TV Recap: “Big Sky” Season 2, Episode 9 – “Trust Issues”

After a nearly two-month break, Big Sky returned tonight with the ninth episode of season two, titled “Trust Issues.”  To refresh your memory, the midseason finale ended with Ronald Pergman reclaiming Scarlet’s daughter Phoebe, but he couldn’t resist temptation and snuck into Dewell & Hoyt after hours, where he encountered Cassie’s father Joseph fixing the radiator and murdered him. Here’s what happens next.

Cassie Dewell (Kylie Bunbury) is in a daze, sitting on the floor of her office next to her deceased father Joseph Dewell (Jeff Joseph) as a swirl of activity occurs around her. Jenny Hoyt (Katheryn Winnick) arrives with backup and picks her friend up off the floor. Sometime later, she talks with Sheriff Tubb (Patrick Gallagher), who tells her that the backdoor lock was tampered with and that there has been a string of break-ins nearby from meth heads. Jenny says it looks like nothing was taken and that the office didn’t have anything of value to begin with, thinking that whoever broke in was actually trying to murder Cassie. Her hunch is that it’s the cartel trying to send a message and Tubb promises to have a car parked at Cassie’s place for her protection. As the camera flies over some evidence collected, we see the profile sketch of Ronald Pergman is tagged.

Wolf Legarski (John Carroll Lynch) pulls up to his ranch in his truck and finds his wife Agatha (Romy Rosemont) waiting for him. Phoebe (Zoë Noelle Baker) gets out of the passenger side and tells Wolf that Agatha looks mean, but Agatha tries to butter her up with the promise of cocoa. Phoebe says she just wants to see her mom and they tell her she’s waiting for her. Ronald (Brian Geraghty) stirs under a tarp in the truck bed and Phoebe asks Wolf if he and Agatha are bad people like Ronald. “No, Phoebe, we’re good people,” he tells her. As Agatha takes phoebe inside, Wolf climbs into the truck bed, pulls the tarp back, and produces a syringe, telling Ronald that he’s made a big mess and it’s time to clean it up. He injects the serum into Ronald’s neck and he goes unconscious. Inside the house, Scarlet (Anja Savcic) and Phoebe are reunited in a locked room, hugging each other tearfully. Scarlet asks Agatha where Ronald is. “Wolf’s taking care of it,” Agatha says. Phoebe tells her mom that “The bad man” hurt Ronald and wonders if they will hurt her too, but Scarlet promises to protect her and get them all out of there.

Cassie makes herself a cup of tea and stares at a wall of family photos, becoming teary-eyed as she remembers the last time she saw him at the office and told him she loved him. Kai (Raejon Jones) finds his mother crying and hugs her, telling her that he misses grandpa and asking why someone would want to hurt him. Cassie promises to catch whoever did it and Kai tells his mother he believes in her.

Bridger Ryan (Jeremy Ray Taylor) goes to his sister Madison (Lola Skye Reid) to tell her about what happened at the dojo last night. He wants to tell his martial arts teacher about the trouble they're in, but Madison thinks they should tell their parents instead. The siblings leave the house together in their Jeep, unaware that Max (Madelyn Kientz) is hiding outside with her mother’s boyfriend T-Lock (Arturo Del Puerto), who knows about the duffel bag of money. He blackmails Max into breaking into her friend’s house and stealing it for him with the understanding that he will leave and be out of her life forever if she does.

At the Sheriff’s Office, Jenny learns that no new fingerprints were found at Dewell & Hoyt and so far the only blood samples collected belong to Joseph Dewell. In private, Jenny tells Sheriff Tubb that she wants to keep the murder a secret, believing that the syndicate was involved. Tubb agrees that they need to be careful, but feels that Jenny is jumping to conclusions. Jenny asks for security footage from other businesses nearby and Tubb promises to get her the warrants before lunchtime.

Agatha tends to the animal pens when Wolf finds her and asks where Scarlet is. She’s angry as she tells him she’s with Phoebe, asking if Wolf is going to carry on with the plan. Wolf tells her he’s never put an animal down of this size and he’s not sure of the correct dose. “A killing dose, that’s all you need,” she says. “Do it, or I will.” She wants Wolf to put Ronald down like an animal.

Bridger and Madison return home and as they park, Bridger answers a call from an unknown number. It’s Ren (Janina Gavankar), who knows they have the money and threatens to kill their parents if she doesn’t get it within 24 hours. They rush to Madison’s room to discover that the money is gone and Madison’s window was broken. Bridger tells his sister to call Max and Harper.

Ronald has been chained up in the shed and when Wolf comes to see him, he demands to know where Phoebe is. Wolf holds a plastic shopping bag with a smiley face on it that says “Have a nice day.” Ronald tells Wolf that he just wanted to get his family back together and was returning to the ranch, but Wolf tells him that he didn’t come straight back and that the murder he committed is all over the news. Wolf pulls out a vial of liquid and says “You have betrayed my trust for the last time.” He tells Ronald that tomorrow, he has the opportunity to have a quiet and painless death with injection if he tells Wolf the truth about every victim of his. If he lies, he gets a slow, painful death by strangulation with the plastic bag. “Please, I have changed,” Ronald pleads. Wolf ignores him and locks the shed back up as he leaves.

Max and Harper (Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson) have arrived at Bridger and Madison’s house and Max comes clean, telling her friends that T-Lock took her phone and forced her to steal the money. Bridger feels betrayed and blames Max for the potential death of his parents. Harper comes to Max’s defense as Max starts to cry about how she felt threatened and like she had no choice. She breaks down and runs out of the house, saying that she needs to tell somebody and get help. Harper follows her.

Dietrich (David Meunier) and Bob (Alex Knight) visit the shed where Stone (aka Travis) was supposed to have killed T-Lock, discovering that there isn’t a body inside it. Dietrich orders Bob to find Stone.

Jenny gets out of the shower before bed and hears a knock at her backdoor. It’s Travis (Logan Marshall-Green), who tried calling her and couldn’t get through because she was showering. He heard about Cassie’s father and asks how she’s doing. Jenny runs her theories across Travis, who tells her it wouldn’t have been Ren’s style and since he works for her now, he would know if she was behind it. He also doesn’t believe Dietrich had anything to do with it, but promises to ask. He offers to stick around, suggesting that they be intimate, but Jenny tells him she has to get up early and he leaves.

Ren gets home to find her brother Jag (Vinny Chhibber) eating dinner in her kitchen. He asks her why she’s dragging her feet with Bridger and she tells him how killing a kid would get them run out of town quickly, adding that his parents are lawyers. He insults her by calling her a porcelain doll, she tells him that it bothers him that she’s smarter than him, something their mother knew and whispered to Ren on her deathbed. Jag laughs and stands up, telling her he’s going to call their dad. “Of course you are,” she snaps back.

Mark Lindor (Omar Metwally) is working in his office when a TV commercial comes on for Cocoa Chunks. He suddenly remembers that this is the cereal that was on the table in the cabin where Ronald was reportedly sighted. And then he recalls seeing it in Wolf Legarski’s ranch.

Agatha delivers food to Scarlet and Phoebe and Scarlet asks her what’s going to happen to Ronald. “Bad dogs face bad consequences,” she says. Later, we see Agatha praying on rosary beads in bed when Wolf comes in and apologizes to her. “The experiment is over, Wolf,” she says. “You must put Ronald down. Kill him. You have partners, remember? If they get wind of this, they will kill all of us.” Wolf tells her he can handle Milton (a character not yet introduced), but Agatha tells him he can’t. He promises to kill Ronald after their final session tomorrow and Agatha asks about Scarlet. “I’ve seen inside her, into her soul, and it is ugly and black as night.” Agatha plans to kill Scarlet and raise Phoebe. Wolf is reminded of Rick and the violence he committed towards women, which is why Agatha will handle Scarlet.

Jenny exits Dewell & Hoyt with Deputy Poppernak (J. Anthony Pena), who tells her that in a typical meth-head break-in, shiny objects like staplers get stolen, but even Denise’s candy dish was untouched. Jenny notices an RV that has been parked nearby for several days, which she noticed on the security footage she saw. She asks Poppernak to run the plates.

Bridger goes to the dojo to talk to Sensei Gary (Matthew Page), telling him about the drugs and money and Ren. Gary tells him that he needs to tell his parents and offers to be there for emotional support when he does. Their conversation is interrupted when Jag knocks on the door, backed up by his bodyguard Dhruv (Yuvraj Dhesi). Gary tells Bridger to stay out of sight as he talks to them through the window, saying he doesn’t know Bridger and that the Dojo is closed. Dhruv shoots through the glass and Gary collapses. Bridger races out of a backdoor and the men chase him. Jag stops Dhruv from shooting Bridger, saying they need him alive to find the money.

Jenny visits Cassie at her house, bringing her some chicken noodle soup and trying to get her to eat, promising to update her as soon as they have some information. Mark Lindor arrives and Jenny asks him to try and get Cassie to eat as she leaves. Cassie and Mark hug as he shares his sympathies for the loss of her father. He tells her his theory, which is that Ronald Pergman came to Dewell & Hoyt looking for her, then tells her about the cereal connection he made. He’s going to pursue his theory and revisit Wolf Legarski’s ranch.

Dietrich meets with Bob at the Boot Heel and finds out that Bob has been searching for Stone, but hasn’t found him yet. Just then, Travis enters the bar and approaches Dietrich, who asks him to follow him. In a private room, Dietrich asks Stone where he’s been and questions why he didn’t kill T-Lock since he didn’t get any useful information from him. “You know what is really funny though is that I killed a man, but then I get hassled by cops for a murder that I didn’t do,” Travis says, with Dietrich unaware of Joseph’s murder. Bob moves behind Travis and sits with his gun ready to fire at his back. Dietrich grabs Stone’s head and pushes it on the table, calling him a traitor for going to Ren behind his back. “Dietrich, it’s not what you think,” Travis pleads.

Bridger gets home and finds that Madison told his parents, who are both standing there. His dad Chuck (Marty Lindsey) is angry, but softens when Bridger breaks down and hugs him tight, saying “I messed up so bad.” Chuck tells Bridger it will be okay as his mom Samantha (Martha Magruder) joins the hug.

Deputy Popernack finds Jenny in her office and tells her that the trailer parked outside Dewell & Hoyt was listed as stolen from a gas station. He has already requested the surveillance footage but also tells her the fingerprints came back from the coffee cup and they match the keychain found at the scene of Harvey’s murder. Madge Crowder (Melissa Chambers) interrupts to tell Jenny that two kids are in the lobby asking to see her. “What are the odds?”, she asks, going out to find Max and Harper. Jenny leads them to her office.

A memorial is held for Joseph Dewell, with a horsedrawn processional carrying his hearse to “Why Me” by Kris Kristofferson. “Almost everyone I love is gone,” Cassie tells Jenny. “Whoever did this, I’m gonna get them.” Jenny tells Cassie that she has her back for anything she needs.

Agatha unlocks Scarlet’s door and tells the girls to pack their bags, they’re free to leave after breakfast. Scarlet asks about Ronald and Agatha says he will be leaving with them. Agatha suggests that Phoebe go pick some fruit for breakfast and Scarlet tells her it’s okay. Alone, Agatha asks Scarlet for help in the kitchen, motioning for her to go first. As Scarlet steps into the door frame, Agatha pulls out a syringe, but Scarlet seems to realize what’s happening too quickly, turning around and knocking Agatha down. The syringe flies out of her hand and the two women struggle to get it first. Agatha gets it and gets on top of Scarlet, calling her an unfit mother as Scarlet holds Agatha’s wrists, making it hard to inject her with the serum. The insult is enough to give Scarlet the strength to knock Agatha off her, lunging on top of her and shouting “I’m a good mother” as she stabs Agatha’s neck with the needle and injects its contents. Agatha goes limp and Scarlet grabs the keys from her pocket, limping down the hallway.

Wolf is on his way to Ronald’s shed when he passes Phoebe and looks a little confused. Inside, Scarlet is already unlocking Ronald’s shackles, telling him they’re getting out of there. “I knew you would come for me,” he says as they kiss. Wolf enters, breaking his walking stick to fight Ronald and Scarlet. He’s not enough for the two of them and while Wolf puts up a good fight, he is ultimately overpowered. It’s Scarlet who delivers the blow to the back of Wolf’s head that knocks him out, but Ronald needs to make sure he’s dead, using tools in the shed to bludgeon the unconscious Wolf Legarski, seemingly to death.

Big Sky returns Thursday, March 3rd on ABC with “Happy Thoughts.” Here’s a description of the next episode.

Ren intervenes with Jenny’s plan to bring Jag into custody, while Ronald and Scarlett work together to find safety in a new environment. Then, Cassie and Lindor discover the aftermath at the ranch and reluctantly join forces with a familiar face. Later, Jag and Ren, anxiously awaiting their father’s visit, find themselves at odds about how to deal with the problem of Joseph’s ranch; but will the pressure of impressing him lead them down a familiar (and dangerous) path?