S01.E15: Bitter Roots

[AnimeMania]

When Scarlet gets an alarming call that her sister is missing, Ronald realizes just how twisted his situation has become and must decide his next move. Meanwhile, Cassie, Jenny, Gil and Rosie find themselves in a whole mess of trouble on the ranch, forced to face off against the worst of the Kleinsasser bunch. But this team is tough and even the strongest family trees can fall on “Big Sky”.

Original Airdate: May 11     Tuesdays at 10pm ET       ABC 

 

[AnimeMania]

Jenny says that she can handle JW, then 5 seconds later John Wayne knocks her out with one punch. Why was it that John Wayne looks much worst than Jenny did after the fight was over. How did he get that gash on his face.

On the next Big Sky, see Margaret Kleinsasser as Lady Macbeth "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!" "On drugs, No!, This is the withdrawal talking now." "Cheyenne, get thee to a nunnery!"

Cassie just stands there for 20 seconds while the truck is headed towards her. Good thing she is built stronger than a motel or she might be dead now.

Boy is this show bad.

[thuganomics85]

Well, I guess this episode was mainly about wrapping up the Kleinsasser clan arc, because I really don't know what else they can go with it at this point.  Rand and John Wayne are both dead, Cheyenne is the last Kleinsasser kid standing after-all, Margaret blames Horst for everything, and it looks like their whole operation is exposed now, since it looks like Jenny still had a sample of the toxic waste with her (was it the same one from earlier?  Did no one actually search her when they kidnapped her?)  So, I really don't think any of them came out ahead, unless Cheyenne is planning on going legit somehow with the ranch.  If this is it for the gang, I will miss all the scenery chewing from the overqualified cast (especially Ted Levine), but none of the characters really stepped outside their atypical archetypes.

As an added bonus, it looks like Jenny and Cassie also will bring down Sheriff Wagy by recording him admitting to trying to have Cassie killed, but considering he was this closet to almost shooting his own deputy for speaking out of turn, I really can't figure out why he didn't pull on them after they reveal it, since it looked like Jenny didn't even send the recording out yet, before taunting him.  Not saying I wanted them to die, but I don't see Wagy not at least attempting to save his sorry ass.

I strangely am happy that Gil made it out alive, even if he was only here for a few episodes, but that's probably mainly due to the awesomeness of Carlos Gomez.

But it looks like the final episode will be all about what will go down with Ronald and Scarlett.  Because it turns out that not only did Scarlett murder her husband (who admittedly did sound like a horrible person), but she knew Ronald's real identity all along!  And... that makes her love him even more!  Because she truly is insane and I'm all for it!  Yeah, yeah, both of them are disturbed individuals and I'm still all for Ronald meeting his end someday (preferably thanks to a bullet from Jeri.)  But until then, I'm rooting for these crazy kids to make it work!  I just hope she can look past the whole killing her sister thing (which, hey, it sounded like Scarlett didn't like her either, so I'm sure that can be forgiven after an honest conversation!)

I really can't wait to see what kind of insanity they have in store for the finale.  I hope they go all out with it!  Hell, at this point, I really wouldn't be surprised if a Zombie Rick Legarski rears his head.  And still finds time to pontificate for hours on in and let John Carroll Lynch finish off whatever scenery is still here.

Edited May 12, 2021 by thuganomics85

[mertensia]

Again with the dark episode!

Well, Scarlet is a few fries short of a Happy Meal, isn't she?

[sempervivum]

I assume Ma and Pa Kleinsasser kill each other next week, leaving over-achiever Cheyenne with the booby prize of acres of toxic waste and corpse soup-in-a-barrel.

11 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

On the next Big Sky, see Margaret Kleinsasser as Lady Macbeth "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!" "On drugs, No!, This is the withdrawal talking now." "Cheyenne, get thee to a nunnery!"

While I disagree with your assessment that the 'show is bad', I loved the call-out to the Shakespearean flavor of it all.

Jenny and Cassie are the least interesting characters on the show at this point.

From the previews, it looks like Ronald will end up in jail, which means Jerri doesn't get to plug him (yet). Somehow I doubt he'll be in the slammer for very long, though.  Hopefully looking forward to more of him next season. 

[tennisgurl]

I guess this is just about the end of the Kleinsasser clan, all that needs to happen now is that the parents need to get their endings, probably killing each other with one last "thanks sweetie" before they both die, and Cheyenne gets the ranch. Granted, its a ranch that's been poisoned and is the site of multiple murders and will be a crime scene for the foreseeable future, but she will probably just be happy being the last Kleinsasser standing, even if all she's standing on is a mound of useless dirt. She still won damn it. They never fully worked but their overacting was always amusing, especially from the always good Ted Levine. 

I am glad that Jenny and Cassie are apparently going to take down the corrupt Sherriff, but if he's so desperate and murderous that he would pull a gun on his own deputy, you would think he would be fine with shooting the Jenny, Cassie, and the deputy if he wont play ball, and then try to pin the blame on someone else. I guess that would be hard to cover up, but he seemed pretty quick to give up when Jenny played her tape for him. 

So Ronald went and found the one woman who can match him in the crazy department. I guess it makes sense, any normal person would have caught onto his craziness by now, but damn she is seriously down with this crime spree. This just shows how much they love each other, its so nice when couples can do things together. She actually knows exactly who he really is, has for awhile now, and the whole dead eyed serial kidnapper and murderer thing is a real turn on in her book. She might even be alright with him killing her sister, considering how much trash she was talking about her, and she already killed her husband. He sounded like a terrible person, but she sounded really excited talking about how she stuck screwdriver into his head. I want Ronald to get caught, especially if Jerrie gets to take him down, but I would be happy with they went Bonnie and Clyde for a bit during the finale. I hope her daughter gets out of this alright. 

[saber5055]

I like this show, but this was such a dumbass episode. And after Cheyenne kills her brother (was it an accident, really?) she's told "Well, now the ranch is yours." Not so fast ladies, Dad can still change his will, he's not dead yet. Not until next week anyway. I guess I don't see the big problem with the toxic waste barrels, just the ones that have dead bodies in them. Cheyenne, Mom and Pops will have a tough time explaining those.

I was disappointed in Scarlett playing Ronald all along. But whatever. I did think it odd  the entire whole gigantic freezer was taken from Sis's house. Is it in an evidence room somewhere? And didn't the little girl walk up on Ronald before he started shoveling dirt into the grave?

Kinda funny no one notices a huge semi tractor truck cab sitting outside a house on a residential road. Way to sneak up on someplace Ronald.

I swear I saw Legarski driving a cop car in the preview for next week. How cool would THAT be! I am disappointed that Ronald went back to his old hairstyle next week. I liked the John Denver 60s look.

[ShellsandCheese]

I’m over Jenny, Cassie, and Jerrie. Scrub the cast and start fresh. 
 

And Jerrie, no you don’t know Ronald. She’s insufferable and the actress is so so so bad and wooden. 

Edited May 13, 2021 by ShellsandCheese

[blackwing]

I am sad for Margaret Kleinsasser.  She lost all three of her sons within a span of a few days, and two of them in the same day.  Even if John Wayne and Rand were terrible people, they were still her sons.  Now she's just left with "Hear Me Roar" Cheyenne, who is also a bit unhinged.  Blake seems to have been the only good child.  John Wayne killed Blake, even if it was unintended.  Cassie shot Rand after he tried to run her over, and he died of his injuries.  John Wayne and Rand raped Rosie and framed Blake for it, just so they could control the ranch.  Cheyenne killed John Wayne... it was clearly intentional, she showed zero remorse.

I don't want Cheyenne to get the ranch.  She doesn't deserve it.  She deserves to go to prison.  John Wayne was already down and captured.  She had a gun and approached him and took the opportunity to rid herself of her last sibling so that she is the only heir.  Plus she's tampering with her mom's medication.

I want both Horst and Cheyenne to go to prison, and I want Margaret to control the ranch and clean it up.

I am so tired of Ronald, and now we have whatshername revealed to be a crazy killer as well.  The character of Ronald has run his course.  He was interesting in the beginning.  But I liken him to Damien Dahrk in "Arrow"... fun in the beginning, but the fact that he always wins or gets away became grating, and the show finally decided to get rid of him, which was a good decision.  I'm sick of seeing the way he svengalies others, even if it was revealed that whatshername knew who he was all along.  I found it sickening the way he talked to the kid.  He would have killed her had she not turned around.  Then she was so fearful of him that she said things he wanted to hear.  I hope she tells those neighbours about this encounter and that she gets help.

If Ronald does not get killed or captured next week, I think I will have to consider whether or not I will be back for Season 2.  I just don't find him or his Taser enjoyable to watch.  He and whatshername are now trapped in the basement of the sister's house... there should be no way they can escape.

10 hours ago, ShellsandCheese said:

I’m over Jenny, Cassie, and Jerrie. Scrub the cast and start fresh. 
 

And Jerrie, no you don’t know Ronald. She’s insufferable and the actress is so so so bad and wooden. 

I agree about Jerrie.  I don't care for the character or the actress.  The character is one note and the actress is terrible.  Jerrie doesn't know anything about Ronald other than the fact that he likes to kidnap young girls.  "I know him."  And?????  Does that give her insight into his mind or what he is going to do?  If she knows him so well, why has he been on the lam for all these months?  Did she predict that he was going to enter a John Denver lookalike contest?  Why hasn't her "knowing him" helped at all to say where he is after she saw him in the bar?  Did she know he was going to find a crazy girlfriend and hide in plain sight?

Also, since when did she get licensed to carry a gun?  She has zero training and it was never mentioned before, was it, other than that she is thinking of becoming a junior PI.

I also have a hard time understanding her character and her motives.  At the start of the show, we see her in a coffee shop, watching a video of herself singing.  She wants to make it as a singer.  But she makes ends meet by being a truck stop prostitute at night?  The fact that she has male anatomy isn't an issue?  It seemed like she was experienced in this vocation and had done this many times before... are we supposed to believe that no trucker ever wanted the full package and that they all were content to stop after a rub and tug?  I would think the fact that she has male anatomy would have gotten her into trouble with at least a few truckers in the past.

I get that they wanted "representation" on this show, and that representation is important.  I just don't think this is a good character or was very well thought out.  It seems clear that after the show got picked up for more episodes that the showrunners just didn't know what to do with her, and yet she is still here, because "representation".  They are trying to find every reason to keep her on the show.  Besides the two leads, every character from the first half of the season has been jettisoned except for Jerrie and brief cameos by Tubb and Desiree.

[dwmarch]

Well, that was about three thousand dollars worth of leather jackets sacrificed to the gods of unusually specific fetishes. Seriously, that blue biker jacket of Jenny's (that she really should throw away after getting dragged through toxic mud) cost a grand: https://wornontv.net/222897/

Speaking of money, I was reminded of that when they said they still had one more score to settle. Is that what you are doing here, settling scores? How does that keep the bills paid again?

The moral of the story seems to be that the detectives should have just waited a day. They didn't end up doing much to interfere with the Kleinsassers other than shooting Rand and there is a good chance someone would have eventually shot him anyhow. Then again, Ma and Pa aren't guilty of anything more than a poor American Gothic impression so who knows what will happen with them?

Creep Ronald is no fun. Unhinged psycho Ronald is fantastic. And now there's a Bonnie to his Clyde! But knowing the typical arc of a DEK show, he'll probably end up as the lead detective at Dewell and Hoyt and his gal will be the secretary if this show goes on for a few more seasons.

 

[CrazyDog]

This is such a weird show. It does seem like Cassie and Jenny have become side characters to the E Network drama of the ranch family.

Congrats Cheyenne, I guess? Enjoy the toxic ranch, legal problems, and getting doted on by dear old murdering dad.

I still love Jerrie though. I think the actor and character have a calm presence that balances some of the campiness of the rest of the story. Jerrie was traumatized and she's quietly battling through it. 

I love the addition of Lindor, as eccentric as he is. I'm just glad he doesn't (yet) appear to be a secret bad guy, but truly working to get Ronald.

Ronald is pretty hilariously entertaining but his girlfriend...wowza. I had to laugh at Ronald's expression when the daughter not only backed up his story but embellished it. That little girl needs a brand new family ASAP, though.

John Wayne (lol) was an interesting character but I'm not sad that he and Rand met their ends.

The taping of Wagy at the end made no sense, but at least they got something. It was nice to see his smug ass get flustered finally.

I don't know why, but I have not liked or trusted the office manager since the beginning. I'm assuming it's just the way the actor plays the character, but still.

Edited May 15, 2021 by CrazyDog

[AnimeMania]

7 hours ago, CrazyDog said:

I don't know why, but I have not liked or trusted the office manager since the beginning. I'm assuming it's just the way the actor plays the character, but still.

She is the only one who seems to think about the law first before doing whatever it is the ladies are about to do. P.I.'s tend to do a lot of shady things, I don't know how many times I have watched Magnum P.I. lock pick his way into someone's house every episode looking for evidence.

7 hours ago, CrazyDog said:

This is such a weird show. It does seem like Cassie and Jenny have become side characters to the E Network drama of the ranch family.

The ladies are not subtle or smart the way most of the leads of a TV show are. Once they get an idea in their head they keep ramming the tree until something falls out, no matter how much they get hurt. They would be more popular if people thought they would be able to outsmart characters like Rand and Sheriff Wagy, but the way they are portrayed now, I don't think they could. They only thing they have going for them is their gut instinct and their tenacity. I don't think they have made any money as P.I.s since they have been together and they have had a couple of vehicles destroyed and they hired a new employee. 

[callie lee 29]

Jenny and Cassie are idiots. They're also obnoxious and think they are better at this job than they actually are. Jerrie is fine, if rather one note. I rather like the marshal. He's weird and smart.

JW and Rand are dead and I couldn't give a shit about who did it. I still like Cheyenne and either she or her mama needs to put a bullet in daddys head. 

[CrystalBlue]

6 hours ago, callie lee 29 said:

Jenny and Cassie are idiots. They're also obnoxious and think they are better at this job than they actually are. Jerrie is fine, if rather one note. I rather like the marshal. He's weird and smart.

JW and Rand are dead and I couldn't give a shit about who did it. I still like Cheyenne and either she or her mama needs to put a bullet in daddys head. 

I agree that Jenny and Cassie are idiots and are annoying and obnoxious to me too.  Mama Kleinsasser and/or Miss Cheyenne should poison dear old dad.  Make it look like the old bastard died of natural causes and they can get away with it.

[Tachi Rocinante]

On 5/15/2021 at 3:11 AM, CrazyDog said:

I don't know why, but I have not liked or trusted the office manager since the beginning. I'm assuming it's just the way the actor plays the character, but still.

There was a throwaway line very early on where she seemed to have a connection to and defended Legarski. Maybe I misheard it.

[AnimeMania]

1 hour ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

On 5/15/2021 at 3:11 AM, CrazyDog said:

I don't know why, but I have not liked or trusted the office manager since the beginning. I'm assuming it's just the way the actor plays the character, but still.

There was a throwaway line very early on where she seemed to have a connection to and defended Legarski. Maybe I misheard it.

No, Sally, Legarski's first wife, was Denise's cousin. Denise did ask Sally about Legarski, but didn't get any red flags.

[Twiz44]

On 5/12/2021 at 2:08 PM, saber5055 said:

I swear I saw Legarski driving a cop car in the preview for next week. How cool would THAT be! 

I saw that, too!

[blackwing]

On 5/12/2021 at 10:37 AM, sempervivum said:

From the previews, it looks like Ronald will end up in jail, which means Jerri doesn't get to plug him (yet). Somehow I doubt he'll be in the slammer for very long, though.  Hopefully looking forward to more of him next season. 

 

On 5/12/2021 at 1:08 PM, saber5055 said:

I swear I saw Legarski driving a cop car in the preview for next week. How cool would THAT be! 

I am tired of both of these characters, at some point it's just no longer fun if the bad guys keep getting away and expose the incompetence of the law enforcement.  In the books,

Spoiler

after the events of the first book, Ronald changed his name and appearance and popped up in North Carolina.  Then he later went to South Dakota.  And he changed to being a private trucker meaning he was arranging his own deliveries instead of working for a company with a central dispatch where he could be more easily tracked.  So it was a lot more believable that he got away for several years.

But here, he's been living IN TOWN under the noses of the sheriff and his team this entire time.  How could nobody recognise him?  His disguise isn't that great.

I'm assuming Legarski has to be dead.  He was handcuffed to a hospital bed and Mary Lou stabbed him repeatedly.  We saw blood.  I'm assuming that even if the sheriff's department is completely incompetent, that they could tell the difference between someone who is dead and someone who isn't.  If he comes back because "oh we thought he had died but he actually wasn't, he still had a pulse.  We just never bothered to tell anyone that he was actually alive, especially not the PI who shot him nor the girl he kidnapped" then I am done with this show.  If he comes back as the twin brother of Legarski, then I am done.

If Ronald escapes or survives in jail and then somehow gets released to rinse and repeat next season, then I am done.  He killed his mom.  They have her body.  He kidnapped countless numbers of girls, and there are at least three victims who can positively ID him.  He should be locked away for years.

I am hoping they find new stories and new characters next season.  I'm sure that Cassie, Jenny and Jerrie will still be around, but we need new and fresh villains.

[rr2911]

On 5/12/2021 at 1:08 PM, saber5055 said:

.

I swear I saw Legarski driving a cop car in the preview for next week. How cool would THAT be! I am disappointed that Ronald went back to his old hairstyle next week. I liked the John Denver 60s look.

No, that was Tubb. 

[saber5055]

Reading some posts here, "Bitter Roots" is indeed a good title for this episode.

[SoMuchTV]

On 5/17/2021 at 6:09 PM, saber5055 said:

Reading some posts here, "Bitter Roots" is indeed a good title for this episode.

I was in the library the other day, and one of the books on the featured display was “Bitter Roots”. I kept thinking, why does that sound so familiar…?