures him that he doesn’t need money. Deputy (Ivan Shaw) denies needing money as well. His payment is to watch him hang. Throwing the bag of skulls at Red Bill, McCoy tells him that he is finally united with his buddies. He reminds him of being owed a trial. Finding him guilty, McCoy gives him the death penalty.
Eve (Niv Sultan) is in her own little world when Oscar (Rex Ryan) asks if she is still not convinced. She assures him that her business is doing well. He compliments her girls, calling them the most beautiful he’s ever seen. He asks if she is aware of her nickname “Lady of the Water.” She tells him of course. He suggests she acquire an ad in his guide to ensure all Americans know her. She promises to give it some thought. One of her girls alerts her of the water man’s arrival. She orders her to prepare Symone (Rose Williams) to accompany her outside to deal with the water.
Steve (Christian Cooke) and Michelle (Zoe Boyle) work his land. Michelle tells him the new settlers should be aware of Thompson’s threats. Agreeing to discuss it at the right time, he warns her of what it would do to Dorian (Lorenzo McGovern Zaini) if he loses his friend so soon after they met. When Nicole (Alida Baldari Calabria) and Dorian arrive, Steve aggressively reminds him of the boundary. Raising his voice, he demands Dorian to acknowledge his understanding of how dangerous it is outside the boundary. Dorian takes off running while Michelle tells Steve that he is overreacting. Steve lies to Jack (Tim Daish) about a viper killing his horse.
A man asks Thompson (Paterson Joseph) if he is having money problems after noticing his paintings are missing. Thompson orders the man to give Steve a reminder that his land will soon be his.
Eve and Symone walk through the streets of Greenvale, where the locals are fighting to get water. When they meet Henry (Daniel Caltagirone), Eve asks after McCoy. Informing her that the Sheriff has yet to return, Henry assures her water is loaded. She orders him to give the locals more water out of his rations. He tells her it can’t happen. She reminds him of her being McCoy when he is out of town. He informs Eve of McCoy’s order to no longer call on Symone because she and Deputy Nathan (Benjamin Stender) want to marry. Eve denies they love each other. He asks Symone if she loves Nathan. She admits to being fond of him but loyal to Eve.
McCoy and Kurt leading Red Bill travel through the desert. Red Bill struggles to maintain control of his bag of bones. While he stops to urinate, he tells Kurt that he needs roots from bushes, with thick branches. His ax is attached to Kurt’s saddlebag. Kurt asks why he needs them. He says for medicine when McCoy joins the conversation to educate Kurt on “White Tongue,” a practice utilized by natives to get high. Accusing him of trying to kill them at the first opportunity, McCoy denies his request. He also refuses to give him water, pouring it out on the ground instead.
Steve demonstrates how to build an irrigation system when Jack asks why he has never inquired about his past. Steve tells him that it wasn’t any of his business. Jack explains how they have been traveling for three years. After their food supply was drained, they all got sick, including his son who didn’t survive. Steve apologizes for his loss. Jack says God wasn’t with them when his son died. He claims to hear God speaking to him all the time.
Symone stacks cards when Tony delivers their drinks. Eve asks if everything is okay. He says seeing her smile once in a while makes him okay. She asks Symone if she is in love with Nathan. When she admits to already answering the questions, Eve says it doesn’t make it so. She tells her if she was in love, she would have kept Nathan close while still working at the brothel. She says her feelings for Nathan don’t even come close to being like hers for Steve. Eve reminds her of Steve being with Michelle.
The Stranger meets with Bronson (Guido Caprino). He questions why his arrival was delayed. The Stranger blames it on the Petersons. Bronson repeats a story Traynor (Simon Rizzoni) told him. Traynor and a friend raided a coach owned by the federal bank. After killing the workers, they got themselves a large chest of money. Before they could get away, two lawmen and a boy (Jesse Justin Korovkin) arrived. Traynor survived, but not his friend. He contributes his survival to how he was positioned on the ground, which compressed against his wound and stopped the bleeding. He walked to Crimson, where he was treated for a gunshot wound to the throat. From there, he took the train to Bronson’s place. As Bronson describes the story as “unbelievable,” Traynor becomes uneasy. He reminds him of how he failed at a simple task.
Blaine (Terry McMahon) reminds them of a Juarez rancher who was left standing after receiving 20 bullets. Bronson shoots him in the back, with an arrow as he tries to flee. When he gasps for breath, Bronson gets a closer look. Blaine laughs as Bronson beats Traynor to death. They devise a plan to go after McCoy. Before they leave, Bronson orders Blaine to tear McCoy to pieces.
McCoy screams when he discovers the bridge they previously crossed has broken. Kurt reminds him of calling his idea stupid. McCoy pleads with Kurt to take the route through the mines. Kurt must have lost his friends in the mines. He isn’t happy about abandoning the horses. While McCoy kisses one of the horses, Red Bill apologizes about his horse dying.
Nathan sits alone staring into space when Henry walks in. He asks Henry what if Red Bill got McCoy and Kurt. Henry calls his obsessing “bullsh**.” Nathan suggests they take over to prevent Eve from becoming the sheriff. Before Nathan can leave to be with Symone, Henry tells him something.
Eve is posing for a photo. Oscar promises her photo will capture her in Greenvale forever. She has a flashback of having sex when her wig is pulled off, exposing her bald head. The man is irate, ordering Alfred to give him a refund. Back to the present – Standing in front of a mirror, she has a flashback of Steve gently removing her wig. He tells her to look at him before suggesting they leave Greenvale. Back to the present – Eve saddles her horse and rides out of town.
Steve discusses Heave with Jack when Eve approaches. Demanding to know the purpose of her visit, he curses her. He orders her to return to Greenvale. She pleads with him to go with her to Treson Lake. He tries to force her to leave, but she refuses. She curses Michelle because she wakes up with him by her side every day. She promises to take Michelle’s place. He assures her it isn’t possible because his job is to guard the gold, so it will rain. She stares brokenheartedly as he walks away.
Symone is sitting at her makeup table when Nathan enters. He asks if what she told Henry is true. She assures him that it is the truth. He informs her of Mary (Allegra Michelazzo) waiting for her to arrive. She admits to never wanting to be a mother to Mary or any other child. He physically assaults her.
Thompson visits his father’s grave.
Steve sits alone when he jumps up and takes off running. Nicole is burning a cross when Jack and Amanda find her. Jack demands to know where the matches came from. She claims two men gave them to her. He asks where Steve is at.
Eve arrives at the brothel to see Symone’s face battered. She asks, “What am I now, Eve.”
Steve tells Jack about Thompson’s desire to have his land. Jack questions why Thompson wants his land. He pretends to know nothing. Jack says he doesn’t believe what he is saying. He assures him that Thompson wants to acquire land from every Greenvale property owner. Jack asks if he feared they wouldn’t stay if they knew. He refuses to put his family in danger after losing one child already. Steve refuses his offer to leave with them. He disputes Jack’s belief of God in Greenvale. Steve walks out into a dust storm.
Bronson is having a drink with Hellen (Anna Chancellor) to celebrate their work together. He asks if she is willing to wait for his investment. She assures him that it can wait but not for too long. They discuss his candidacy before he takes her on a tour of his weaponry collection. She is disturbed by a holy symbol on an item in his collection. He explains how it is nothing more than a souvenir. Refusing to be linked to the symbol, she orders him to do away with it immediately. A knife, with an eye engraved on the handle, appears on the screen.
Frank (Simon Delaney) meets Blaine and The Stranger, so they can travel to Greenvale. Calling him “fat a**,” Blaine orders him to return to his wagon immediately.
Eve sits alone while Symone rests, with a bandage on her face. Nathan puts Mary to bed. Steve works his land. McCoy, Kurt, and Red Bill gather around a campfire in the moonlight. Bronson stares at an eye symbol on the wall. Frank, Blaine, and The Stranger travel to Greenvale. Michelle joins Steve in the field. Eve stares at her hairless head in a mirror.
Nathan sits down for a drink as Eve approaches him from behind. She stabs him in the throat, and he slowly bleeds to death.
McCoy tosses Kurt a bottle of whiskey. He tells Red Bill things didn’t need to turn out as it did. Red Bill says he shouldn’t have refused to give him water. McCoy asks him about his parents. He describes his family as being “dirt poor,” which drove him to leave home as a kid. He believes his mother forgot about him the minute he left home. Red Bill pops the cork out of the canteen and pours water over his skulls. Irate, McCoy demands to know what he is doing. He says it is important that the skulls are “identifiable.” Red Bill asks him how many people died at his hands.
As Eve prepares to leave Nathan’s house, Mary says, “Hello, are you her.” Eve tells her to shush. Mary watches quietly as she leaves when the episode comes to an end.
That Dirty Black Bag Review
While a slight improvement is noted from the previous episode, it is questionable why so many new characters are being added to the cast. Identifying the characters was extremely difficult right from the get-go. The new additions were no better. I believe the contributor is the distance from the camera to the actors and poor lighting in many of the scenes.
I may be wrong, but I almost feel McCoy’s attitude toward Red Bill is becoming more partial. Of course, you would never know this since he still refuses to give him water.
We finally know who killed the federal bank coachmen. Traynor who is now dead was one of the responsible parties. When Blaine and The Stranger catch up with McCoy, all hell will probably break loose. The show doesn’t leave many loose ends unresolved for too long, as the main characters are killed off fairly quickly.
Steve is beginning to look like a deranged psychopath. He believes God speaks to him and chose him to protect Greenvale’s gold vein.
With Nathan out of the way, who will be the next villain to plague Eve and her girls?
The episode deserves a 6.5. Get more That Dirty Black Bag recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking the link to learn more.
Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
