David Oyelowo plays his cards right as the legendary slave-turned-lawman.
Looks like Bass Reeves (David Oyelowo) learned a thing or two about knowing when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em since the premiere episode of the limited-run series that bears his name.
In Part I of Lawmen: Bass Reeves, set during the Civil War, our then-enslaved hero thought he had the opportunity of a lifetime when his duplicitous master, a Confederate Army officer named George Reeves (Shea Whigham), made him an offer he couldn’t refuse: If Bass could beat him in a hand of poker, he’d grant the loyal slave his freedom. Bass thought he’d won, fair and square. But George cheated, and claimed victory. This taught Bass an invaluable lesson about trust and caution. More important, it also motivated him to beat the hell out of his master, and claim the freedom he had been promised, then denied.
In Part III, which premieres Sunday, Nov. 12, on Paramount+, Bass — now a Deputy U.S. Marshal during the Reconstruction Era — once again tries his hand at poker. But this time, as you can see in the exclusive preview clip, he’s playing for even bigger stakes. And it turns out that he can bluff with the best of them.
By the way: Parts I and II of Lawmen: Bass Reeves will air back to back Sunday on CBS, right after an encore presentation of another Taylor Sheridan-produced series: Yellowstone.
