REVIEW: Big Sky, Season 1 Episode 11 'All Kinds Of Snakes'

 REVIEW: Big Sky, Season 1 Episode 11 'All Kinds Of Snakes'

With private detectives Jenny (Katheryn Winnick) and Cassie (Kylie Bunbury) having started investigating other cases in the series right now, you'd be forgiven for thinking the ongoing Ronald (Brian Geraghty) plot has taken something of a backseat. There's certainly less focus on this storyline now than in the early episodes, with other cases featuring much more prominently. It's almost like the show is trying to demonstrate that it can survive away from the kidnapping story and that it can focus on other plotlines too.

There is still some great scenes concerning the Ronald case this week, however. Early on, for instance, Mark Lindor (Omar Metwally) tells Cassie that they located Ronald's truck. Whilst it does seem somewhat short-sighted of Ronald to have forgotten to paint over the section of the truck that contains a plea for help, it is a good way to have our characters discover that it's the same vehicle. There needed to be something to act as an indicator that it was the same truck, and a help message works well for that.

Ronald's partner Scarlet (Anja Savcic) discovering his taser happened much earlier than I expected, and her discovery becomes quite intriguing. She admits to having a secret that she's hiding herself, and it makes me wonder just what that could be. It's a nice hook for future episodes, and I'm looking forward to finding out what her deal is.

Whatever it is, it probably won't be anything as horrible as the things that Ronald has done. Killing his mother being one key example. This episode takes a disturbing tone in relation to his dead mother, in fact, when he's caught on CCTV sleeping by her grave. It's quite a grim and macabre plot point that reminds me of shows such as Gotham and Bates Motel; another clear reminder that Ronald is a very disturbed individual. He doesn't seem too far away from becoming a Norman Bates and turning full psycho, that's for sure. 

The bulk of episode concerns the assault of a woman called Rosie, and a man convicted of the crime. This man is Jenny's ex-boyfriend Blake (Michael Raymond-James), and she's adamant that he's not responsible. It quickly becomes clear that there's a big family cover-up at play, and it makes for a really complex mystery involving a family and their ranch, and who will own it once the father of the family Horst Kleinsasser (Ted Levine) passes away. It's a dysfunctional family for sure, and it adds a layer of unpredictability as everyone is cast under a suspicious light.

The game night, which sees the entire family gather to play a board game, sees the tensions really brought to the forefront. This is a really great scene that shows the fractious dynamic between all concerned, and seems to hint at a wild instability with Horst. This guy even gets a gun out and threatens to shoot at one of his own family members, portraying him as this weirdly deranged figure. It kind of makes me wonder if he was the one who attacked Rosie,  although maybe that's a little too obvious.

There's also something a tad weird about Sheriff Wagy (Sebastian Roché), who doesn't seem all that concerned when Cassie tells him that someone smeared blood on the detective agency minivan. He also isn't very helpful when they seek information on the Blake case, which poses the question of whether he himself is involved in some sort of cover-up. It wouldn't be the first time the show has had corrupt people working within the law (after all, that's how it all started). It does a really good job at drawing you in though, and really making you curious as to why this sheriff is acting so strange. 

The possibility of Wagy being involved in a cover-up is certainly given credibility by the final scene of this episode, as Cassie is abducted by a rogue cop. It's unclear just where she is being taken, but it's not the police station, seeing as he drives straight past. This is the best sort of cliffhanger as it keeps you on tenterhooks wondering what will happen next, and how it will conclude. It's a very effective way to leave the episode, and it will be interesting to see how things develop from here. 

Overall, 'All Kinds Of Snakes' is a highly engaging episode within Big Sky's first season. It offers some truly dark developments regarding Ronald, and an interesting mystery regarding the attack of a woman named Rosie. Big Sky is a show that so far has remained largely unpredictable, with twists and turns in its story since the very beginning, and it seems unlikely the show will be slowing down anytime soon.

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