Big Sky (1×08) The End is Near Review

For our review of the last episode of Big Sky, click here.

Synopsis: Cassie and Jenny grow more suspicious of Legarski with every hospital visits. Ronald narrowly escapes but a suspicious paperboy may be his downfall. (IMDb)

*Spoiler Alert*

With Big Sky officially halfway through its first season, it seems like there is only so much more that can go on for both of these antagonists before as they continue to be pushed up against the wall. Dragging out their situations for the remaining 8 episodes seems like it would take a story that seemed to be going at breakneck speed to do a 180 on its pacing so perhaps the final few episodes will focus on going for the guy that Legarski and Ronald reported to. Regardless, there is still the original cat and mouse game going on so let’s tackle those two storylines.

First up is the ballad of Ronald and his descent into full Norman Bates territory.  The episode kicks back off where the last ended with Cassie and Jenny entering the Legarski home knowing that Ronald is upstairs looking for evidence. However, he narrowly escapes through the window with what he came for and Merillee continues to question how smart she really is.

Ronald returns home to show his increasing insanity as he watches news reports showing his image. He starts talking to himself, getting manic and pretends to be his mother. This is obviously his tipping point and his lack of awareness is why he is still in town rather than traveling far, far away from Montana. He continues his transformation into Norman Bates by storing his mother in the basement, but of course he needs obstacles to arise to create some tension other than being arrested or killed.

These problems come in the form of local paperboy Erik and the priest that Ronald’s mom had weekly confession with. Ronald deals with both accordingly leaving Erik caged in the basement and the priest drowned in filthy sink water, but it leads Ronald to a point of no-return. The kids in a cage trope is overused and Ronald’s attempt to communicate with his captive to seem relatable, but also terrifying is the type of eye-rolling content that Big Sky has continually pushed through its narrative.

However, what would set Ronald’s archetypical antagonist a part from the rest would be going through with the final moments of the episode where he prepares to burn his house down with Erik still caged. Caged children is overdone, but does this series have the gumption to really kill a kid in this manner? The fact that it is on cable TV makes that end seem unlikely, but if it happened that would be a statement to make this series more interesting than it has been.

Meanwhile, the other storyline revolves around Legarski’s ongoing amnesia. This story could have come across poorly, but John Carroll Lynch is such a chameleon with his acting abilities. From his wife being in danger and both Cassie and Jenny confronting him, he genuinely continues to feign innocence which makes this twist actually beneficial to the season’s overall story. It gives this character a lot more depth and depending on how much time he has forgotten, could have him on the cusp of starting in the sex trafficking business making him a potential CI to infiltrate the bigger players in this crime network. It is interesting to note that Merillee notices his finger movements which could be a tell that perhaps Big Rick is still in there. Only time will tell.

Detective’s Report

• Where does the season go from here?
• Will Ronald burn the house down with Erik inside?
• Will Legarski end up helping the investigation somehow?
• What will happen to Ronald? Will his interest in Jerrie be his downfall?

What did you think of “The End is Near”? Let me know in the comments below!

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Dylan Phillips