REVIEW: Big Sky, Season 1 Episode 12 'No Better Than Dogs'

 REVIEW: Big Sky, Season 1 Episode 12 'No Better Than Dogs'

The previous episode of Big Sky ended on quite a cliffhanger. Cassie (Kylie Bunbury) had been kidnapped by Deputy Al Gregor (Paul Piaskowski) and taken God knows where. Her kidnapping was surprisingly easy, making her believe she was being taken in for drink driving only to drive straight past the police station. 

This episode follows through on this cliffhanger incredibly well. We really get to see how this affects Cassie on an emotional level, the way it leaves her feeling traumatised and in total shock at what happened. It's rare that you get to see the private detective of a tale become the victim, but here this is exactly what we get, and it's used to develop Cassie's character significantly. It means that these private detectives are not infallible; they're prone to their own misjudgements, and can occasionally make their own mistakes. 

Mark Lindor (Omar Metwally) is the one to rescue Cassie, as he visits the police station where the deputy operates, and he has such power and presence in this scene. It's clear that he's not someone to be messed with, and he carries such authority that it's believable that they would feel threatened enough by him to let Cassie go. He's clearly a very useful ally for Cassie and Jenny (Katheryn Winnick), as he has can pull certain strings that they cannot.

Jerrie (Jesse James Keitel) has her own problems this week, as her gig at a bar takes a disturbing turn. She gives a musical performance that reflects just how much of a great singing voice Jesse James Keitel possesses, but it quickly goes wrong when she spots Ronald (Brian Geraghty) in the pub. I really like the way Jesse James Keitel plays this; you really feel her initial nerves as she approaches the mic stand, followed by a growing confidence as she starts to sing, only for it to be knocked away entirely as she sees Ronald among the audience. There's some really nice subtle touches in her acting too, like how Jerrie suddenly goes off-key as she sees the man who gave her so many nightmares. She's clearly a woman who's been very seriously traumatised by her bad experiences, and you find yourself willing her on to discover an inner peace.

This episode also continues the plot regarding Rosie's (Michelle Veintimilla) assault, as Cheyenne Kleinsasser (Britt Robertson) informs her brother Blake (Michael Raymond-James) that she believes he didn't do it.  We get a really nice heart-to-heart here, as Blake suggests to Rosie that she should be moving on from the ranch. These are siblings who are clearly very close, in a family that otherwise seem very dysfunctional. Their relationship probably seems more normal than any other pairing within their family in fact, as they don't seem to spend their time bickering with each other or acting very shifty.

Speaking of the overall Kleinsasser family, the lunch scene is very awkward. The father of the family Horst (Ted Levine) somehow decides this is the perfect opportunity to announce that he is giving the ranch to John Wayne (Kyle Schmid)  - no, not that John Wayne - instead of Blake, even though Blake is present at the table. This man just comes across as more and more of a prick as the season goes on. He's clearly a very abusive and controlling figure within the family, and I like all the little moments within the episode that shows how his behaviour affects the family, most notably his wife Margaret (Michelle Forbes) self-harming by pressing a needle into her finger, and trying to overdose on tablets, before Cheyenne tips them down the sink. Horst has clearly got way too much of a grip over the family, and you can't help but feel sorry for them. 

Talking of a grip, Scarlet (Anja Savcic) is clearly losing her grip on reality from being around Ronald. She now has a hold of his taser, and upon discovering a note in Ronald's pocket reading 'I will always be with you', proceeds to give him electric shocks until he reveals the truth behind it. There's something disturbing seeing this woman use the device as a means to try and force some resemblance of the truth. It's like Ronald is feeding off on Scarlet, and Scarlet is becoming the very monster that he is. It's the prime example of somebody becoming a negative influence, and it will be interesting to see how this develops when Scarlet learns the truth about Ronald's kidnapping of women. 

Overall, 'No Better Than Dogs' is easily the greatest episode of Big Sky's second half of its first season thus far. It goes down some interesting avenues with the kidnapping of Cassie, and develops both the Ronald and Rosie plots further, whilst remembering the importance of character, and how we need to care about the characters first in order to care. It's a  strong outing for the investigative duo of Cassie and Jennie, and a great showcase of the show as a whole.

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