I have always been a big mystery/crime show person, which is ironic because I’m scared of my own shadow.
Shows like “Criminal Minds” and “Law and Order” are always my go-to if I want an easy, but exciting watch. I actually wanted to grow up to be like a BAU member in “Criminal Minds,” but my fears and reaction to blood kept me from living out this dream.
Instead, I continue to watch the shows that keep this fantasy alive and well. During the Christmas break, I discovered a new show to add to my list: “Big Sky.”
The show revolves around Cassie Dewell and Jenny Hoyt, portrayed by Kylie Bunbury and Katheryn Winnick, two private investigators who are on the hunt for two young girls kidnapped by a trucker.
On top of this mystery, Dewell and Hoyt have their own personal issues. These start with Cody Hoyt, Jenny’s ex-husband and Cassie’s current lover.
However, the ladies must put their differences aside to find not only the missing girls, but Cody once he goes missing.
Meanwhile, the two young girls find themselves held captive along with another victim, a transfeminine sex worker, Jerrie, portrayed by Jesse James Keitel. This role made Keitel one of the first nonbinary actors to play a nonbinary series regular on prime-time television.
The three believe they are only being held captive by one person, but soon learn they are being held captive by a Montana state trooper as well.
With this surprising development, the captives fear more for their lives, and Dewell and Hoyt continue to search with their suspicions of the trooper.
As the season ends, the captives are rescued and Cody’s body is soon discovered, along with the trooper. However, his partner gets away and the wait for the next half of the season begins.
This was a great way to pause the season, but of course it left me anxious and wanting more as I awaited what was coming my way. Thankfully, I would only have to wait two short months to see what was coming next.
On April 13, two new episodes were released with new characters and a new mystery.
The first episode begins three months after the events of the kidnapping. Jerrie now works on the phones at Dewell and Hoyt’s business, but is suspicious of the random dropped calls she has been getting recently.
They believe it was the trucker who escaped the cops after the captives were found. He is seen in a disguise with a small family but still fearful that he will be caught by authorities.
Dewell and Hoyt continue to do private cases, and the episode opens with the team working on a domestic case, which turns into a drug bust gone bad.
This case seemed like it was quickly solved in the first few minutes of the episode. Was it a filler? Will it come up again? Not sure, but I thought it was a waste of time and production expenses. Although they have brought in another character to investigate this case further, I really can’t see much more happening.
The episode ends with a quick introduction to new characters and a new town: Lochsa County. It is revealed in the next episode that Dewell and Hoyt will take on a new domestic case involving a former love interest of Hoyt’s.
They show up to find that Blake, portrayed by Michael Raymond-James, has been charged with physically assaulting a woman and has lost his inheritance to the family ranch.

OLIVIA HAHNER

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