REVIEW: Big Sky, Season 1 Episode 10 'Catastrophic Thinking'

 REVIEW: Big Sky, Season 1 Episode 10 'Catastrophic Thinking'

After the rather pointless mid-season enforced by Disney Plus, it's great to have Big Sky back. This series has provided some great TV thriller material over the past nine episodes, and offered many twists and turns in its tail that has kept me as a viewer captivated throughout. Truth be told, I've missed the series when it has been absent from my schedules for the past three weeks, so I'm glad to finally have a chance to catch up with the story now. A lot has changed since where we last left the show.

For one, Ronald (Brian Geraghty) has changed his appearance again, and is assuming a new identity as 'Arthur'. Ronald has a family now with girlfriend Scarlet Leyendecker (Anja Savcic) and her daughter Phoebe (Zoë Noelle Baker). It's honestly quite unnerving seeing this guy who kidnapped and trafficked women posing as a family man, because no way should somebody like him be allowed around kids. It does a good job at making us worry for those in his company though, and wonder what he may do next - especially when we are given that magnificent shot of him retrieving his electric taser from under the kitchen sink. Ronald has even managed to evade our detectives, Cassie (Kylie Bunbury) and Jenny Hoyt (Katheryn Winnick), who are now working on domestic cases. Although I do like how Ronald's escape has significantly impacted them on an emotional level. It shows that our lead characters are affected by their experiences, and they don't just shrug and move on. The best characters are ones who are impacted by the events of the TV Series; it's a part of the reason why we root for them. Over at the detective office, Jerrie (Jesse James Keitel) is acting as a receptionist alongside Denise (Dedee Pfeiffer), which gives us an excellent sense of continuity between both parts of the season. It also leads to an excellent subplot where Jerrie receives a string of sinister calls that she believes to be Ronald. It brings some truly edge of your seat moments, as we start to wonder just what Ronald could want with Jerrie now, and whether he will ever leave the poor woman alone. It's not just Ronald's influence that plays a major factor in this episode's story though. Cassie and Jenny also find themselves embroiled in a case involving some stolen horse semen, which their client Naomi's (Savonna Spracklin) husband Alan (Michael Eklund) has taken from ranch owner Horst (Ted Levine). This is a plot with so many twists in the tale, which makes for a narrative that's both complex and gripping to watch. Poor Naomi's loved ones all seem to be keeping secrets from her, with even her father Bruce (Lorne Cardinal) involved in the crime. They're taking her for fools, and she really deserves better.

There's a potentially interesting new direction for the character of Jenny established in this episode, with Sheriff Walter Tubb (Patrick Gallagher) advising that she should be a sheriff herself. I can't imagine that this development will actually happen, as it would seem odd to split Cassie and Jenny up as private detectives, but it's fun to imagine where it could lead if it does happen all the same. It's a concept that could lead to a fresh new dynamic, with Jenny having to tow the side of the law more firmly than she does when operating at the agency.

This episode also introduces us to U.S. Marshal Mark Lindor (Omar Metwally), who's in town to seek the help of Cassie and Jennie in regards to the Ronald case. He's a fun new addition to the show; a quirky personality who offers some frankly bizarre exchanges of dialogue. Mark Lindor brings quite a presence to the show, and I for one will be looking forward to seeing more of him as the season progresses. Overall, 'Catastrophic Thinking' is an amazing start to the second half of Big Sky's first season. It's an episode that introduces new dynamics, new cases and new characters, whilst furthering the stories of the pre-existing cast. There's a danger when a show introduces further elements into the mix this late on that it will lose its focus on the grander narrative, but Big Sky's tenth episode avoids this, and instead allows the show's first season to remain fresh rather than running out of steam.

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