In The Presence Of Mine Enemies
Till Death Do Us Part (Part One)
Till Death Do Us Part (Part Two)
THE SWEETWATER FAMILY IS NEARLY TORN APART WHEN ONE OF THEIR OWN FALLS AT THE HANDS OF SOUTHERN RAIDERS...
No one is having fun at Kid and Lou's wedding party because of the death of the soldiers. Jesse and Noah cross words when the young James tells the riders he'll go back to the South to "fight for the cause" if war breaks out. The black rider is furious and leaves. Buck angrily reminds Jesse that Noah is his friend. Meanwhile, Cody finds out about Rosemary's list and tells the captain about it. They get the list from Rosemary and immediately plans an attack. Noah offers to join the Union soldiers but is rebuffed because he is black.
What
follows is a beautiful montage. The captain sings Aura Lee at the saloon
while clips of the riders are shown: Lou and Kid have their wedding night
at the hotel, Teaspoon paces inside his office unable to sleep, Rachel
goes to the bunkhouse and watches over her remaining wards while they sleep,
back to Kid and Lou, now entwined but unable to sleep, dreading their and
their family's future.
The next day, the soldiers prepare to attack the raiders' camp. What they don't know is that it's a trap. Frank James, Jesse's brother, rides with the raiders and Jesse unwittingly passed on information to him. Noah sees the soldiers ride past him and notices Rosemary following them. Rosemary tells Noah she wants to see the men who killed her husband and Noah, fearing she'll do something rash, goes with her.
The soldiers attack the camp and are immediately besieged. The captain signals a retreat but Rosemary forges ahead when she sees the raiders' leader, Pierson. Noah runs after her and gets shot trying to protect her. Cody finally gets to them and provides cover. Noah gets on his horse and rides away with the soldiers. A short distance away, the black rider falls from his horse. The captain checks him and tells Cody "I'm sorry." Cody is in denial and says Noah will be fine. But the black rider is dead.
The riders mourn Noah's death and Kid and Jimmy nearly come to blows again when Kid blames the whole thing on Rosemary. The captain approaches Teaspoon and asks for Jesse's whereabouts. Teaspoon says he doesn't know where Jesse is and is not sure the young kid is to blame.
Rosemary is stricken. She tells Jimmy that everything that is supposed to bring her joy brings only misery to other people. She says she knows the riders are blaming her for Noah's death. Jimmy tells her it isn't so, but she knows better. They admit their feelings towards each other and agree to "go slow."
Later that night, Jimmy hears somebody in the barn and finds Frank. He
draws on Frank and shoots him once then Jesse arrives. Jimmy tells Jesse
that Frank knows where Noah's killer is. But Frank creates a diversion
and Jesse hits Jimmy on the head and escapes with his brother. But Jesse
couldn't forget his friends. Though his brother is wounded, Jesse decides
to leave him and return to Rock Creek. But not before Frank tells him where
Pierson's new camp is. Jesse goes to Teaspoon and tells the Marshall where
the raiders' camp is. Jimmy suspects it's a lie but Teaspoon sees the remorse
in the young man's eyes. He believes Jesse. Before leaving, Jesse apologizes
to Jimmy for hurting him and asks Teaspoon to say good-bye to Rachel, Lou,
Buck, Cody and the Kid for him.
Teaspoon and the rest of the riders as well as the captain and all his soldiers prepare once again to attack Pierson's camp. Even newlyweds Kid and Lou join in. They arrive at the camp and the gunfight begins. Kid and Jimmy are able to capture the lone "machine gun" and the soldiers gain the upper hand in the fight. Pierson tries to escape but Cody shoots him. The fight is finished.
The series ends on a sad note with Noah's funeral. Teaspoon delivers a short but heartfelt speech: "I guess I've seen more than my fair share of funerals. I kinda got used to 'em. Seems like they was a natural part of life. But this... this here... this ain't natural. What's happening around us ain't natural. Our nation, being divided... friends turning against friends, family against family and it's all leading to the same place. And that place is here, in cemeteries like this... with grief stricken friends and families like this. Young lives cut short, long before their time. We're allowing ourselves to be ripped apart. And I'm telling you right now, if we don't start thinking about healing instead of killing... we're going to lose everything... our homes, our friends, our families. Whether you knew Noah Dixon or not, his passing should mean as much to you as those of us who considered him our friend and part of our family. God bless you, son."
TRIVIA: Teaspoon uttered the last words in the series: "Ride safe, Jesse."