S03.E08: Duck Hunting

[AnimeMania]

The investigation for the killer continues as Jenny and Beau confine the campers to the campsite in an effort to unravel their lies. Meanwhile, Cassie and Cormac’s romance heats up, leading Cormac to confess his parents might not be as innocent as they want others to believe.

Premiere Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2022      10pm     ABC

[luvthepros]

Paige kissing Walter.......my heart melted for Walter........the look on his face.......that one kiss touched his whole body. Seth Gabel did a fantastic job with that scene.

[ahrtee]

So, the score so far:

Backpacker:  accidental.  Covered up (very clumsily) by Sunny and Walter.

Paige:  believed dead; covered up (clumsily) by Sunny and Walter.  

Mary: killed by Buck.  Covered up (clumsily) by Sunny and Buck.  

Luke:  killed by person unknown, with an arrow.  Archery experts: Buck and Avery.

Park ranger: killed by psycho who hired Donno and Tonya, for no particular reason except to up the body count.  And maybe be there to kill Paige when she comes out of the escape tunnel.

At stake:  millions in cryptocurrency (is that worth anything any more? ☺️)  Avery, I think, is the only one with the code word, and he's the one who needs the money as opposed to just wanting it.  And his marriage is going down the tubes.  

Also, just to keep things interesting, all the murders (including Walter's foster parents) 20+ years ago.  

And doesn't anyone do anything in daylight?  All the interviews, staking out, stalking and hunting are at night.  Maybe Montana has *really* short days.  

AFAICR Walter hasn't actually killed anyone (lately).  But considering his face going to hunt Luke, he certainly looked capable of it; but he had an axe, not a bow and arrow.  He seemed to want a face to face confrontation to scare Luke, not killing from a distance.

But wasn't the story that he killed his foster parents because of something they did to a girl he liked?  I can't remember.  So "protecting" Paige could be his turning point--or just another red herring so he can look like he's the killer.  

I'm thinking maybe Sunny is really the killer, starting with Walter's adoptive parents for not taking care of him well enough; the high-school murder because she spurned Walter, and all the current ones (and her clumsy coverups) to put the blame on Buck and away from Walter.  After all, Reba is the headliner here!

Edited November 17, 2022 by ahrtee
Remembered Tonya's name. I think.

[MAK]

Who is writing this show? Have they written police procedurals before?

Maybe I've watched too many CSI/Law and order shows, but wouldn't they have closed down the camp and taken everyone back to town to interview and take statements, with only the lead investigators and assistants at the crime scene? Especially as there is a killer on the loose? They aren't hours and hours from the city.

And the "deputies have already searched the cabin"? What? They only looked at surfaces? No one trained them in how to search a room? They didn't even toss the bed? 

I've overlooked a lot of the "investigative techniques" of this show because S1 and S2 the villains were really good, and I really really like Sheriff Beau. But it is getting to the point of being ridiculous.

What is up with Carla? Does she know nothing about the man she married and left her daughter with?  She's a lawyer, she doesn't read the news? And wow, does she seem bitter about Beau. Apparently she left him because he went through some stuff and loss and was depressed. Did he forget to bring her flowers when his partner died? She seems to think that he talks about her all the time, and is looked really upset when Jenny said he hasn't mentioned anything about anything concerning his ex, his marriage, his life in Houston.

Walter, Donno, and Tonya are great characters, at least they're written better than the investigation stuff.

So the underlying crime is the theft of the $15 million in crypto, like the theft of the drugs and money in S2? They haven't said anything about the backpacker being connected to anything. Everything is just reactions to current situations. 

I also want to know how long Montana summer days are.  And do people go "glamping" for an entire summer? I always thought about it as a long weekend getaway type thing, a week at the most.

[wlk68]

Pure speculation on my part but....

Spoiler

I think Walt may end up hurting (killing? - heaven forbid!) Cormac and Sunny will finally be forced to stop defending Walt.

1 minute ago, MAK said:

Who is writing this show? Have they written police procedurals before?

Maybe I've watched too many CSI/Law and order shows, but wouldn't they have closed down the camp and taken everyone back to town to interview and take statements, with only the lead investigators and assistants at the crime scene? Especially as there is a killer on the loose? They aren't hours and hours from the city.

And the "deputies have already searched the cabin"? What? They only looked at surfaces? No one trained them in how to search a room? They didn't even toss the bed? 

I've overlooked a lot of the "investigative techniques" of this show because S1 and S2 the villains were really good, and I really really like Sheriff Beau. But it is getting to the point of being ridiculous.

What is up with Carla? Does she know nothing about the man she married and left her daughter with?  She's a lawyer, she doesn't read the news? And wow, does she seem bitter about Beau. Apparently she left him because he went through some stuff and loss and was depressed. Did he forget to bring her flowers when his partner died? She seems to think that he talks about her all the time, and is looked really upset when Jenny said he hasn't mentioned anything about anything concerning his ex, his marriage, his life in Houston.

Walter, Donno, and Tonya are great characters, at least they're written better than the investigation stuff.

So the underlying crime is the theft of the $15 million in crypto, like the theft of the drugs and money in S2? They haven't said anything about the backpacker being connected to anything. Everything is just reactions to current situations. 

I also want to know how long Montana summer days are.  And do people go "glamping" for an entire summer? I always thought about it as a long weekend getaway type thing, a week at the most.

And lets not even get into the fact that all those bags of evidence would not just be left laying around in the open. It completely ruins chain of custody and would render the items inadmissible in court.

[Linderhill]

On 11/17/2022 at 11:08 AM, MAK said:

I also want to know how long Montana summer days are.  And do people go "glamping" for an entire summer? I always thought about it as a long weekend getaway type thing, a week at the most.

My ex is from Montana and summer days in his hometown (in the upper northwest of the state) were very long.  In August the sun didn't set until after 10:30 at night.

I can't believe that law enforcement left all of that evidence just sitting there unattended.  Especially since everyone at the camp seemed to be able to just peruse anything they want with no pesky officers interfering.  

I do wish the series was filmed in actual Montana because nothing can beat the beauty of those mountains.

Edited November 19, 2022 by Linderhill

[mythoughtis]

Not only were those evidence bags out in the open and left unguarded, they were left that way in the camp full of possible suspects.  They can’t just assume that the odd guy in the woods is the killer. As a result, the journal has been compromised. 
I had thought that Sunny might  have killed Walter’s adoptive parents, but he admitted killing them to Paige.   
Is there any reason that the sheriff’s department couldn’t go hunting for  Walter during the day instead of waiting until after dark?  

[FlickChick]

I agree with the comments about the unbelievable actions by the sheriff's department in their investigations. None of them make sense in the real world. But as I mentioned in another episode section, I have always watched this show tongue-in-cheek, expecting nothing sensible and enjoying it nonetheless.

I'm starting to think that both Buck and Sunny are killers, perhaps with many victims. And very, very accomplished liars - the lies just roll of their tongues like honey. I'm looking forward to seeing where all this goes.

[thuganomics85]

Yeah, I'm use to handwaving a lot of stuff on this show; especially when it comes to how they handle the law enforcement stuff; but the way all of those evidence bags were just lying around out in the open was hilarious.  I would have respect it if that was all on purpose and they where attempting to some kind of sting there, but nope: the police department is just that lax.  Love you, Beau, but maybe you need to tell your officers to brush up on their procedural skills.

Glad that Corbin is starting to put the pieces together and knows that his parents are misleading him.  I still think he's the only Barnes family member who might be able to make it out of this in one piece.  Right now, I'm thinking Buck is destined to be betrayed by Sunny due to how he keeps going after Walter, and I think Sunny herself is going to end up losing everything as well due to how she's gone out of her way to protect him herself.  As for Walter himself, maybe he will simply just go to jail now that he's been arrested, but either way, I don't really see a happy ending for him of any kind.

RIP, trooper whose last thoughts were probably "Holy shit, I'm going to die at the hands of some guy who really looks like he use to be the lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish!"

So, there is some shady stuff going down with Avery and his company and now that Carla knows about it, that's put them both at odds.  Have a feeling it's only a matter of time before he becomes a full-blown villain.

Jenny will no doubt hate me and disagree with me if she ever knew, but Tonya and Donno really are the best things about Big Sky now!

[MAK]

12 hours ago, MAK said:

Who is writing this show? Have they written police procedurals before?

Apparently the actor who plays Donno (Ryan O'Nan?) and partner, wrote this episode. 

Donno is my favorite character this season, and the writing for the characters is pretty good. Guess, I'm going to have to ignore everything to do with any kind of investigation by the "law". 

[Dowel Jones]

2 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

RIP, trooper whose last thoughts were probably "Holy shit, I'm going to die at the hands of some guy who really looks like he use to be the lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish!"

"I like that 'Rock Me' song that they did, but Old Crow Medicine Show did a lot better version of it."  Bang.

[Nick24]

18 hours ago, ahrtee said:

And doesn't anyone do anything in daylight?  All the interviews, staking out, stalking and hunting are at night.  Maybe Montana has *really* short days.  

16 hours ago, MAK said:

I also want to know how long Montana summer days are.  

Maybe this is Montana from some alternate universe, where the state is near the Antarctic Polar Circle and that is why it has so short days in summer.☺️

Edited November 18, 2022 by Nick24

[ahrtee]

The more I think about it, the more everything points to Buck being the killer.  He's the only one with a motive for everything/everyone (except the ranger), which is: (ta-DAH!) to put the blame on Walter.  That can even go back to the murder of Walter's parents and the bleeding heart murders--all to make Walter look guilty.  Unfortunately, the more blame that gets pointed his way, the harder Sunny works to protect him, which I'm guessing is exactly opposite of what Buck wants.  Now, whether he wants Walter out of the way because of jealousy or some other reason, I assume we'll find out. 

But Buck is also the one who did seem to enjoy the blood and maybe purposely did stupid things like burning the truck near the heart and digging up and leaving the bodies/their personal items where they can be found.  

And of course Sunny is pretty nutso herself.  Maybe she's trying to protect Cormack from knowing his whole family is insane.  That's about to go sideways any second now.  

Has anyone ever mentioned who Walter's father is/was?  And how/when Sunny and Buck met and got married?  

[Myrelle]

After my first viewing, I only know that I needed more Beau and Jenny scenes and definitely less of Beau and Carla. I'll take any other combination of characters within scenes that include Beau, but that woman has no understanding whatsoever of who her ex-husband truly is, at his core, and I SO! hope that that pairing is not the writers' intended endgame for my favorite character on this show-because YIKES!, that woman is so unlikable, AFAIC. 

I even like Avery better than her and I don't like Avery at all.

Bodies were dropping left and right in this one. Poor trooper! I was shocked by that one.

At this point, I'm pretty sure that Walter is a red herring character as the Big Killer and that it's more likely Buck who's the Bleeding Heart killer, with Sunny possibly covering for him at many turns, but with the thought in her head(that mostly comes from misplaced guilt and equally misplaced familial loyalty-lots of that in the Barnes clan, for sure) that she's been trying to cover for/help her first-born son who she gave up for adoption.

Also have to add that I loved both the Tonya and Donno interviews conducted by our sheriff's dept. and can't help but root for that pairing too, though not in a romantic way, as it's clearly not that from Tonya's side. 

The Paige and Walter pairing gives me the creeps. Big time. 😳

Edited November 18, 2022 by Myrelle

[Pondlass1]

Didn’t see early seasons but I’ve assumed all along that it’s all just a spoof.  I only watch for the pretty scenery anyway… and it’s so far beyond reality.  Dead bodies on horseback,  no forensics, etc.  🤪 Still, thank goodness there’s murders otherwise the glampers would die of boredom.

I sure wish they’d give Beau something to do, tho.  

Edited November 18, 2022 by Pondlass1

[FlickChick]

19 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

RIP, trooper whose last thoughts were probably "Holy shit, I'm going to die at the hands of some guy who really looks like he use to be the lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish!"

LOL!!!! Absolutely love this! 😄 👍

[AuntTora]

On 11/17/2022 at 8:09 AM, wlk68 said:

And lets not even get into the fact that all those bags of evidence would not just be left laying around in the open. It completely ruins chain of custody and would render the items inadmissible in court.

I couldn't stop thinking about this, not even Jensen Ackles could make me think of other things! Also the investigating in the dark, confronting someone suspected of multiple murders over decades IN THEIR CLOTH JACKETS!

Worst. Cops. Ever.

[Myrelle]

On 11/17/2022 at 5:56 PM, FlickChick said:

I agree with the comments about the unbelievable actions by the sheriff's department in their investigations. None of them make sense in the real world. But as I mentioned in another episode section, I have always watched this show tongue-in-cheek, expecting nothing sensible and enjoying it nonetheless

I can't imagine doing anything otherwise, especially on a second watch of this one and taking into account and consideration all the hilarious dialogues between too many of the awesome characters in this show.

I found this episode wildly entertaining in the same totally tongue-in-cheek, senseless manner.

Or as I read elsewhere(maybe even here,  on another episode thread)-I simply love this stupid show to pieces and can't wait for the next episode, and 2 weeks is too long to have to wait for me. 🥰 🙃

Edited November 19, 2022 by Myrelle

[Katy M]

I'm jumping on the Donno bandwagon. He was so funny in this episode:

"0 stars."

"That' doesn't explain Mary."
blah blah blah
"That does explain Mary."

"Yes. We are not in love."  sheepish look.

Here's my crazy theory, which I'm 100% is all wrong.  I generally am.

Walter's adoptive parents were the original broken hearts killers.  They killed someone Walter cared about, he found out and killed them.  I can't decide if Sunny and/or Buck know this or think that Walter is the original killer.  I don't think Buck killed Luke.  That messed up their whole plan and got the finger pointed at him pretty quick. I almost think it's too obvious for Avery to be the killer, but I could pretty much say that about anyone that doesn't have an alibi which is only Avery and Buck, pretty much.  Unless Cormac could sneak out the back and evade the security camera that saw him going in.  What's his motive?  He was already suspicious of his parents but that doesn't give me a straight line to killing Luke.  Look at that, it turned out I don't have a theory at all, barring for the killings 20 years ago.

And, yeah, no sense at all to leaving the evidence out for the suspects to rummage through.  And I think someone mentioned Sunny's prints on Paige's phone, but consdiering how Jenny was handling it all over I don't think they're even going to check for fingerprints.

[CrystalBlue]

Donno's lines were great this episode, so I'll join everyone else on the Donno bandwagon.

The various theories about who killed who and who the original Broken Heart Killer is are interesting.  This really is a fun ride of a show and I look forward to the next episode this season more than S02.

It's always a toss up for me as to which of the lead characters is more annoying week by week.  (Cassie vs Jenny.)

I love Reba as Sunny.

[roamyn]

On 11/19/2022 at 7:05 PM, Katy M said:

And I think someone mentioned Sunny's prints on Paige's phone, but consdiering how Jenny was handling it all over I don't think they're even going to check for fingerprints.

That was me, and my first reaction to Hoyt handling that phone was...where are your damn gloves!

I’m wondering if Luke wasn’t killed by Lyle Lovett?  He wasn’t with Hootie and the Asian, and later they mentioned someone taking care of Avery, so could it be that he’s been out hunting Luke & Paige from a different direction?  They obviously want the duo dead.  Buck & Avery are too convenient.

We seem to have multiple killers:

Backpacker, accident

Walt’s adoptive parents, Walt

Bleeding Heart Killer, my guess is Buck or Walt (that heart on the bottom of the wooden figurine is telling)

Mary, Buck

Ranger, Hootie

Luke, Lyle Lovett?

Poor Donno, so in love with Tonya.  But the best lines and delivery!

And Cassie & Cormac are too cute together, but how much older would she be?  How old is her son?  Cormac doesn’t seem older than 25.

Oooh, I just thought of something.  If it turns out Lyle Lovett did kill Luke, then Sunny probably killed someone along the way, too.   I knew I hated Country music.

[Cinnabon]

3 minutes ago, roamyn said:

That was me, and my first reaction to Hoyt handling that phone was...where are your damn gloves!

I’m wondering if Luke wasn’t killed by Lyle Lovett?  He wasn’t with Hootie and the Asian, and later they mentioned someone taking care of Avery, so could it be that he’s been out hunting Luke & Paige from a different direction?  They obviously want the duo dead.  Buck & Avery are too convenient.

We seem to have multiple killers:

Backpacker, accident

Walt’s adoptive parents, Walt

Bleeding Heart Killer, my guess is Buck or Walt (that heart on the bottom of the wooden figurine is telling)

Mary, Buck

Ranger, Hootie

Luke, Lyle Lovett?

Poor Donno, so in love with Tonya.  But the best lines and delivery!

And Cassie & Cormac are too cute together, but how much older would she be?  How old is her son?  Cormac doesn’t seem older than 25.

Oooh, I just thought of something.  If it turns out Lyle Lovett did kill Luke, then Sunny probably killed someone along the way, too.   I knew I hated Country music.

Would we ask the same question if Cormac was the older one?

[Guest]

29 minutes ago, roamyn said:

And Cassie & Cormac are too cute together, but how much older would she be?  How old is her son?  Cormac doesn’t seem older than 25.

I thought Cormac was a good deal older than Cassie. Probably because Luke Mitchell was playing early 30’s in Blindspot and Agents of Shield and Kylie Bunbury was playing early 20’s in Pitch. In real life she’s 34 and he’s 37. The actor who played her son in the first season is now 11. 

[mythoughtis]

The hospital  bracelet from Walter’s birth had a year of 1983, making a Walter 38/39.  So Cormac could be as old as 37.   
 

[AnimeMania]

Next New Episode: November 30, 2022

[saber5055]

It struck me that Cassie is the one who is attractive to the men on this show ... Lindor first (I still miss him) and now Cormac. Maybe Jenny should reconsider her rocker ts and super-tight pants.

I'm on Team Donno for the win, whatever the win is.

[tennisgurl]

Sorry Jenny, but Tonya and Donno are the best part of the show, they crack me up. I love how, when Beau was talking about Donno's sandwiches again, to Jenny's annoyance, the deputy came running in all "Donno's making sandwiches?!" A person can be a murderer and an amazing sandwich maker, people can be more than one thing. 

I have long since given up on this show making any kind of sense or most characters doing anything that makes sense, especially anyone involved in law enforcement, I'm just here for the wild ride. 

My guess is that Walter hasn't actually killed anyone, Sunny killed his adopted parents and has convinced him that he did it. Or Buck is the real killer and Sunny has known all along, the two of them are just messed up, its only a matter of finding out just how messed up they are. All of the actors are killing it in this plot, I continue to love creepy Reba. 

Carla seems really unpleasant, her marriage ended because her husband was struggling with his partners death? He still seems to be interested in her, so its not like he lost interest in her, it sounds like she just got annoyed waiting for him to get over being sad. She was also very salty about the fact that Beau doesn't sit around talking about her all the time, while she also acts annoyed when he wants to be around, telling him to move on but is annoyed when he does. 

On 11/17/2022 at 8:52 PM, thuganomics85 said:

RIP, trooper whose last thoughts were probably "Holy shit, I'm going to die at the hands of some guy who really looks like he use to be the lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish!"

He was certainly rocked like a wagon wheel. 

[MAK]

16 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Carla seems really unpleasant, her marriage ended because her husband was struggling with his partners death? He still seems to be interested in her, so its not like he lost interest in her, it sounds like she just got annoyed waiting for him to get over being sad. She was also very salty about the fact that Beau doesn't sit around talking about her all the time, while she also acts annoyed when he wants to be around, telling him to move on but is annoyed when he does. 

I wonder if she was written bitter or if it was the actor's choice to play her that way. Either way, she and Avery are the least sympathetic characters this season.

I even prefer possible serial killer psycho Buck.

"My guess is that Walter hasn't actually killed anyone, " -- Tennisgurl

IA, Walter seems to a red herring.

Edited November 29, 2022 by MAK

[SueB]

Quick thoughts:

Team Donno! I hope Tonya finally realizes he’s a keeper.  No, I am not joking. 

Ah Beau, you can do better.

The procedural mistakes at the campsite were horrendous.   *Sigh*. Sacrificed at the altar of plot development.  
 

Theories (posting just before the next episode):

Killers  

Bleeding Heart:   Buck sniffing the blood — I like him for the entire Bleeding Heart murder spree. Walter knows but Sunny doesn’t. Buck is also mental.  And Buck knows Walter knows   It’s why he’s framing him   

Luke: Buck, again.  He wanted him silenced. 

Future Deaths

Avery: By Possum.  I’m pretty sure Avery was involved in the crypto scheme BEFORE the camping trip.  I think he took the family on the trip as a cover to go after Paige & Luke.  Remember, he went into Paige & Luke’s tent BEFORE Paige went missing.  But he doesn’t know the sequence.  Which is why he simply didn’t take the journal before.  

Cormac: By Buck.  Sunny has a buttload of Karma coming her way.  That wonderful young man is gonna die. And it’ll be awful. And it’ll be an accident but he’ll die none-the-less.  

My Irrational Fear

That they kill off Beau.  This show is a hen house and he’s a rooster.  It’s a problem. 

Revealed Secrets

Carla de Lugo:  That she met Avery while defending him from some slimy business deal and she knows he’s corrupt.  That’s why the overreaction to the SEC news.  And that’s why Avery is leaving camp, because he knows he may not get her back.  He’s cutting and running.

Avery: As stated, was involved even before the camping trip.  Beau is going to loose his shit.

Beau: Carla spilled the beans on the worst of it.  But there’s more there on how his partner died.

Sunny: She’s just a lying liar who lies.  She makes too many mistakes to be a frequent killer.  
 

Next Episode:

Possum & company start killing glampers.  They don’t care about body count.  
 

 

 

[MAK]

1 hour ago, SueB said:

My Irrational Fear

That they kill off Beau.  This show is a hen house and he’s a rooster.  It’s a problem. 

Your whole post was so funny and your speculations were great! I wanted to give 2 reactions,  "laugh" and "useful", but we can't.