S03.E07: Population 25

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Vic's vacation turns deadly after she and Sean are kidnapped following an accident; Walt is forced to make an unusual alliance to rescue the pair.

[CoderLady]

Well, there were more people alive at the end of the episode than I expected.

[Babalooie]

What a dark episode!  I didn't care for this one.  It doesn't look good for Vic's already shaky marriage now that her feelings for Walt were exposed to her hubby when she thought it was him in the body bag.

[SimoneS]

Given the previews, I am surprised by how much I loved this episode. That guy was such a nutjob and there are so many of him in real life. That kid is a budding psychopath and serial killer I hope the Feds track down everyone of his lunatic followers and lock them all up.

 

A lot happened that will move the ongoing stories along. Vic no longer able to hide the depth of her feelings for Walt from Sean or more importantly herself. Branch now knows all about Vic's past and that she was/is considering turning him into Walt for the kidnapping and his overall unstable craziness. Ed Grosky finally letting go of his obsession with Vic was well done. I love Lee Tergensen and will miss him.

 

The one thing that I did not like was that Ferg did not go with Branch to find Walt and Vic, but I suppose someone had to stay in the office. 

Edited July 15, 2014 by SimoneS

[alias1]

I had to fast forward through a lot of this.  Dark is the word (and needlessly so, in my opinion).  I'm not a fan of Vic, anyway, and thought it was a waste of an episode.  I like Ed Gorski more than Vic.  I'd say I feel bad for her husband but I don't really care about either of them.  Please stop with the Vic story lines.

[SimoneS]

Vic is the female lead on the show so they are not going to stop giving her stories or featuring her prominently. I think that this season has been very solid so far, partly because Vic has had a strong presence. I would like to see more of Cady as well. She can be more than Walt's daughter and Branch's on and off girlfriend. It would be good if they have her take a job as a public defender so she can butt heads with Walt and his deputies professionally.

 

IMO, if anyone needs less airtime it is Branch. but his story seems to be coming to a head.

Edited July 15, 2014 by SimoneS

[writersblock51]

This episode was all sorts of dark and crazy - watching the kid take the bat to Sean's head was beyond disturbing.

 

I like Vic, and I'm glad her storyline with Gorski came to an end.  I liked how he figured out that he needed to move on, too.  He and Walt made quite the team...

 

Branch is crazy but he's also on the right path. I like how the show is balancing that.

 

The guy who played Crazy Anarchist will be the new bad guy on "Arrow" - given how he played creepy evil dude here, I think he'll be more than fine on Arrow.

[SimoneS]

I just remembered where I saw the guy who played the nutjob leader. He was satan in the movie Constantine with Keanu Reeves. He only showed up at the end, but he was pretty menacing in his brief scenes.

[JackONeill]

I thought it was a good episode.  Yeah, I agree there were far more people still alive at the end than I would have first thought.  Is it me, or has Walt of this season evolved from the Walt of Season 1?  Remember when he went into the biker's bar, knowing full well what was going to happen?

 

Yes, it had its dark moments, but not as dark as some shows on TV.

 

Did Sean give up the passcode knowing he'd be spared?  If so he's a real weasel.  Yes, Vic more than tipped her hand when she went ape shit thinking the body in the bag was Walt.  I think that was way overplayed by the actress.

 

I thought it really unclimatic when Walt asked the nutjob, "Did you kill my wife?"    "No."    "Okay, well, I'm going to shoot you anyway."

 

(By the way, why does Branch think he'll find David Ridges by sleeping in the woods???)

 

One last question (for now):  So, who the hell beat up Ed Gorsky?  Are we ever going to find out?  I can't believe the writers will let that drop.  I mean, the man was beaten BADLY.

Edited July 15, 2014 by JackONeill

[monakane]

Good episode.  I was hoping we were finally wrapping up "Who Killed Walt's Wife", but it looks like that plot will continue.  Branch is looking rough.  It's nice that the actor is getting to play against his pretty boy type.  He is doing a good job showing Branch's unraveling.  

 

I hope they're not going with a romance between Vic and Walt.  I'm ok with Vic having strong feelings for Walt, but I don't get anything other than a paternal interest from Walt.  As much as I love the actress, I'm tired of the Vic drama.

[dubbel zout]

I thought this was the worst episode of the series. I really, really hated it. The one good thing that happened was that Vic finally blew up her marriage, so at least Sean gets to make a (hopefully) dignified retreat. (Meaning the cards are on the table and he and Vic can make a clean break.) And I think Gorski finally put his Vic obsession to rest. I interpreted the scene when he told her good-bye as also saying, "I didn't quite realize how much drama surrounds you, even when part of it is my own making, and I want no part of it anymore." Heh.

 

But I guess now we have to suffer through a Walt/Vic romance. Gag. At least no one's cheating.

 

Peter Stormare can play a deranged nut job better than almost anyone.

[Dagny]

I love how they portrayed the after effects of Vic’s concussion.  I hope that in later episodes, they show her having issues with light and vertigo.  Movies and TV shows portray concussions and tiny sleeps with no after effects. Considering how many times Walt gets knocked out, its a wonder he's not a drooling mess.

[iluvobx]

I really loved this episode.  My jaw hit the ground several times in the show from things I wasn't expecting.  I am not a big fan of Vic or of Sean but damn!  Sean deserves much better.  I got the feeling in last weeks episode that Vic only married Sean to get away from Ed.

I don't think Walt shot the nut job at the end-I think he killed himself.

I wish they would bring Mathias back more often.  I really like him and I think he is good for Walt.

[Ohwell]

I'm another one who hated this episode.  And for the life of me, I can't understand how Vic has got--not one, not two, but three men obsessing over her.  I just don't get it.  At least Ed finally came to his senses.  One of the reasons I like Branch is that he doesn't seem to be in the least interested in her romantically. 

[alias1]

My thought on that shot we heard at the end...Since we didn't see where Branch went after he found all the abandoned cars, I thought Branch probably came upon Walt and Chance in their standoff and maybe shot Chance.  I like Branch and his story line.  

[MaryHedwig]

My thought on that shot we heard at the end...Since we didn't see where Branch went after he found all the abandoned cars, I thought Branch probably came upon Walt and Chance in their standoff and maybe shot Chance.

That makes so much sense.  There had to be some reason why they had Branch wandering around in those woods. 

 

I liked that this episode showed off Branch's detective skills.  He made quick work of figuring out the closets in Vic's past.  It made me wonder why he never bothered before (although I agree with posters upthread who appreciate that Branch has no romantic interest in her.)

 

It felt like lazy writing to me that Vic just happen to need to use a phone at the house of a murder suspect who Walt had recently visited.  Don't you hate when the only house you need in the woods is the haunted one?  A better rationale for the "coincidence" would have been appreciated.

 

So Henry does not use contractions or common English expressions:  "that bridge has already been incinerated" as opposed to a burned bridge?  What special deculturation  boarding school did they send the Standing Bears?  And why didn't the other Cheyennes with him (since the seemed to have no problem saying "don't" and "can't"?

 

I love how Walt confronts and arrests people as if he is inviting them to join him on the dance floor (see last week's episode when he arrested the rich sister and a recent one when he arrested the beauty queen.)  He tried to do that with Chance but I have a feeling that didn't work out so well.

[Toaster Strudel]

Branch has really been awesome.  And handsome.  If I may say so.  Yes.  Yes indeed.  I can.

[anstar]

that bridge has already been incinerated

I took that to mean, 'not merely burned'.  There aren't even any charred beams to try to step on.

[chewycandy]

I love how Walt confronts and arrests people as if he is inviting them to join him on the dance floor (see last week's episode when he arrested the rich sister and a recent one when he arrested the beauty queen.)  He tried to do that with Chance but I have a feeling that didn't work out so well.

OMG he does! Thank you for pointing that out lol.

[Babalooie]

Dubbel Zout, I'm glad that you mentioned Peter Stormare. I missed his name in the credits and was trying to figure out the accent.  What Fascist country was his character supposed to be from?  In real life he is best friends with Stellan Skarsgard and is godfather to Gustaf Skarsgard, who plays Floki on Vikings.

[Toaster Strudel]

I recognized Stormare from Fargo, where he played the silent creep along Steve Buscemi.  Talk about typecasting, LOL.

[AlliMo]

Being as Katee Sackhoff is the only reason I started watching this show in the first place, I was glad to see a Vic storyline as I feel she's badly underutilized. I do enjoy the show but this season has gotten WEIRD, though not necessarily in a bad way.

[jonnysokko]

Loved this episode...surprised it went way over an hour though. Glad I watched it live. Would've been upset to miss the extra seven minutes. I'm really liking the extra layers that have been added to these characters. Throw in a surprising matchup of Longmire and Gorsky against a cult-like crazed maniac and his disciples....well, count me in anytime. Watch Vic suffer mental, physical and emotional abuse all in the name of entertainment.......even better! More please....

Edited July 16, 2014 by jonnysokko

[Skycatcher]

If TPTB put Vic and Walt together romantically, I'm done with this show.  I don't like Vic, not at all. And honestly, I wish they'd wrap the "who-killed-walt's-wife-and-set-henry-up-for-it" storyline.  It's dragged on long enough already.

[angelwoody]

Wait, I recorded this episode and it went right to previews for next week after the gunshot (IIRC).  Did I miss anything? 

[CoderLady]

Nope - that's the way the episode ended.

[JackONeill]

I saw above that someone thought that maybe Branch got to the Gunfight at The Nutjob's Corral, though it wasn't shown.  I suppose that's possible.  It seems odd that they'd have Branch get to the scene of the accident, sleuth around like the Hardy Boys, then have nothing to come of it.  It would also seem as though Branch, having been born and raised there and having worked for Walt for x-years and maybe even seeing the guy's photo on Walt's wall, would know about the nutjob.

 

I understand that the show ran long, so I suspect that they had to cut out a good bit as it is.  But, man, I sure hope they explain this at the beginning of the next episode.  If not, then I'm really going to be ticked at the show.

[Irishmaple]

I find it extremely annoying that most of the cast are acting mystified and annoyed by the fact that Branch is struggling.  The guy was shot in cold blood, had hallucinatory drugs inserted into his innards and underwent major, life-saving surgery.  His assailant, long-thought deceased, is not and his terror that the man might return to finish the attempted murder seems realistic to me.  If someone made a serious attempt to kill me and failed, I'd be paranoid too.  Have none of Branch's fellow investigators heard of PTSD?  Because Branch seems to have a major case of it and everyone's acting like he's being odd for no reason.  Unless it's Vic, these are the most unsupportive co-workers ever.

[JackONeill]

Irishmaple-  I hear ya!  I do think it's the writers fault.  Of course when I say that, I immediately think of Walt traipsing into the woods to find Branch. ("Consider this your wake-up call.")  But let's not forget how this show started.  Walt had lost his wife.  He was grieving.  Understandable.  Branch and a few others pointed out that Walt had sort of let things go in the interim.  Yet, here we are now: Branch has been shot by a guy we thought was dead, but isn't and who went on the kill a friend.  And, who, in my opinion, might know something about Walt's wife's murder.  But does anyone act on that, or give Branch any slack, or, better yet, words of encouragement?  No.

[Ohwell]

I recognized Stormare from Fargo, where he played the silent creep along Steve Buscemi.  Talk about typecasting, LOL.

I've seen the actor in other roles, but I always imagine him sitting in front of that little TV, eating off the TV tray.

[DHDancer]

Peter Stormare can play a deranged nut job better than almost anyone.

 

I love him!  He's a very popular character actor (see imdb listing http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001780/reference

Remember Fargo (the film) ?  How about Armageddon as the crazy Russian?  Oh, and Chocolat as Serge?  

Edited July 16, 2014 by DHDancer

[catray]

I'm torn on this episode-- on the one hand, it seems like an odd episode to have on this show but on the other, it brought the Gorski storyline to a head, soooooo.... I still don't know. Things definitely look over for Sean and Vic now as well, given her reaction to the body bag and leaving Sean to go back to the house.

I feel bad for Branch. He's not getting any support; no wonder he's going crazy.

[SimoneS]

Walt has supported Branch. He told Branch to recover, rest, and that he will help him find David Ridges. However, Walt's priority right now is finding out who killed Miller Beck so that Henry does not go to prison for life. Branch is on the edge, but what can anyone do when he won't listen to or take their advice? Besides Branch is always doing his own thing that is how he got mixed up with Nighthorse and then shot by David Ridges.

 

I think that we will find out that Branch shot the nutjob leader next week. Of course, if he had not taken the time to snoop into Vic's personal life, he would have gotten to the compound sooner. 

Edited July 17, 2014 by SimoneS

[catray]

I think the problem is that, on shows like this, characters like Branch (or Walt or Vic) don't do rest and recovery. They want to be active and solve problems. Giving Branch time off to recover was necessary of course, but now he has a mystery to solve. The problem is that everyone else is wrapped up in their own problem (Walt's wife, Henry, Ed Gorski, etc) and Branch is falling off the deep end with his and making really terrible decisions. Some of that's on him, of course, but since at least death of Walt's wife and Cady's accident (which was what Branch was investigating in the first place) seem tangentially related, you'd think Walt would give him more support.

I suspect that those of you guessing Branch is the one to shoot Chance are correct, given that we haven't seen him since he walked away from the scene of the crash.

[SimoneS]

I think that if time was not running out to save Henry that Walt would have more patience with Branch. Instead he has to spend time tracking down Branch and saving him from his crazy behavior. No wonder Walt is annoyed.

 

Did Sean give up the passcode knowing he'd be spared? 

 

I think Sean gave up the passcode hoping that if he confessed to calling Walt that Chance would turn his wrath on him and spare Vic. Unfortunately, it did not work since Chance was a lunatic.

[anstar]

Did Sean give up the passcode knowing he'd be spared?  If so he's a real weasel.

Vic specifically told him that the passcode was the only thing keeping them alive, so why did he spill it the next time he was asked? He's not just a real weasel, but a real idiot.

 

One last question (for now):  So, who the hell beat up Ed Gorsky?  Are we ever going to find out?  I can't believe the writers will let that drop.  I mean, the man was beaten BADLY.

I thought that was...was his name Hector? Henry's friend they found scalped.  I can't remember now if it was Walt or Henry (or even Vic herself) who sent him after Ed, but I'm pretty sure it was him who did it.  Especially since he talked about finding a dentist and taking teeth was that guy's thing.

[MaryHedwig]

Vic specifically told him that the passcode was the only thing keeping them alive, so why did he spill it the next time he was asked? He's not just a real weasel, but a real idiot.

Sean has been written as such a man-child, weasel, idiot that it is hard to imagine that Vic could have ever been in such a compromised state of mind to have married him.  I am trying not to blame slopping writing for this...maybe they were high school sweethearts so Vic when freaked out went running back to the boy-next-door?

[ratgirlagogo]

I did not like this episode (notice my Henryesque lack of contractions).  I found the  redemption plot for Ed Gorski a bit much, and I don't think for a minute we've seen the last of this character either.  Good god, he was right there working with Walt to SAVE Vic (who I like), and everything.

 

HOW COULD VIC HAVE WORKED IN THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE THIS LONG AND NOT KNOWN WHERE THE CRAZY SURVIVALIST NUTJOB COMPOUND WAS?

 

WHY WOULDN'T THE LOCATION OF THE CRAZY SURVIVALIST NUTJOB COMPOUND BE COMMON KNOWLEDGE TO EVERYONE IN THIS KIND OF UNDERPOPULATED WYOMING COUNTY?

 

WHY DOES HENRY NOT KNOW ALL THE PEOPLE WHO  LIVE ON THE CHEYENNE RESERVATION?

I love this show to pieces, I really do, but this stuff is where it falls apart for me.  This is a rural area where most of the people who live there have grown up there - they KNOW everyone in the county. 

Edited July 18, 2014 by ratgirlagogo

[AlliMo]

I find it extremely annoying that most of the cast are acting mystified and annoyed by the fact that Branch is struggling.  The guy was shot in cold blood, had hallucinatory drugs inserted into his innards and underwent major, life-saving surgery.  His assailant, long-thought deceased, is not and his terror that the man might return to finish the attempted murder seems realistic to me.  If someone made a serious attempt to kill me and failed, I'd be paranoid too.  Have none of Branch's fellow investigators heard of PTSD?  Because Branch seems to have a major case of it and everyone's acting like he's being odd for no reason.  Unless it's Vic, these are the most unsupportive co-workers ever.

 

The fact that Vic has kept her mouth shut so far about her police officer colleague's highly illegal actions makes her pretty damned supportive, in my book.

 

I'm willing to suspend disbelief about Henry not knowing everyone around, considering this is a rural county that apparently has a murder every other week.

Edited July 18, 2014 by AlliMo

[shapeshifter]

Yes, it had its dark moments, but not as dark as some shows on TV.

I don't know what shows you watch, but this was the darkest for me--and I watched all of True Detective and all of Fargo. Mileage varies, of course.

Actually, more than dark, I'd call it most disturbing.

Even a shark jumping episode for me, comparable to when Sheriff Tom Underlay/William Fichtner convinced a young healthy guy to cut off his arm with a chain saw in the show Invasion.

So Henry does not use contractions or common English expressions: "that bridge has already been incinerated" as opposed to a burned bridge? What special deculturation boarding school did they send the Standing Bears?

I took that to mean, 'not merely burned'. There aren't even any charred beams to try to step on.

Yes, the burned bridge between Henry and Deana makes Vic's relationship with Ed Gorsky look like puppy love in comparison.

Anyway, that line was the highlight of the episode for me. I thought maybe Henry had a hint of a smile in his voice when he said it. Kind of like on SG1 when Teal'C said something like "untamed Equus could not remove me" and it was his first joke.

What Fascist country was his character supposed to be from?

I assumed--based on the accent he was using--that he was ex-IRA. Edited July 19, 2014 by shapeshifter

[anstar]

"untamed Equus could not remove me"

Victim of autocorrect?

"undomesticated equines" :)  (wild horses)

[SimoneS]

I'm willing to suspend disbelief about Henry not knowing everyone around, considering this is a rural county that apparently has a murder every other week.

 

LOL! They do overuse murder as the crime of the week. I think that if the show gets another season, they should have overarching episodes focusing on meth production and distribution. 

[green]

Being as Katee Sackhoff is the only reason I started watching this show in the first place, I was glad to see a Vic storyline as I feel she's badly underutilized. I do enjoy the show but this season has gotten WEIRD, though not necessarily in a bad way.

 

Me too.  She will always be Starbuck for me.

 

Also thanks to Babalooie for mentioning my favorite totally insane Viking above.  I'd love to see a modern day Floki type running around loose in this show.  Or just about any show. 

[ratgirlagogo]

 

I'm willing to suspend disbelief about Henry not knowing everyone around, considering this is a rural county that apparently has a murder every other week.

Yes, this is always the problem with the small town murder shows.  Absaroka County is as dangerous a place to live as Cabot Cove.  But nobody was asking me to believe that Jessica didn't know everyone in town.

Edited July 19, 2014 by ratgirlagogo

[shapeshifter]

Yes, this is always the problem with the small town murder shows. Absaroka County is as dangerous a place to live as Cabot Cove. But nobody was asking me to believe that Jessica didn't know everyone in town.

But she had a never-ending stream of cousins who visited Cabot Cove for the first time, who sort of stood in as "strangers." LOL

And yes, Katie and BSG reboot Starbuck are one and the same for me too, @green .

So I'm the only one still traumatized by this episode?

Edited July 19, 2014 by shapeshifter

[Ceindreadh]

So Branch is trying to investigate a murder (Hector) and attempted murder (himself) that took place in Walt's juristiction.

But Walt would rather he investigated a crime that took place outside his jurisdiction just so he can clear Henry?

And Branch is supposed to be in the wrong?

 

Don't get me wrong, I totally understand why Walt wants to clear Henry, but he should be doing it on his own time and not using the county police resources.

 

I'm actually liking Sean more than Vic right now.  But I'm guessing (if he's any sense) he'll be moving on now that he's seen for himself Vic's feelings for Walt.

 

The whole idea of not bringing a phone was stupid.  If they didn't want to be contactable, they should at least have bought a burner phone for emergencies, like, I don't know, running your car off the road.  (and what sort of idiot doesn't fully charge their phone the night before a trip?)

As for Sean giving up the number, I'm guessing he figured they were dead meat anyway and there wasnt much to lose.

[shapeshifter]

As for Sean giving up the number, I'm guessing he figured they were dead meat anyway and there wasnt much to lose.

I think he thought it was the right moment to play that card, but this is another of those TV moments when we can't really know what he was thinking, whereas a book would give us a look at his reasoning. Maybe he figured if Walt hadn't gotten there by then, he wasn't coming, and he just wanted to end the torture for both of them. Is that what you meant too, @Ceindreadh ? Edited July 19, 2014 by shapeshifter

[ratgirlagogo]

 

So I'm the only one still traumatized by this episode?

Not at all, I'm still pissed. And I came to this show mostly because I love Westerns both ancient and modern, but Katie Sackhoff is a favorite of mine, I loved her as Starbuck, and her presence on the show was and is a huge part of my enjoyment of it.

 

The whole idea of not bringing a phone was stupid

Yes, that's yet another thing I hated.  A crazy decision and a hard one to believe for this character.  One of the earliest uses of GPS devices by civilians was by skiers, climbers, and backpackers, so they could be found in case of disaster.

[seamusk]

LOL! They do overuse murder as the crime of the week. I think that if the show gets another season, they should have overarching episodes focusing on meth production and distribution. 

Oh they do!  The thing is, that the only crimes we ever see them working on are murder crimes.  And I often find myself wondering, who handles petty theft?  Does it just go completely unchecked?

 

Yes, this is always the problem with the small town murder shows.  Absaroka County is as dangerous a place to live as Cabot Cove.  But nobody was asking me to believe that Jessica didn't know everyone in town.

Even the smallest counties in Wyoming have 5,000 people in them.  So you would not know everyone in the county.  As for specifically Cherokee populations, it depends.  The largest county population of American Indians in Wyoming is over 8,000.  I assume that it's a fairly large indian population that is at least in the hundreds.  As someone who lived the rural life for a while, you know all or most of the prominent people in your county or town.  You know some of the less prominent.  But you don't know most of the people in the county, let alone all of them.

Finally, I don't mind if folks dislike Vic.  She's a bit bland I think.  But she doesn't create more drama than anyone else.  If anything, she does a good job under the circumstances.  She didn't know Gorski was married apparently.  And he is clearly the psycho in that "relationship" who creates the drama.  You know, by stalking her.  She could have spilled the beans on Branch, and probably should have (and is still thinking about it), but she hasn't and has maintained her cool despite his clearly troubled state. I know he's going through a lot but why does he get a pass from so many people for being clearly off the rails?  I just get the impression that gender is playing a big role in guiding folks reactions to what the characters are doing.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Even the smallest counties in Wyoming have 5,000 people in them.  So you would not know everyone in the county.

Not in the sense that you'd be hanging out with them socially.  But you would know OF them if both your family and theirs had been there for a while, I think, based on the way my dad's family know/don't know people in the general area (more than one county) in North  Dakota.  Even so, yes there are probably people who would be new enough to the area that they might not even be known OF.   But in any case I think everyone would be aware of the End Times Paranoid Survivalist Cult Household.  That's the kind of place people talk about.

Edited July 19, 2014 by ratgirlagogo