REVIEW: Big Sky, Season 1 Episode Three 'The Big Rick'

 REVIEW: Big Sky, Season 1 Episode Three 'The Big Rick'

If this episode has any general theme, it's one of sheer, unavoidable distrust. Characters are starting to question our antagonists Ronald (Brian Geraghty) and Rick (John Carroll Lynch) further, and they are slowly losing their grip on their criminality.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the scenes at the beginning of this episode, with our antagonists and their loved ones. First up, we see Ronald being scrutinised by his mother Helen (Valerie Mahaffrey). She believes she must have done something wrong as a mother, and it's hard to disagree. From what we have seen in the previous two episodes, she doesn't seem to have given her son much support, and at times it has almost felt like she looks down on his life as a trucker in disdain. It's an interesting thought to ponder. Has her lack of support bred a monster, or is his evil nature just the way he is?

Next we see Rick with his wife Merilee Legarski (Brooke Smith), and this scene delves nicely into the character's back story. We learn how he was given the nickname 'The Big Rick' at school by his fellow school mates, which he tells us is because of his 'good' nature, but is more likely because he was perhaps a playground bully. Rick, it seems, has this same delusional view of hero status as Ronald, and genuinely believes he is doing 'good' by kidnapping these poor women. Merilee's suspicions are a little more subtle, as she asks Rick just what he has got himself into, but it's clear that the subtext is that she is beginning to suspect he's up to something no good.

The best Rick scene, however, is yet another excellent confrontation with private detective Cassie (Kylie Bunbury). John Carroll Lynch is so good at playing these tense scenes; the way he imbues this subtle and sinister sense of menace as Cassie gets too close to the truth is captivating to watch. You really are made to fear for Cassie's safety.

Thankfully the kidnapped sisters Danielle (Natalie Alyn Lind) and Grace (Jade Pettyjohn) are not as annoying this week. Grace actually gets to show some ingenuity, as she discovers a loose hatch in the truck and escapes down a sewer, hidden underneath the floorboards. She's allowed to be really quite resourceful in the narrative this episode, and it is much more interesting to see a female character use her intelligence here rather than just screaming at the top of her lungs.

It leads to a wonderful edge-of-your-seat sequence too, when Grace tries to make her big mistake. Rick discovers the sewers by accident and seeing his face behind her in close up, as she attempts to get away, is really quite disconcerting to watch. It's excellently directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton, with so many smart choices in regards to camera angles and lighting made.

Even Danielle, who has previously been the most irritating character in the show, comes across well here. She gets a lovely moment with transgender character Jerrie (Jesse James Keitel), where Jerrie describes the prejudices she has faced from her own family that forced her to live in a trailer park from the age of 14. It's quite a tragic back story, and it's handled with the upmost care and attention.

The most infuriating character this week instead goes to the fisherman. This idiot, upon being told that a kidnapper is on the loose, decides to dawdle around instead of chasing over to his vehicle. It's really hard to process the logic of such stupidity, and what happens to him as a result could have been so easily resolved had he used his brain.

We don't get a great deal of Jenny (Katheryn Winnick) this episode. Most of her scenes revolve around her investigating into a church that Cody was supposed to visit, although she does get quite an emotional scene with her son Justin (Gage Marsh), which allows both actors to shine. It's a shame they don't give her more to do, as her presence in the series feels a little wasted. Cassie seems to do most of the actual private detective work.

Overall, this was another great episode, that did a solid job of offering more depth and pathos to the characters on-screen. John Carroll Lynch once again gives a brilliant performance, and we get some gripping moments involving Ronald and Grace. However there is still some flawed character logic present, and Jenny feels oddly sidelined. It's time she did some more investigating of her own.

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What are your thoughts on Big Sky's third episode? Let me know in the comments section.