Now, this was a lot of fun.
There wasn't anything crazy about Big Sky Season 3 Episode 3. No wild and out-there twists or shocking discoveries. But this hour was fun from start to finish, and that's exactly how I like my Big Sky.
Sometimes nice and simple can really be just as entertaining as all-out chaos!
Three significant plots are happening during this hour, and they're all intriguing. And in a complete switch from Big Sky Season 3 Episode 2, the most interesting one involves the case of the week.
Adding a personal angle to the case made all the difference here, and a so-so case suddenly became extremely compelling as we get to peel back another layer of the enigma that is Jenny Hoyt.
Jenny has been through a lot, but in both prior seasons, much of what we saw of Jenny and who she is was seen through the context of her romantic relationship. From losing Cody to everything that happened with Travis, we saw Jenny's vulnerabilities and insecurities.
We have a much different side of Jenny that we seldom get unless she's with Cassie, but even those aren't comparable because the two don't work alongside one another as often.
This season, at least thus far, hasn't painted Jenny into a corner with a relationship and instead introduces us to Gigi, who pretty much rips apart the very fabric of Jenny's makeup over two days.
It's VERY easy to fall for Gigi's charms, and I can see why she's such an established grifter. She has a very effortless charm and ease about her, and while she and Jenny chit chat over cake and red wine, you can even see Jenny slowly start to let her guard down just a little bit. And at that moment, you just know it will all go wrong.
Jenny has Gigi clocked from the beginning, but she fails to account for just how calculated her mother can be. I never got the impression Gigi felt she was exempt from Gigi's deception, but it did feel like Jenny had allowed herself to believe what Gigi was selling, and she didn't think much beyond the sting, which was capturing Harold.
Beau: So, are we not gonna address the fact that your mom's a career criminal?
Jenny: It's complicated.
Beau: I bet.
- Permalink: I bet.
- Added:
While I love single Jenny, I would be a fool to ignore how great the Beau and Jenny dynamic is becoming.
I don't have to come here each week and wax poetic about Jensen Ackles and his ability to uplift everything he touches, but it's worth noting how much the stories genuinely benefit from his presence. We've seen Jenny work with several people, and she and Cassie will always be the dream, but she and Beau also make a solid team.
Their undercover work was a little rusty at times, but they played off each other well enough to put themselves in a position to seal the deal. But unfortunately, they failed to account for a disgruntled brother and a seasoned criminal.
Gigi is a pro's pro, and they did underestimate her. And Jenny deserved to let out that bellowing cry because it was probably a lifetime in the making.
Jenny prides herself on being a good cop and a decent person, taking it extremely hard when she feels as if she failed. She and Cassie, both for that matter, truly seem to struggle in the aftermath of feeling like they weren't able to do enough. We saw that play out for a tediously long time with Ronald.
I like that this isn't a one-off, as Gigi appears to be hanging around for a while as she gets into bed with two of the people Jenny is hyper-fixated on. No idea what Gigi, Tonya, and Donno could be doing together, but surely it will spike Jenny's anxiety soon enough.
This hour's second plot circled around Sunny Days and Sunny's continued desire to keep everyone holed away in the middle of nowhere.
I wondered more and more throughout this hour why Sunny was so hellbent on keeping everyone out there in the woods. Like, I'm sure there is a no refund policy, so why is she so desperate to hold onto everyone?
The whole Emily and Luke thing was pretty ant-climatic, with Cormac saving the day essentially and then all waltzing back to camp like Emily wasn't running for her life a few minutes ago.
Luke's story reeked of lies, and while we don't know for sure what happened to Paige, our last images of her were in conjunction with a very pissed off Luke. And Luke returns to camp single, ready to mingle, and completely chill with his long-term girlfriend disappearing overnight.
You can tell Reba loves every single second of this delicious turn as Sunny Barnes. She spends every episode stomping around with a smile, only to replace it with a look of utter contempt and disgust when she looks at her children.
I desperately need to know why she despises Cormac so much because I am not convinced he's not a shadster like his mother. The flowing hair and affable nature will not fool me!
And Walt, well, we know Walt has problems, but twice she stepped to him like he was beneath her. And what's interesting about Walt is that he snaps back one second and ultimately shrinks in on himself the next, which shows the kind of power Sunny has over him.
There is so much more to this story, and we've barely scratched the surface!
The third plot merged with this second one, as Cassie and Denise put on some boots and went hiking! Denise never gets out of that cold office, so it was nice to see her get a little sun and get her hands dirty differently.
Running into Walt was, of course, just perfect timing, and while nothing happens here, Cassie now has Walt on her radar. And Sunny also now knows that this Mark business isn't going anywhere.
Watching Sunny's mask slip further and further each week is going to be a trip because you can tell she is not the kind of person to spiral quietly.
Odds and Ends
Big Sky is chugging along nicely so far! And as Cassie gets closer to the camp, I'll be very interested to see what Sunny does next.
And let's not forget about this new trio! What could Gigi, Tonya, and Donno be getting into?
Drop all your predictions in the comment section below, and make sure you watch Big Sky online right now, so you're all caught up!
