S01.E11: All Kinds of Snakes

[AnimeMania]

Right as the women of Dewell & Hoyt seem to be getting used to the new normal, Jenny gets an alarming call from an old flame; leading her and Cassie headfirst into a new case, a new jurisdiction, and a whole lot of new trouble.

Original Airdate: April 13     Tuesdays at 9pm (Episode 10) & 10pm ET (Episode 11)      ABC 

 

[Maverick]

 You know how there are some American actors who should never do a British accent?  (Think Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins).  After hearing Sebastian Roche tonight....it cuts both ways.  

[AnimeMania]

I am kind of disappointed with the Kleinasse family house, it looks horrible, they don't make me believe they are/were rich at any time. They might have a lot of land and cows but I can not imagine why the entire town would allow them to break all the rules.

The episodes were fairly boring.

I thought it was weird that when they were shooting the empty beer cans with the gun they would fly straight up in the air and come back down.

[saber5055]

I was glad this show was coming back, then missed almost the entire two hours since a dog decided to go over the fence and I had to keep going outside in the pitch black to search for her. But ...

I was glad to see Ronald back. although I found his choice of disguise as 1970s John Denver curious. It kept me wondering if a writer or show runner was a fan and it was a shout out, even if Ronald is in the wrong state.

No one notices Ronald sleeping on his dead mom's grave? Alrighty then. But I guess the cemetery has CC, so there's that. Or maybe I missed how they got the pics of him there.

Not sure what's up with the FBI guy or whoever he is. I had to force myself to watch the scenes he was in.

I totally did not get what the second part was about, too much looking for my dog (that did come back, thank the gods). I do know I loved Montana when I was there, it's my fav state, but this show sure is no promo for tourism there, that's for sure.

I really like Jerri/Jeri, hope she gets more screen time.

14 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I thought it was weird that when they were shooting the empty beer cans with the gun they would fly straight up in the air and come back down.

I didn't catch the flying-up part, but thought it weird that they just bent down to pick them up and set back on the fence again. I've done a lot of can shooting and that's not how it works. I also wondered about the camera being right in the line of fire. Strange choice if one remembers Brandon Lee.

[tennisgurl]

Naming your son John Wayne is a real flex. 

Nobody in this show who is trying to hide stuff is any good at it, everyone just acts as suspicious as humanly possible, even when they should be trying to act normal. If these corrupt hick types with dark secrets ever just let the out of towner explore the town with a smile and a wave they would probably just go on their way, no need to even bother with the murderous cover up. 

So instead of human trafficking between a would be serial killer and a hammy corrupt state trooper and some bigger organization we never see, we get a dysfunctional ranch family who have at least a dozen deadly secrets and are part of something criminal, possibly connected to the rest of the town. So its basically Yellowstone but with less money and more crazy. 

I was thinking this crime might involve the local reservation or the weird cult nearby, but maybe they're saving that for later? You don't introduce a cult as just a red herring. 

[thuganomics85]

And I thought my family game nights could get wild!

So, it's looks like the big baddies this time are some kind of shady ranch family that feels like they someone in the writers room watched Yellowstone and figured they could make that work on network television.  Always good seeing "Hey, it's that Guy!" folks like Ryan Dorsey and Kyle Schmid (whose character's name is actually John Wayne, because of course he is.)  And Michelle Forbes, although I with Star Trek: Picard now a thing, I wished she'd reprise Ro on that show.  Oh, and also Britt Robertson, who has been in a ton of stuff, but dammit, I'll always think of her as Angie from Under the Dome first!  And if there was any fear that losing John Carroll Lynch would tone down the scenery chewing, that has been put to rest, thanks to Ted Levine and his snarling, eye-popping, bearded glory.  Bless you, Buffalo Bill!

Sheriff is obviously up to no good, because Sebastian Roche characters are never up to any good.  And this one is attempting some form of a Western accent, which just makes him even more suspicious.  Honestly, considering how crazy this show is, they'd be better off just letting Roche use his normal speaking voice or his British one compared to whatever he was trying to attempt here.

Ronald is still barely holding it together, but I'm starting to wonder if his girlfriend might be just as crazy or if she's simply just trying to be supportive of his kink/fetish.

So, it looks like the marshal knows that Ronald visits his mother's grave at night, but leaves him a note instead of informing Jenny/Cassie?  Hmm...

Episodes ends with both Jenny and Cassie in some trouble.  Uh oh!

[saber5055]

I did catch the reveal that the one guy was selling horse sperm, and not just ANY horse sperm, Thoroughbred horse sperm. Dude, Montana is NOT known for its Thoroughbreds, I could only find two TB breeders in the entire state. But maybe the Gen Pop doesn't think Quarter Horses are as valuable as TBs when, in fact, in all but the most extreme cases, they are. Especially in that neck of the woods.

Anyway, sperm is transported in big poly cases, insulated containers, and is chilled or frozen and kept that way for transport. Just tossing it in some jar in some case, the sperm will be croaked before it can be used. Plus it can only be used when the mare is in season so needs to be stored in a proper facility, not some motel room. Plus collecting one stallion is an ordeal. That guy had what, a couple dozen in that case? and all the glass vials BROKE because they were glass? I guess either the writers think all viewers are dumbasses or perhaps maybe too much knowledge is detrimental to hand waving this show.

Maybe both.

Agree that if these people would stop acting so creepy and dysfunctional and got some social skills, whatever scam they are up to or secret they are hiding would be much easier to keep secret.

Edited April 15, 2021 by saber5055

[tvfanatic13]

There was a cult? I thought there was too much going on in these episodes- theew was Ronald, the horse sperm case (is that over now?), the ranch, the Marshall and now someone above said there is a cult?? Damn. 

[luvthepros]

Sooo, what about that thug that was impaled by the deer antlers? His lover buried the body? Is that story line put to bed?

What cult? Did I miss that too?

Edited April 15, 2021 by luvthepros

[saber5055]

1 hour ago, luvthepros said:

Sooo, what about that thug that was impaled by the deer antlers? His lover buried the body?

I understand there is an opening in that caldera hot pool.

[Ms Lark]

4 hours ago, luvthepros said:

What cult? Did I miss that too?

and

15 hours ago, tvfanatic13 said:

There was a cult? ...now someone above said there is a cult?? Damn.

Last season there was a cult up in the mountains or hills or something that was suspect in the kidnapping of young women. They seem to have dropped them due to Legarski and Ronald. I'm sure they're still up there.

[Mrs. Stanwyck]

17 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

So, it looks like the marshal knows that Ronald visits his mother's grave at night, but leaves him a note instead of informing Jenny/Cassie?  Hmm...

I didn't get that either.  I can understand that they may not have been monitoring the cemetery full time but once you pulled footage of him sleeping at his mother's grave, wouldn't you have assigned someone to watch the cemetery at all times and then just nab him when he shows up?  What's the point of leaving a note that is supposed to make him think his dead mother is still hanging around.

I have 3 thoughts about the cake.  1 - it's his mother (I agree he left her corpse behind because I think the policy identified the remains after it blew up) so this would be a mannequin he dressed up like her; 2 - it's a mannequin he dressed up like Jerri since he is clearly still thinking about her or 3 its someone named Kelli.  The marshal found "help me - Kelli" carved into the truck and I thought part of the writing on the cake said "kelli".  Unless he abducted Kelli after he fled town, then I call bullshit on him having some girl stashed away.  Since he stashed the 3 other girls in the abandoned barn why wouldn't this girl have been there too?

[SoMuchTV]

2 hours ago, Mrs. Stanwyck said:

I have 3 thoughts about the cake.  1 - it's his mother (I agree he left her corpse behind because I think the policy identified the remains after it blew up) so this would be a mannequin he dressed up like her; 2 - it's a mannequin he dressed up like Jerri since he is clearly still thinking about her or 3 its someone named Kelli.  The marshal found "help me - Kelli" carved into the truck and I thought part of the writing on the cake said "kelli".  Unless he abducted Kelli after he fled town, then I call bullshit on him having some girl stashed away.  Since he stashed the 3 other girls in the abandoned barn why wouldn't this girl have been there too?

Oh! I was just thinking "Kelli" was one of the sisters he kidnapped because I haven't been invested enough to remember everyone's names.  IMDB tells me I was wrong about that.  So maybe Kelli was from an earlier batch of abductees?  I guess it will tie in to something later, unless it doesn't.

[callie lee 29]

5 hours ago, Mrs. Stanwyck said:

I didn't get that either.  I can understand that they may not have been monitoring the cemetery full time but once you pulled footage of him sleeping at his mother's grave, wouldn't you have assigned someone to watch the cemetery at all times and then just nab him when he shows up?  What's the point of leaving a note that is supposed to make him think his dead mother is still hanging around.

 

I think that this is the first time they saw him visiting the cemetery. The one FBI guy walked into the office with the USB and said something about the other dude being right about installing the cameras because look what we got (not exactly that but something like that). 

[saber5055]

4 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

I guess it will tie in to something later, unless it doesn't.

This made me laugh. I do love this whack show though. It's like a Montana Twin Peaks.

[Mrs. Stanwyck]

19 hours ago, callie lee 29 said:

I think that this is the first time they saw him visiting the cemetery. The one FBI guy walked into the office with the USB and said something about the other dude being right about installing the cameras because look what we got (not exactly that but something like that).

I agree - maybe I didn't make my point clearly.  I think they just set up cameras at the cemetery on a hunch that he might visit his mother's grave.  And since they didn't know for sure he would, I can understand that they didn't have someone watching the cemetery full time.  But, once they found the footage of him sleeping there, wouldn't you assign someone to watch the place full time - or at least at night?  It doesn't seem like they did that.  It appears that the Marshall left a note for him to find that makes him think his mother is haunting him or something - it's a mind game.  Instead of playing  mind games, wouldn't you just grab him the next time he shows up at the cemetery?

[saber5055]

6 hours ago, Mrs. Stanwyck said:

It appears that the Marshall left a note for him to find that makes him think his mother is haunting him or something - it's a mind game.  Instead of playing  mind games, wouldn't you just grab him the next time he shows up at the cemetery?

I'm thinking the Marshall dude is connected to Ronald somehow.

And that's all I got.

[blackwing]

On 4/13/2021 at 11:42 PM, AnimeMania said:

The episodes were fairly boring.

I thought it was weird that when they were shooting the empty beer cans with the gun they would fly straight up in the air and come back down.

Agree about the cans   The way they popped straight up and came down reminded me of cans in an old fashioned shooting gallery like the one they used to have in the Frontierland section at Disney World.

I found the two episodes boring as well.  And confusing.  
 

I am confused because I could have sworn the media articles I read said that the Ronald storyline would be wrapped up in episode 10 and then the remaining episodes of the season would be devoted to a new storyline.  I guess not.

There was just way too much going on.  First we have Ronald with his unbelievable bad hair dye job, a really unnatural shade of red.  If the Marshall knows where he is and what he does then why hasn’t he been arrested.  Perhaps the Marshall is bad.

I don’t understand the point of the horse semen story and the two now-dead thugs.  Are those two thugs connected to the Kleinsassers?  What about the dealer whose name I don’t remember?  Or are we not seeing them again?

Part of my problem is that all of the white guys looked the same to me.  Except for the one with the bad blonde dye job.  There was long haired thug, blonde thug, Marshall, sheriff, three brothers, guy who gave Marshall the camera footage, fake cop.  One brother was in jail and got out.  Was the fake cop one of the brothers or someone else?  Was the guy in the trailer one of the brothers?

Jenny introduced herself to the Kleinsassers as “Jenny Hoyt” but wouldn’t they have known her by her maiden name if she knew them before she got married?

What were the “dead things” that Jenny fell into the pit with?

[AnimeMania]

2 minutes ago, blackwing said:

I am confused because I could have sworn the media articles I read said that the Ronald storyline would be wrapped up in episode 10 and then the remaining episodes of the season would be devoted to a new storyline.  I guess not.

I thought the same thing, which is why I created a post for each episode instead of combining the two. Unfortunately nothing interesting happened in either episode.

2 hours ago, saber5055 said:

I'm thinking the Marshall dude is connected to Ronald somehow.

Either that or the Marshall is interested in Cassie, maybe he saw her picture in the paper and had to meet her.

[dbklmt]

Who is playing the Marshall?

[luvthepros]

Well........if I wasn't confused before, I sure as hell am now!

[AnimeMania]

8 hours ago, dbklmt said:

Who is playing the Marshall?

Omar Metwally is Deputy U.S. Marshal Frank Lindor.

[dbklmt]

2 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Omar Metwally is Deputy U.S. Marshal Frank Lindor.

Thanks! I see on IMDB that 16 episodes have been filmed which means that 6 for Season 2 have been completed.  According to IMDB he's been in only 2 episodes, the first two which we've now seen.  Unless it's wrong looks like we may not see him again and I find him to be the most interesting character that I'd like to learn more about.   

Edited April 17, 2021 by dbklmt
Edited to add more quotes

[dbklmt]

11 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

  11 hours ago, blackwing said:

I am confused because I could have sworn the media articles I read said that the Ronald storyline would be wrapped up in episode 10 and then the remaining episodes of the season would be devoted to a new storyline.  I guess not.

You're not wrong as I read the same thing.  Looks like they lied as on IMDB as I said in a post above Big Sky has completed 16 episodes with 6 for season 2.  The only people to have been in all 16 episodes are Jenny, Cassie, Denise, Jerrie and Brian Geraghty (Ronald).  Looks like the Ronald story will continue.  I'm just hoping we find out why the Marshall is so interested in finding Ronald.   

[saber5055]

12 hours ago, blackwing said:

First we have Ronald with his unbelievable bad hair dye job, a really unnatural shade of red.

Hey, my hair is that color! Some people call it strawberry blond, I call it ginger.

I wonder if Ronald knocks off the marshal. But I think sometimes IMDB doesn't list episodes ahead of time for some characters, the ones who aren't regulars. I guess we'll find out.

 

[Guest]

Ronald's actor is superb. The strongest in the cast. He conveys his desperation to be loved in a way that's very soft and sympathetic - almost makes you forget what a murderous little creep he is. Very intrigued by the reveal that his new gf might be just as twisted as him. That kissing negotiation was...something. I was under the impression that the taser was negative reenforcement for him, not a kink in itself.

[mythoughtis]

9 hours ago, dbklmt said:

According to IMDB he's been in only 2 episodes, the first two which we've now seen.  Unless it's wrong looks like we may not see him again

Without getting into spoilers, I believe that number is incorrect. My DVR did not end early for once.  that’s all I’m going to say 
 

 

[blackwing]

On 4/17/2021 at 12:09 PM, saber5055 said:

Hey, my hair is that color! Some people call it strawberry blond, I call it ginger.

I wonder if Ronald knocks off the marshal. But I think sometimes IMDB doesn't list episodes ahead of time for some characters, the ones who aren't regulars. I guess we'll find out.

 

Sorry, no offense was intended.  I'd say strawberry blond or ginger is more like Prince Harry's hair colour.  I guess I don't know if I would call Ronald's hair strawberry blond... the way it is presented looks very unnatural to me.  He is clearly sleeping with whatshername, so what about body hair?  Clearly she should see that it's a dye job and wonder what the reason is or whether he is hiding from anything.

[saber5055]

I would think a pit of dead and decaying animals or whatever would stink so much it could be smelled for miles around, and buzzards/vultures and other carrion eaters would be all over that place. That someone would "accidentally" fall in and then be all surprised is so far removed from reality, it borders on NOT hand-wave-able. One dead raccoon can be smelled from several feet away if not more.

Plus, falling into a pit of dead and decaying critters, one would sink in and be covered in, let's say, fluids.

Maybe TMI? Heh.

[juliet73]

This new storyline is so dumb!  This show wasn't too great to begin with but I stayed with it for Ronald and his cereal.  Now he's barely even it in and not a box of cocoa puffs has seen in the last two episodes.   I guess the bad guys from last week were just a one and done.  The guy stuck to the deer antlers and his boyfriend Joe Exotic were way more entertaining than these "ranchers."  This show should have been done after episode 9. 

[DangerousMinds]

2 hours ago, blackwing said:

Sorry, no offense was intended.  I'd say strawberry blond or ginger is more like Prince Harry's hair colour.  I guess I don't know if I would call Ronald's hair strawberry blond... the way it is presented looks very unnatural to me.  He is clearly sleeping with whatshername, so what about body hair?  Clearly she should see that it's a dye job and wonder what the reason is or whether he is hiding from anything.

Both men and women sometimes dye the hair on their heads. Nothing strange about that . 🤷‍♀️

[CrazyDog]

After reading these threads for the first two episodes, my main takeaway is that I really need to pay more attention, lol. I really enjoy this show, but I also like to decompress with games on my phone while I watch, and I need to actually watch.

The wacko ranch family is...creepy. Is the daughter slipping mom valium or something, presumably to deal with living with the crazy dad? I can't even remember which bits were in which episode. 

And mom almost held off giving the crazy dad his meds when he was having an attack? He seemed to know.

I love the new Marshall. He's just odd, and interesting, and I'm hoping he's not a secret baddie. I thought he left a rock or something at the grave, but it was a note, I guess (that's where I need to pay attention, lol). The show is weird enough that I didn't even question it.  Rock, grave, sure, why not?

The tension was thick when Cassie was at the bar, and it was very uncomfortable watching the cop grab her. Ugh. 

I already forgot about horse sperm guy.

Ronald continues to be creepy and interesting, and his girlfriend...eek. 

I'm sure I'm forgetting a ton, but I'm enjoying the total rush of weird that is this show.

[dwmarch]

Network: Hey David E. Kelly! Nice strong start to this show but can you do us a favor and make it weirder? Like, a lot weirder. Season 2 of Goliath weird. Just go nuts. Throw the Tiger King in there if you can. I know that was Florida but Montana's just as goddamn weird and we really want to showcase that.
DEK: Let me see what I can do...

I'm not sure what to make of the new episodes so far but the show manages to be simultaneously creepy and whimsical which is oddly alluring.

Cassie getting pulled over was super tense and very on point.

Nice to see Michelle Forbes again. Haven't seen her since Season 2 of 24. I liked the scene where her crazy husband was choking on his pills and she took a long moment to decide if she wanted to help.

Edited April 24, 2021 by dwmarch

[Tachi Rocinante]

• The Marshal is either working with the traffickers or playing head games with Ronald to get him to make a mistake.
• I took the state of the ranch as a metaphor for Buffalo Bill's declining health and disappointment in his crotch fruit. 
• Britt Robertson was good, but I can't decide if she's playing the long game.

[AnimeMania]

2 hours ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

The Marshal is either working with the traffickers or playing head games with Ronald to get him to make a mistake.

I thought the Marshal saw Cassie in the media and wanted a piece of that or the writers thought it was time for Cassie to get a love interest.

[janey99]

On 4/14/2021 at 12:42 AM, AnimeMania said:

I am kind of disappointed with the Kleinasse family house, it looks horrible, they don't make me believe they are/were rich at any time. They might have a lot of land and cows but I can not imagine why the entire town would allow them to break all the rules.

The episodes were fairly boring.

I thought it was weird that when they were shooting the empty beer cans with the gun they would fly straight up in the air and come back down.

I'm picking up an Ozark vibe from this storyline with the ranchers . . .

[janey99]

On 4/14/2021 at 8:55 PM, saber5055 said:

I did catch the reveal that the one guy was selling horse sperm, and not just ANY horse sperm, Thoroughbred horse sperm. Dude, Montana is NOT known for its Thoroughbreds, I could only find two TB breeders in the entire state. But maybe the Gen Pop doesn't think Quarter Horses are as valuable as TBs when, in fact, in all but the most extreme cases, they are. Especially in that neck of the woods.

Anyway, sperm is transported in big poly cases, insulated containers, and is chilled or frozen and kept that way for transport. Just tossing it in some jar in some case, the sperm will be croaked before it can be used. Plus it can only be used when the mare is in season so needs to be stored in a proper facility, not some motel room. Plus collecting one stallion is an ordeal. That guy had what, a couple dozen in that case? and all the glass vials BROKE because they were glass? I guess either the writers think all viewers are dumbasses or perhaps maybe too much knowledge is detrimental to hand waving this show.

Maybe both.

Agree that if these people would stop acting so creepy and dysfunctional and got some social skills, whatever scam they are up to or secret they are hiding would be much easier to keep secret.

Happy to see another horse person on the sub!  My first thought - $100K THOROUGHBRED straws from MONTANA!!??

[saber5055]

On 4/19/2021 at 2:02 PM, juliet73 said:

I stayed with it for Ronald and his cereal.  Now he's barely even it in and not a box of cocoa puffs has seen in the last two episodes.

Hopefully you stayed long enough to see this week's cereal eating.

[Moot Smoothie]

On 4/17/2021 at 1:09 PM, saber5055 said:

Hey, my hair is that color! Some people call it strawberry blond, I call it ginger.

I wonder if Ronald knocks off the marshal. But I think sometimes IMDB doesn't list episodes ahead of time for some characters, the ones who aren't regulars. I guess we'll find out.

 

I called it "Where's Waldo" red when first seeing the hair, the glasses and the knit cap Ronald was sporting outside his girlfriend's job.  The resemblance had to be intentional!