The Blackwater Massacre Re-Visited - Red Dead Redemption 2

I have no idea why Rockstar hasn't made any campaign DLC for the game. There's so much stuff they could explore through campaign expansions. They could even do Blackwater itself, and release the story content in weekly drops almost like a tv show airing

It's very interesting that Ross says to Jack, "Enjoy your fishing, kid... while you still can," when Jack kills Ross while he's fishing at the end of the first game.

The fact in chapter 2 Arthur said to either rescue Sean now or cut him loose if he gets to the federal prison but in chapter 6 breaks into the prison to save John just shows how much he had changed as a person

its an important and oft overlooked detail that the Pinkertons only track down Arthur at the river directly after freeing michah from prison in strawberry

The worst decision in the entire game was Arthur's... when Mary Linton asked him to run away with her and never look back…💔

I think Micah and the Blackwater heist signaled the gang's doom. Both John and Hosea say the gang hasn't been the same for years; turning into a bunch of killers focused on survival and not helping folk like they used to. Hence why, Dutch was suddenly willing to induct a selfish, ruthless killer like Micah into the gang and that was his biggest mistake. Micah sought a big, risky score that marked the beginning of their end. He might've not always been the rat, but he always wanted to get that money and ditch the gang, it's why he kept asking to go to Blackwater and why he ultimately ratted the gang when he saw they're in decline in exchange for slipping away scott-free and getting the money.

almost 5 years and the games story is still so deep i love it

20:00 You can still find the remnants of the old camp overlooking Blackwater that was removed from the beginning of the game near where they are scoping the town for Sean. There's also a sketch in the journal showing where it is.

A small theory: Heidi McCourt was an interesting case in the Blackwater Massacre. Her name sticks out among everyone else that was lost during it. The Strange Man was present before the massacre, likely a premonition of the death that would follow, but he pays special attention to Heidi despite the massacre affecting multiple people. Perhaps Heidi was not meant to die. But the actions of Micah and Dutch and the inaction of John and Javier and such led to her death. Or perhaps she was the first of many tests The Strange Man would put upon the gang. A test for the gang as a whole. John and the rest of them on the ferry let the influence of Micah and Dutch stop them from saving Heidi.

Dutch must have some fierce hatred for snow, and assumes others feel the same. Every time he's at his most desperate that's where he runs to. Maybe his east coast childhood was so wrought with trauma that the cold/snow seems something like a fortress, or a prison. It would also explain his affinity for the idea of Tahiti or other tropical locations, it's exactly the opposite of where he turns tail to. I can also see it as a bit of penance or self flagellation for him to return to that environment again and again.

I heard somewhere from RD1 or 2 where Landon was a former lawman, so that could be how he was there to witness and deal with the robbery as an officer of the law there at the time

the $150,000 that they stole would be worth $5,560,319.28 in todays money

Maybe the man that resembles Trelawney was actually the Strange Man visiting the Town as some kind of omen of death. Most people probably just saw him like it is discribed in Armadillo (or maybe even what Arthur experienced) while some may have had more direct encounters simmilar to John. You might say he was making his accounts in preparation of the massacre...

After reading his journal, it seems like "We shall see" was Arthur's favorite phrase.

I just realized; Arthur’s pre-chapter 1 entry where Dutch was talking about California MAY be referring to that side quest in Redemption 1 where that Sam guy was trying to go there as well, kept getting crazier every time John / Jack saw him until he died. Not sure if that’s related or on purpose but it just came into my head

Micah may not have been working for the Pinkertons at the beginning, but he had to have set Dutch up with that ferry heist. He "saved" Dutch in that gold exchange, but maybe that isn't how it went down. Maybe he was with the other side in the exchange, but not being a team player he figured he could get all of the gang's money by betraying his comrade and ingratiating himself with Dutch. He plants the ferry job in Dutch's mind but has his own guys in the periphery watching over things so that when the time is right, Micah can make a break with all of the money. I am thinking Skinny may have been a point man in this regard which is one of the reasons he gets whacked when we release Micah from jail. Blackwater doesn't go like Micah thought it would so he has little choice but to tag along with the gang until he can find out where the money is and go back. Knowing Hosea, Arthur and John don't trust him, he does everything in his power to salt their relationship with Dutch and since by the time the reach Colter Dutch has lost touch with reality his job isn't so hard. He betrayed Arthur to the O'Driscolls for sure, and he intentionally tried to get the gang to move to Dewberry Creek which was completely indefensible. The whole bank robbery thing was his way to get rid of Hosea and with how easy the O'Driscolls found Shady Belle, he probably had a hand in that too, passing info to them about the bank job, one of those guys fingered Hosea and Abigal to the police. With Arthur sick and Hosea dead and John in prison, he had Dutch all to himself. He could plant even more dangerous thoughts into his mind while informing the Pinkertons the whole way. Once the gang is out of the way, he can go back and get the Blackwater money which he finally learned Dutch had on him the whole time.

I'd love to go back to the original beginnings of Dutch's gang, this will give us the full story of how the gang evolved into rdr2. Playing as Hose, Dutch and Arthur Morgan.

We're going back in time! Also the fact, that this game went without any story dlc is a crime amongst itself 😅

I wouldn't mind if you did the whole story with this style of video, it's great!

If they ever make a series based on the Red Dead series the need to dedicate the first episode (or hell even a 90 minute movie) to showing the Blackwater Massacre in it's entirety. It made since to keep it a mystery in game but for a TV show you need something to hook in an audience and what better way than with a huge bank heist and shoot out leading to the deaths of several gang members. They could even have the Callander brothers be the focus of the episode to fake out/gut punch people who never played the game when they get shot/captured at the end of the episode.