The new Billy the Kid series explores the outlaw’s early years in the first few episodes. In the premiere we watched a young Henry travel west with his family for a new and prosperous life. The journey had a price including the loss of his father. This week, we see how the surviving McCartys pick up the pieces and try to survive.
A recurring theme in “The Rattler” is Henry sticking up for the voiceless. Whether it’s protecting his mother from being raped to seeking justice for a murdered childhood friend, the victims are important and matter to him. Despite being formulaic, these instances help grow attachment towards the protagonist and help shape his view of morality in the Wild West. Although with regards to Henry’s interactions with Carlos, Tom Blyth could work on his Spanish to make it more authentic while the gambler who kills his friend is overly dramatic and makes it difficult to take the scene seriously.
With Pa McCarty out of the picture, our future Billy the Kid receives a pair of paternal figures that will influence his life. Henry Antrim marries his mother and on first glance seems to be a decent man. But gradually we learn of his dark side to the point where he becomes a one-note villain.
Jamie Beamish makes Antrim a man you want to hate with his racist and misogynistic ways but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. The stepfather does accelerate Billy’s transition into adulthood because he still has to be the one to watch over his family. The encounter with the snake in the end, though made with poor CGI, demonstrates how worthless Antrim is.
More intriguing is the introduction of Ash Upson. Those familiar with the history will know he’s partially responsible for creating the legend of the outlaw by ghostwriting The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid. Here, he’s a journalist trying to expose the Santa Fe Ring who runs the region. The inclusion of the secret society presents an exciting new area to investigate and see the part they play in the infamous Lincoln County War. From a narrative standpoint, it could involve Billy’s motif of sticking up for the underdog. With such a powerful group, it would make sense to have him on the other side.
Billy the Kid’s second episode still suffers from formulaic plots but introduces enough interesting elements worth sticking around for a little longer.
New episodes of Billy the Kid are released Sundays on Epix.
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