S01.E05: A Good Day to Die

[preeya]

Jenny and Cassie feel as if they're closing in on Legarski, but they are racing against the clock as he and Ronald are preparing to move the girls. Jerrie makes one last attempt to convince Ronald to let them go. Elsewhere, Cassie visits Merilee to question her about her husband and Ronald aggressively confronts his mother.

[dwmarch]

Now we're getting somewhere! That standoff was a bit ridiculous with all the back and forth about who was giving whom the right to do what and when but at least it was settled the right way. I was worried the as-yet-unseen bad guys were going to get the drop on Cassie during all the blathering.

I also thought it was absurd that the trailer the girls were in got cleaned up so fast. There should be plenty of evidence in there. First and foremost, it should smell like unwashed humans or cleaning products but either way a pretty distinct smell. There would probably be hair all over the place. Might be some maggots still around, something you shouldn't find in an abandoned barn. But when the police arrive and don't immediately find what they are looking for they just turn around and leave.

And it looks like Ronald might get his chance at a second dance with Mrs. (or should I say Ms.) Legarski after all! Hi Merilee, I heard your husband was involved in that kidnapping plot. Wanna snuggle? Too soon?

[mertensia]

There should also be feces and urine. I mean, they were chained up.

 

[LakeGal]

I was also expecting the bad guy that was coming to pick up the girls.  I figured he/they would show up and knock Cassie down the stairs.  I was glad she did shoot the trooper.  Now what next?  Will the girls be rescued before the bad men show up?  

I am still enjoying this show. 

[thuganomics85]

If nothing else, this show definitely doesn't seem to have an issues with offing their regulars with ease.  Because unless his big head can survive a bullet wound, good old Rick Legarski is done for!  I'll miss John Carroll Lynch devouring the scenery like a pro, but it was fitting for him to get taken out by Cassie during on of his many long-winded speeches, considering she was main target of his rage (and racist and sexist remarks.)  But I have to imagine that some kind of twist is going down and the next episode won't just be Cassie saving the girls/the day.  I'm guessing the currently mysterious guys (who Rick was trading with) are going to end up arriving at an inconvenient time.  And whenever someone else discovers Rick's body, they're going to think Cassie straight-up murdered him or something.

Yeah, realistically (ha!), there is no way Ronald and Rick would have been able to clean up that truck enough to not have evidence still there.  Granted, did the police force even bring in forensics or anything?  Starting to think Cassie and Jenny are the only two who actually know what they are doing here.

I guess the flashback of Ronald meeting Rick was to show that he was basically blackmailed/guilt-trip into being a kidnapper, but even then, he's crossed too many lines to ever come back, I suspect.  I'm not sure who is in the most danger now around him: Merilee or his own mother!

Hey, Danielle made her own attempt to get a rise out of Ronald and then admitted that a lot of her actions might have helped get her and her sister in this particular situation!  Awareness!  There is hope for her yet!

Ryan Phillippe got paid to just fly-fish for a few seconds.  Best gig ever!

[Empress1]

Grace didn't deny that they were in the predicament because of Danielle; she just said they were going to survive it. I see you, Grace.

11 hours ago, dwmarch said:

I also thought it was absurd that the trailer the girls were in got cleaned up so fast. There should be plenty of evidence in there. First and foremost, it should smell like unwashed humans or cleaning products but either way a pretty distinct smell. There would probably be hair all over the place. Might be some maggots still around, something you shouldn't find in an abandoned barn. But when the police arrive and don't immediately find what they are looking for they just turn around and leave.

Agreed. And ...

2 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

Granted, did the police force even bring in forensics or anything?

I don't think so - they just seemed to glance in quickly.

I did enjoy Rick getting shot in the head. I was tired of his blathering on.

20 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

And whenever someone else discovers Rick's body, they're going to think Cassie straight-up murdered him or something.

Maybe, particularly since Cassie isn't actually a cop. But the girls are literally right there - all Cassie has to do is go down the stairs and talk to them. If I'm on the jury and I hear testimony from three kidnapped girls who say "she shot the man who was going to sell us to sex traffickers, and who killed a fisherman," Cassie walks. Also, if he survives, Ronald should flip on him. "He's an officer, he made me do it!" 

Now, if the traffickers show up right then, Cassie will be in a bind. I'm curious to see what happens. 

[preeya]

39 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

Granted, did the police force even bring in forensics or anything?

Forensics (??), I don't think so.  In this backwoods setting it's probably some senior citizen with only a Dick Tracy magnifying glass.

[saber5055]

I couldn't figure why the three girls kept that tape on their mouths when their hands were in front of them. I mean, get a clue girls, just lean down and pull it off. Or lean over on the girl next to you and have her pull it off. And they only did a muffled shout ONCE during the stand off? Please, keep it going dumbasses. Someone is there to help you, raise a ruckus. 

At least Cassie FINALLY heard me yelling at her to SHOOT HIM. Although I was more thinking in the leg or shoulder (or crotch), not a dead shot to the head. But whatever. It worked. (Figured he might have been wearing a vest, so no body shot.)

Has the theory that Ronald's mom is dead and just a vision been eliminated yet? If I were her, I'd throw his ass out of the house after that mugging, but then again, family dynamics are complicated.

Sort of convoluted how Ronald got mixed up with the sheriff. I don't think it's illegal to get a BJ in a truck, although he should have picked a better spot to pull over.

I'm not sure removing a bedroom tv and replacing it with a Rockwell print is a step up, but what do I know.

Sounds like this will have a second run. Hope so. It's a nice change from all the game shows. Well, a change anyway.

Edited December 16, 2020 by saber5055

[meira.hand]

5 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Sounds like this will have a second run.

Its just 5 episodes out of 16 for this season, so I wonder where they are going from here. Before the season was extended I thought this would be just this one story but now its unclear. If the three women private detective agency is the focus of more cases than they have not spent enough time on them and developed the surrounding characters too much to just close the case and move to another. The book this is based on is part of a series of Cassie Dewell novels but her character has not really been strong or interesting enough here to make her the center of the series.

[Bulldog]

1 hour ago, saber5055 said:

but then again, family dynamics are complicated.

In this case, that seems a bit of an understatement. 

[tennisgurl]

Alright now we're getting somewhere! As much fun as Legarski has been chewing the scenery, it was extremely satisfying to see him taken down with a shot right to the head in the middle of his endless smug yammering. I was practically yelling at the TV for Cassie to just freaking shoot him, and she finally did. The only problem that could arise now is the people that he was going to sell the girls to showing up, because then Cassie could have some real problems, but if she can get the girls and get away, they can tell the authorities exactly what happened, that Legarski and Ronald kidnapped them, and that Cassie shot Legarski in self defense. 

You would think that the cops would at least check out the obviously creepy and lonely place that Legarski was supposedly having lunch and try to find some evidence of people being held that for a long period of time, but not many people are impressing me with their competence. I am glad though that we are finally making some progress, I am actually curious about where the show goes from here. I just hope that there isn't a snapback, like the other traffickers arrive, take the girls, and Cassie is left with a dead body that she made dead with no proof that he was behind everything now. 

Look, Danielle actually showed a bit of competence when she was trying to rile Ronald up and even admitted that all of this is her fault and that her stupidity could get her sister killed! She might actually grow on me yet. I do love that Grace didn't even deny that this was her fault after Danielle's whole "I got my little sister killed" freak out, she just said that they wouldn't die. 

So Ronald got kind of blackmailed by Legarski into helping him with his traffiking scheme, so was this whole thing something that Legarski was already doing, cleaning up the country by trafficking prostitutes and runaways and such while also making presumably a lot of cash on the side, or did it just pop into his head as he busted Ronald? That is certainly a whole lot just to come up with as she bump into a trucker getting a blowjob. 

[Empress1]

38 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

while also making presumably a lot of cash on the side

You got me thinking - what are they doing with their money? Ronald lives with his mother; he's not using his earnings to move out. Rick isn't showy either. What are they doing with the money they're getting?

[preeya]

3 hours ago, saber5055 said:

Sounds like this will have a second run.

If they keep killing the "names" and one has to assume that Ronald will be locked up or dead, there won't be anyone left for a 2nd run.

[saber5055]

8 minutes ago, preeya said:

If they keep killing the "names" and one has to assume that Ronald will be locked up or dead, there won't be anyone left for a 2nd run.

Oh, there's all those Yellowstone tourists once spring comes and the gates are open again. There'll be a never-ending supply of bodies. I mean, victims. I mean new characters.

[readster]

40 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

You got me thinking - what are they doing with their money? Ronald lives with his mother; he's not using his earnings to move out. Rick isn't showy either. What are they doing with the money they're getting?

That's the thing with these shows. They "do it for the money" but then that's it. There is rarely any talk of what they do with the money they get. I mean what? Retire early and move to islands? Pay some relatives cancer or terminal illness? Go buy that three story house with 5 fire places? I mean what do they do with it?

[Empress1]

13 minutes ago, readster said:

That's the thing with these shows. They "do it for the money" but then that's it. There is rarely any talk of what they do with the money they get. I mean what? Retire early and move to islands? Pay some relatives cancer or terminal illness? Go buy that three story house with 5 fire places? I mean what do they do with it?

At least with Breaking Bad you knew what Walt's motivation was, and Skylar showed him all the cash they had and asked how much was enough. Ronald's whole thing is that his mother is disappointed in him for not making a good living; why doesn't he just take some money and move? (For that matter, I would think a trucker could afford a one-bedroom apartment.)

[njbchlover]

18 minutes ago, readster said:

That's the thing with these shows. They "do it for the money" but then that's it. There is rarely any talk of what they do with the money they get. I mean what? Retire early and move to islands? Pay some relatives cancer or terminal illness? Go buy that three story house with 5 fire places? I mean what do they do with it?

Buy an original Norman Rockwell to replace the bedroom TV?  

[readster]

22 minutes ago, njbchlover said:

Buy an original Norman Rockwell to replace the bedroom TV?  

How true or with the now "dead" Trooper. Get a damn divorce and move far away to do what you like.

[Dowel Jones]

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

What are they doing with the money they're getting?

These two are so stupid that they're probably working for peanuts, anyway.  "$25 bucks for all three girls?  Make it $26 so we can split it evenly and we're good."

I'm curious.  Does Montana give private investigators law enforcement powers?  Why would Cassie and Jenny be in on the attempted takedown in the underground room? 

Edited December 16, 2020 by Dowel Jones

[SoMuchTV]

I don’t have any insider information, and I’m not familiar with the book(s?) this is based on (inspired by?), but I’m thinking it will go one of two ways. Either the girls get rescued, everything gets wrapped up, and the PI’s move on to another case. Or, Cassie (? - the names aren’t sticking for me yet) and the girls get caught up by the traffickers and we spend the rest of the season seeing what happens with that. 

Anyway, I’m watching this in about the same spirit I’ve watched Manifest. (As in, this is so stupid. Oh there’s a new episode!)

[Lily H]

I'm thinking Legarski's boss, the "don't mess with my men" bitch, is in this up to her eyeballs. That look on her face. The sheriff or whatever he is who she strong-armed into laying charges is completely incompetent. As others have stated, there would have been evidence to find in that trailer if anyone had bothered to look.

[Mikita]

Most satisfying headshot ever!

[KaveDweller]

11 hours ago, LakeGal said:

I was also expecting the bad guy that was coming to pick up the girls.  I figured he/they would show up and knock Cassie down the stairs.  I was glad she did shoot the trooper.  Now what next?  Will the girls be rescued before the bad men show up?  

I'm guessing they won't be rescued since there are still a lot of episodes to get through. The traffickers showing up seems most obvious, but this show has had some twists.  They would have to move quick though, the other PI was also on her way to back up Cassie.

 

[luvthepros]

On 12/16/2020 at 3:21 AM, mertensia said:

There should also be feces and urine. I mean, they were chained up.

 

Even if they weren't chained, there would be excrement in there, leaving a lovely aroma.

[Dowel Jones]

Cassie:  "Can't any of you smell the urine and feces in here?"

Braindead Sheriff:  "Yeah, what about that, anyway?"

Legarski (shouting):  "It's mine!  I had to go while I was having lunch in this underground container.  I'm a state trooper, after all."

Braindead Sheriff:  "Oh, okay.  Let's go home, boys."

[blackdahlia]

I thought there was a bucket in the trailer for 3 girls to relieve themselves. If there was they just have to remove that and dispose of the waste and spray some air freshener that doesn't leave a scent behind. Then remove the chains and dispose of anything else left behind. Obviously a forensics team would have found fingerprints and dna but with just a quick look by those police,they saw the girls weren't there and no signs the girls were there.

Edited December 17, 2020 by blackdahlia

[CrystalBlue]

11 hours ago, luvthepros said:

Even if they weren't chained, there would be excrement in there, leaving a lovely aroma.

This should be flagged on one of those movies ratings and reviews sites in the "Goofs" section:  Three young ladies are held captive in an empty big rig for days and days, with nary a potty or bucket in sight.  Once relocated, there's nothing to clean up but to gather the chains.

[CrystalBlue]

9 hours ago, blackdahlia said:

I thought there was a bucket in the trailer for 3 girls to relieve themselves. If there was they just have to remove that and dispose of the waste and spray some air freshener that doesn't leave a scent behind. Then remove the chains and dispose of anything else left behind. Obviously a forensics team would have found fingerprints and dna but with just a quick look by those police,they saw the girls weren't there and no signs the girls were there.

I don't recall a bucket but I could have missed it, always focusing on the three girls.

[Brian Cronin]

On 12/16/2020 at 7:21 PM, Lily H said:

I'm thinking Legarski's boss, the "don't mess with my men" bitch, is in this up to her eyeballs. That look on her face. The sheriff or whatever he is who she strong-armed into laying charges is completely incompetent. As others have stated, there would have been evidence to find in that trailer if anyone had bothered to look.

Agreed. She might have recruited Legarski herself. The way that the show has been willing to kill people so easily gives me SOME hope that this case is just the first case of the series and that they will solve it relatively soon and then Cassie and Jenny will become partners and then THAT will be the show. I initially assumed that that wouldn't happen because of all the cast members they had on the show who would only work with this particular crime (the girls, Ronald and Legarski), but if they were willing to kill off Legarski, I bet they would be willing to cut the girls and Ronald loose, as well. 

Jerrie can get a job in town and we'd only be losing the sisters (if they could come up with a way for them to stay in town, then that'd be fine, but I doubt it, but with Jenny's son in the cast, I guess that could work) and then the show can just be two private eyes taking on unusual cases in the middle of Montana. THAT I'd love to watch. 16 episodes of "We just BARELY miss saving the girls again"? No thank you.

One way, though, that they could extend the current plot a BIT without it being TOO ridiculous is if the traffickers take Cassie prisoner, as well. But even that would only extend the plot a LITTLE bit. 

[luvthepros]

8 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

I don't recall a bucket but I could have missed it, always focusing on the three girls.

I do recall Ronald bringing the women a bucket. It was just never in camera view after his initial delivery.

[Rickster]

I thought the episode was setting up Ronald to kill Legarski. At least I was half right...

[marcee]

All this talk about forensics and evidence... They couldn't.

None of it would be legal. None of it would be admissible. The only reason they 'stormed the castled' was in hopes of saving the girls (if they were there). If they're not there, which of course they weren't, then they're just trespassing and have no reason or right to be there.

[CrystalBlue]

10 hours ago, luvthepros said:

I do recall Ronald bringing the women a bucket. It was just never in camera view after his initial delivery.

Now I remember, yes you're right.  Perhaps Ronald took the bucket back after the girls were mouthing off at him to make them even more miserable.

[mythoughtis]

The girls are 16 and 17.  Can’t see their parents letting them move from Colorado to there.... but then again they let them drive there in a car that plainly couldn’t make it.   

Rick had worn out his appeal( if he ever had any)...and I like the actor. Ronald never had any appeal.  I’m ready for a new case.   I’m also tired of dead Cody flashbacks. I’d like to know how Cody and Cassie  managed to keep their affair a secret as long as they did based on how many flashbacks we have had in 5 episodes. 
 

fellow quilters... have you seen any fabric in this quilt store... because all I saw in this episode was yarn.  

[AnimeMania]

I agree that they couldn't have cleaned up the trailer that fast, especially since it took them 5 hours to sweep up those broken milk bottles.

I am guessing either this case is wrapped up next episode or Cassie gets abducted by Ronald (case would still end by next episode) or Cassie and girls get abducted by the professional traffickers and the story might get stretched out a few episodes and we get to see who the stars of the show really are, since they haven't been impressing me so far.

So far, the lady stuck in the office, seems to be the most competent one.

[Dowel Jones]

I'm not so sure that Legarski is dead.  Maybe the shot just grazed his head, enough to knock him down.  An actual head shot would not leave him standing there, mumbling a bit before finally pitching over.  Even for tv, that's too fake.

[dwmarch]

8 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

I'm not so sure that Legarski is dead.  Maybe the shot just grazed his head, enough to knock him down.  An actual head shot would not leave him standing there, mumbling a bit before finally pitching over.  Even for tv, that's too fake.

It doesn't look like much but I'm pretty sure Cassie punched his ticket:

[Mrs. Stanwyck]

Quote

All this talk about forensics and evidence... They couldn't.

None of it would be legal. None of it would be admissible. The only reason they 'stormed the castled' was in hopes of saving the girls (if they were there). If they're not there, which of course they weren't, then they're just trespassing and have no reason or right to be there.

I kept yelling for them to bring in dogs - I'm sure they have those in Montana.  I know they probably didn't have any with the girls' scent but they could have said the parents brought some things when they came to Montana to meet with the police  The other thing is I believe the dogs could have responded to the smell of people and it least gives them a reason to look for dna and fingerprints.  Don't they have dogs that look for people when a building collapses - those dogs aren't looking for a specific scent are they?  Since they knew the space was large and there was an underground location, it seems like dogs might have been helpful for finding the girls.  

Also, would it have been trespassing?  I thought it was a deserted government building - something for land management.  It didn't belong to either Ronald or Rick.  Rick was also "trespassing" while having his lunch there.  

 

[blackwing]

I’ve read all of CJ Box’s Joe Pickett books but never any of the Cassie Dewell ones.  Will have to check them out.  Caught up on this series.  The death of Legarski was eminently satisfying.  I was so tired of him and his arrogance.  The way he talked to the sheriff after Cassie and Jenny cornered him at the shed, like he was being victimised... disgusting.

Since there are a lot of episodes left, I am assuming that the buyers reach the bar before Jenny does.  I was expecting them to show up while Cassie was at the top of the stairs, so was pleasantly surprised when they didn’t.  However, after the break, I assume they show up and hit her on the head with a wrench.  She tumbles down the stairs.  When she wakes up, she is found next to a dead Legarski, no girls in sight, and she is arrested for his murder.

The scenery on this show makes me want to move to Montana.

On 12/16/2020 at 4:13 PM, preeya said:

If they keep killing the "names" and one has to assume that Ronald will be locked up or dead, there won't be anyone left for a 2nd run.

If these are “names”, I haven’t heard of most of them.  The only ones I know are Ryan Phillippe and the blonde sister who was the Strucker girl on “The Gifted”.  Never seen any of these other people before.  I’m assuming the secretary is Michelle Pfeiffer’s sister.

Is Kathryn Winnock supposed to be a name?  I’m not familiar with her although I am assuming she is supposed to be a name since she gets top billing even though this show is based on the Cassie Dewell books and she isn’t portraying Cassie Dewell.

[AnimeMania]

3 hours ago, blackwing said:

The scenery on this show makes me want to move to Montana.

The non-fenced in acid water hazards make me want to stay away from Montana.

[Dowel Jones]

On 12/27/2020 at 9:01 AM, blackwing said:

The scenery on this show makes me want to move to Montana.

It can be nice, but remember, they do have winter in Montana...

[Jennabelle88]

Does anyone know when this show is coming back on? 

[AnimeMania]

Episode 6 airs Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, on ABC.

[Jennabelle88]

1 hour ago, AnimeMania said:

Episode 6 airs Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, on ABC.

Thank you! 

[itsadryheat]

On 12/16/2020 at 3:46 PM, njbchlover said:

Buy an original Norman Rockwell to replace the bedroom TV

This scene seemed weird to me.

Merilee comes home around midnight and goes to bed. She's in bed sleeping and Legarski enters the bedroom with a hammer and fantasizes about hammering her. So he has thoughts of ridding himself of Merilee?

Why would he bring the hammer into the bedroom at midnight while she is sleeping? Was he planning on removing the tv while Merilee slept? He obviously wasn't going to go Hammertime on her because, you know, the pension.

Confusing scene. Was his intent to wake her up to intimidate her because she went out dancing? 

Anyone have an explanation of this scene? 

[Josh371982]

On 12/27/2020 at 12:01 PM, blackwing said:

I’ve read all of CJ Box’s Joe Pickett books but never any of the Cassie Dewell ones.  Will have to check them out.  Caught up on this series.  The death of Legarski was eminently satisfying.  I was so tired of him and his arrogance.  The way he talked to the sheriff after Cassie and Jenny cornered him at the shed, like he was being victimised... disgusting.

Since there are a lot of episodes left, I am assuming that the buyers reach the bar before Jenny does.  I was expecting them to show up while Cassie was at the top of the stairs, so was pleasantly surprised when they didn’t.  However, after the break, I assume they show up and hit her on the head with a wrench.  She tumbles down the stairs.  When she wakes up, she is found next to a dead Legarski, no girls in sight, and she is arrested for his murder.

The scenery on this show makes me want to move to Montana.

If these are “names”, I haven’t heard of most of them.  The only ones I know are Ryan Phillippe and the blonde sister who was the Strucker girl on “The Gifted”.  Never seen any of these other people before.  I’m assuming the secretary is Michelle Pfeiffer’s sister.

Is Kathryn Winnock supposed to be a name?  I’m not familiar with her although I am assuming she is supposed to be a name since she gets top billing even though this show is based on the Cassie Dewell books and she isn’t portraying Cassie Dewell.

Kathryn Winnick plays/played Lagertha on the Show Vikings if you've ever watched that show. 

[blackwing]

On 1/1/2021 at 11:56 AM, itsadryheat said:

This scene seemed weird to me.

Merilee comes home around midnight and goes to bed. She's in bed sleeping and Legarski enters the bedroom with a hammer and fantasizes about hammering her. So he has thoughts of ridding himself of Merilee?

Why would he bring the hammer into the bedroom at midnight while she is sleeping? Was he planning on removing the tv while Merilee slept? He obviously wasn't going to go Hammertime on her because, you know, the pension.

Confusing scene. Was his intent to wake her up to intimidate her because she went out dancing? 

Anyone have an explanation of this scene? 

I do think he was going to kill her or at least he wanted to.  It seemed evident that their marriage had broken down.  The kids were grown and moved away.  She complained that he never touched her anymore.  He viewed her as a nag and was just tired of her.

I think he wanted to kill her but was grappling with it, and then she stirred and woke up so he made up some story about changing out the TV in the middle of the night, in the dark, while she slept.  Should have been a complete red flag to her, if she hadn't been clued in already.

On 12/28/2020 at 11:17 AM, Dowel Jones said:

It can be nice, but remember, they do have winter in Montana...

Hah.  I live in Chicago, so we get all that (and perhaps worse) but without the nice scenery!

[Lakebum]

OK, I read the thread before asking my question, and it's a good thing I did, because it appears that the answer to "Did I miss something?" is "YES!!!" For the record, streaming this show instead of watching it on regular TV means that you miss the end of some episodes. This episode "ended" before Legarski was shot and the girls were rescued. So when that was shown in the opening of the next episode, we were like "Did we miss an episode?"

On the plus side, knowing that we're not going to see stuff will make it easier to start ignoring this show. I love the Joe Pickett books, and am looking forward to however many TV seasons we get of "Joe Pickett." But this? I'm not even sure I want to read the books, if they're as bad as the show.