Big Sky (1×01) Pilot Review

After six years off of broadcast TV, prolific showrunner David E. Kelley has returned with a straight-to-series order of this small-town mystery drama. He is known as one of the most influential TV creators of the last half-century with a list of shows that includes Ally McBeal, L.A. Law, The Practice, Boston Legal, Doogie Howser, Chicago Hope, Harry’s Law and most recently Big Little Lies, Goliath and The Undoing. However, after the cancellation of Robin Williams’ The Crazy Ones it seemed that Kelley was uninterested in the creative restrictions of broadcast networks. So why did he return for Big Sky? Perhaps this shocking premiere can deliver some clues.

Synopsis: Grace and Danielle are kidnapped by a long haul trucker on a remote stretch of highway. Private detectives Hoyt and Dewell search for the sisters. (IMDb)

The first episode of Big Sky feels like the typical quirky small-town drama focused on soapy relationships, creepy outcasts and innocent children roped into dark situations. It starts with extremely picturesque shots of the Montana countryside showing a quality similar to Kelley’s HBO shows. It jumps back and forth between multiple storylines setting up the plot in an episode that should feel overstuffed or exposition heavy, but feels like a strong progression of its narrative.

Two young women, Danielle (Natalie Alyn Lind) and Grace (Jade Pettyjohn) are traveling cross country to visit Danielle’s boyfriend Justin (Gage Marsh). However, the sisters are kidnapped by an outcasted truck driver with serious mommy issues (Brian Geraghty). When Justin cannot get ahold of his girlfriend, he asks his parents to look into it.

Private Detective Cody Holt (Ryan Phillippe) must work with his estranged wife and ex-cop Jenny (Katheryn Winnick) and his current PI partner and romantic interest Cassie (Kylie Bunbury) to solve this case. He reaches out to local Montana police Sherriff Rick Legarski (John Carroll Lynch) who helps him reveal a long-standing human trafficking problem in their state. As Cody and Rick follow a lead at the episode’s end, the series delivers its first shocking twist with the death of its presumed lead character!

It is easy to be indifferent about this first episode from its questionable plot progression, soapy drama, stereotyped characters and gore porn aesthetic. Each of these definitely make it feel like a run-of-the-mill series, which is the opposite of what Kelley usually delivers. In fact, it feels more and more like it takes pieces of his older projects and puts them together with the less restrictive limitations of cable TV. It just doesn’t feel fresh.

The highlights are of course the cast, in particular Ryan Phillippe and John Carroll Lynch who have some sublime chemistry on screen. It is unfortunate this won’t be explored more throughout the series while the focus will obviously go on the complicated dynamic of Winnick and Bunbury’s characters. They have commanded series before in the past, but this first episode glosses over them to set up the premise more than anything, which is a let down for them. It seemed focused on pushing the strong female characters into the background to focus on the stereotyped damsel in distress being terrorized by the creepy, Norman Bates-type. If that is all this show plans to be going forward, it won’t have much life even in this post-pandemic production world.

Detective’s Report

• How involved in the trafficking trade is Sherriff Legarski?
• Why is Ronald the way he is?
• At what point will Jenny and Cassie put aside their problems?
• How will Legarski spin Cody’s death? Didn’t people know they were meeting?

What did you think of the first episode of Big Sky? Was it the shocking show you expected from David E. Kelley? Let me know in the comments below!

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Dylan Phillips