Billy the Kid (2022)

Jonah Collier is young Billy McCarty, born into a family of Irish immigrants trying to eek out a living in New York.

His parents Kathleen (Eileen O’Higgins) and Patrick (Joey Batey) decide to head West to Coffeyville, Kansas, for a promise of a better future.

Of course, it’s an arduous journey. And at a river crossing, the family loses most of their belongings and Patrick nearly drowns.

Physically, he recovers. Mentally, he never does, leaving Billy’s mother as the sole supporter of the family.

When Billy’s father finally succumbs to his melancoly, the family is on the move again, eventually settling in Silver City.

It’s there that Kathleen meets war veteran Henry Antrim and ultimately agrees to marry him, hoping he’ll be able to provide the financial stability her first husband never could.

But he turns out to be more dreamer than provider, not to mention a woman-beating whoremonger to boot.

Billy senses Antrim’s shortcomings long before his mother does and comes close to killing his step-father more than once.

Meanwhile, he’s grown into a young man who needs to start making a living for himself.

And good friend Jesse Evans convinces him there’s no easier way to turn a buck than rustling a few cows or robbing a Chinese laundry.

A dispute over a stolen horse leads to his first killing. Before long, young Billy has a price on his head and a reputation for being a fast gun.

It’s that reputation that Lincoln County boss Lawrence G. Murphy wants on his side as he deals with a determined competitor name John Tunstall.

But Billy quickly grows wary of Murphy’s motives and methods. He also begins wondering if he’s on the wrong side of the conflict coming to his new home.

Review:

Genre fans will be thrilled with the opportunity to watch another well-financed Western TV series.

But if you’re expecting viewing as good as “1883,” “Deadwood” or even “The English,” you’re going to be disappointed.

Because instead of bringing us an original story, producers of this series decided to rehash the oft-told story of Billy the Kid.

And while the episodes exploring his upbringing offer something new, by the time Season 1 ends, Billy is embroiled in the well-known events surrounding the Lincoln County War. Gee, wonder how that’s going to play out?

We also get a very sympathetic version of Billy the Kid. This is a Billy who will do anything for his mother. Who kills his first man in self-defense and returns to face the music.

Who can’t stomach robbing a bank because he knows the money inside belongs to hard-working families. Who’s sympathetic to Hispanics when no one else around him is.

And who actually questions John Tunstall about his principles before deciding whether to switch sides in the Lincoln County fight.

Oh, and did I mention that ladies — even ladies with boyfriends or husbands — find him irresistible.

Honestly, it’s all a little too much to swallow. Though I suppose if you’re making a series about the life of Billy the Kid, he’d better be a character viewers will care about.

Viewers are also in store for lots of card games, lots of scenes in which Billy demonstrates his shooting skill and way too many conversations held in dimly lit rooms.

Directed by:
Otto Bathurst
David Frazee
Rachel Leiterman
Michael Nankin

Cast:
Tom Blyth … William H. Bonney
Daniel Webber … Jesse Evans
Eileen O’Higgins … Kathleeen McCarty
Sean Owen Roberts … Bob Olinger
Dakota Daulby … John Beckwith
Ryan Kennedy … Ash Upson
Ian Tracey … Frank Baker
Jonah Collier … Young Billy
Vincent Walsh … Lawrence G. Murphy
Jamie Beamish … Henry Antrim
Gilermo Alonso … Melquiades Segura
Shaun Benson … Riley
Christie Burke … Barbara Jones
Chad Rook … James Doolan
Luke Camilleri … Alex McSween
Brendan Fletcher … George Coe
Joey Batey …. Patrick McCarty
Alex Roe … Pat Garrett

Runtime: 45 to 54 min. per 8 episodes

Memorable lines:

Wagon train guide Moss to young Billy: “Things don’t always end up the way we want them to, Billy.”

Patrick McCarty: “You see those stars up there Billy? You’re just like one of those stars. You can burn so bright. When you’re older, you take time to look at those stars. And know that those bright, brilliant stars reflect the light that’s in you.”

Mr. Hurley, caught trying to rape Billy’s mom: “No need to mess up your life over something that’s not important.”
Billy: “It’s important to me.”

Mary McCarty: “Seems to me Mr. Antrim is a decent, honest, religiously-minded man.”
Billy: “He’s lying to you. About everything.”

Journalist Ash Upson: “I don’t know, Billy. Sometimes I think courage is just the honesty to recognize your own weakness. And then do something about it.”

Mary McCarty: “Everything that’s happened, do you think it’s been worth it?”

Alex Roe as Pat Garrett, a member of the 7 Rivers Gang, becoming acquainted with Billy in Billy the Kid (2022)

Bill MacDonald as Sheriff Brady, a man who answers to Murphy in Billy the Kid (2022)

Brendan Fletcher as George Coe, one of the small ranchers aligned with Tunstall in Billy the Kid (2022)

Christie Burke as Barbara Jones, the female member of the 7 Rivers Gang, about to seduce Billy in Billy the Kid (2022)

SIobhan Williams as Irene, smitten with Billy as husband Riley (Shaun Benson), one of Murphy’s henchman, looks on in Billy the Kid (2022)

Nuria Vega as Dulcinea, the Mexican lady who catches Billy’s eye in Billy the Kid (2022)

Daniel Webber as Jesse Evans, the man who lures Billy (Tom Blyth) into a life of crime in Billy the Kid (2022)

Eileen O’Higgins as Kathleen McCarty, returning a pistol to a driver with lustful intentions in BIlly the Kid (2022)

Joanh Collier as young Billy, getting his first shooting lesson from Moss (Timothy Webber) in Billy the Kid (2022)