Here’s the thing about Big Sky Season 3 Episode 5.
It feels like not a whole lot happened, but it was still entertaining. So, does that mean it was a “good” hour? That’s probably open to interpretation based on your tastes, though it’s safe to say this season has a different vibe to it.
And that vibe is leading to a lot of fun.
After starting the season hot and heavy with the Sunny Days agenda, lately, things have felt more split between that saga, Cassie’s dive into Mark’s disappearance (and now death), and whatever crap situation Beau and Jenny find themselves in.
The cases of the week have generally been pretty decent. They’re not exactly going to knock your socks off in their originality and execution, but that’s not what the series designed them to do.
Past seasons have relied on the long journey, and still including that, but dialing back the screentime has worked wonders so far.
It’s also allowed us more time with Beau, which can never be wrong.
Poppernak is often the butt of many jokes, but it’s all good-natured fun. And you can tell that Beau and Jenny like the guy, especially Jenny, who finds herself pretty overwhelmed when she finds out he’s in danger.
Beau was lucky he was in the right place at the right time to even see Trent try to steal that bike. It sets off a series of events that gets Popernak kidnapped and a woman shot in the shoulder but ultimately ends with three bad people behind bars.
There was a family theme throughout this hour and the idea that just because someone is blood doesn’t mean much of anything. Heather felt betrayed by her mother, so she took that anger and decided to hurt her and others along the way. She didn’t seem like a horrible person, but she was in too deep to turn back.
Flesh and blood doesn’t always make you a good parent.
Jenny
Just because someone gave birth to you or raised you or all of the above doesn’t mean they’re going to be a good parent. Or even going to be a good person. And that’s a harsh reality that you may never fully even come to terms with because it feels so foreign.
But that’s, unfortunately, the nature of humanity. Not everyone is inherently good.
We have minimal context outside of what we hear from Heather, so who knows why her mother really cut her off, but that’s not the point here. The point is to relate this to both Jenny and Sunny’s current storylines, as a woman struggling with her mother’s betrayal and a mother struggling with her son’s misdeeds.
Gigi isn’t gone, but it is a bit annoying how they teased us with the Tonya and Donno angle and then just dropped it. Surely, it will come back around again, but hopefully, we’re still invested by the time it does.
While Tonya and Donno are busy trading their house sales and pie recipes for boots and bug spray, Sunny has her eye on them and everyone else out in the woods. She takes the news of Mark’s body being found surprisingly well, never breaking a sweat, but you can tell she’s watching everything else around her.
I was curious how much Buck knew about Sunny’s activities, and it’s clear now that he knows what she’s capable of. Nothing she tells him scares him or seems like shocking information. All he seems to hyper-fixate on is the Walter of it all.
Sunny and Buck have a pretty strong partnership, except for when it comes to Walter. He’s that one thing they can’t agree on, with Buck seeming to understand just how dangerous he can be. Sunny, on the other hand, sees it but also excuses it.
She has a lot of faith in herself and her ability to get through to Walter, which feels extremely misguided. Thus far, Walter hasn’t shown himself to follow all of the rules Sunny put in place, yet she feels confident that he will suddenly listen to her when she decides to send him away.
We learn a little bit more about Sunny, Walter, and the whole family dynamic with each passing hour, and while we can assume some things, it would be nice to get some concrete information about what’s led Sunny to be filled with such obvious guilt as it pertains to Walter.
It truly feels like everything she’s doing is a direct response to feeling like she failed her son.
One thing I wanted to know about that got answered here was where Cormac fits into everything. He presents as oblivious, much more concerned with flirting with Cassie above all else, and it’s probably safe to assume right now that he doesn’t know what’s going on.
But how long can that possibly last?
I’m not saying Sunny doesn’t like Cormac, but apparently, she can only coddle her psychopathic son and not the one she allows to sleep in a normal place. As Cormac and Cassie grow closer and the spotlight eventually shifts to Sunny (because, hello, it will at some point), we’ll then get to see the real Cormac.
Elsewhere at the camp, Carla finally arrived, and we didn’t get to see much of her, but I’d be remiss not to touch on the fact that something is off with Avery. But it’s hard to figure out just what it is. My gut says it’s money-related.
Perhaps he’s found himself in some financial trouble, and he’s picked up on the cryptocurrency thing with Luke and Paige and thinks he can luck into a payday.
If it’s not something like that, then I don’t understand why he has to be so creepy. Even Emily picked up on it when she saw how he completely got weird when Carla started to understandably become upset that some nefarious activities may be happening in the woods.
Beau will enter the picture one day when all the dots finally start to line up, and the showdown between those two will be VERY interesting indeed.
Odds and Ends
- Jensen Ackles looks like he’s having so much fun playing Beau, and it translates so well on-screen. All his scenes make you want to laugh or have you thinking deeply. I agree with Jenny; I kind of like the whole cowboy wisdom thing.
- How old is Emily? Does she need a motorcycle? Whether she does or not, I like that part of Beau’s reasoning is just to be the “cool” parent.
- My anxiety was SPIKING when Cassie searched for those blood hearts in the woods. Knowing that Walter is just lurking around, ready to pounce, had me super on edge.
- Was burning the truck where anyone could find it the best thing to do? Wouldn’t it have been better to do literally anything else with the truck?
- We never got to see what Paige wanted Walter to retrieve from the campsite, but what do you think it was?
- Speaking of Paige, her ankle looked terrible. Like she is in serious need of a hospital. Also, she stole 15 MILLION DOLLARS? That is an insane amount of money to take from bad people.
- Perhaps it’s because we know what happened to Mark, and we just need everyone else to catch up, but the way this story moves at a snail’s pace is starting to get a little ridiculous. Why do they not know yet that the email he sent was fraudulent?
- Donno is so wildly inappropriate. And I hope he never changes.
The floor is now yours, guys! The best part about entertainment is how we all watch the same thing and can form completely different opinions. So, please let me know if you agree with me or if you’re on the opposite side!
Drop your comments below and watch Big Sky online right now, so you’re not left behind!
Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
