Big Sky Review: White Lion (Season 1 Episode 13)
On Big Sky Season 1 Episode 13, “White Lion,” Ronald does damage control and Cheyenne takes matters into her own hands.
Or should I say “paws?” Because Cheyenne Kleinsasser, played fantastically by Britt Robertson, is the White Lion to which the title of the episode refers.
There are two storylines going here, giving Hoyt and Dewell Private Investigators double duty. Jenny (Katheryn Winnick) focuses on the Kleinsassers because she is an old friend of Blake Kleinsasser. Cassie (Kylie Bunbury) is invested in finding Ronald and reluctantly teams up with U.S. Marshal Mark Lindor (Omar Metwally).
Both threads are equally captivating. I don’t get antsy for the show to get back to one of the plots because I am wrapped up in all of it.
I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar
There is a poster in Cheyenne’s room of a white lion with the caption “Be Fierce.” No kitten hanging from a branch saying to hang in there for the Kleinsasser sister.
Cheyenne is observant and it’s served her well, giving her leverage over her brothers. She witnessed John Wayne (Kyle Schmid) hit Blake with a shovel on Big Sky Season 1 Episode 12, “No Better Than Dogs.” We didn’t know Blake’s fate at the end, but we do now—RIP.
When her father tells her that Blake is dead, she doesn’t even feign surprise or fake emotion, she just watches the altercation between her parents that follows. She also tends to her addled mother which shows her caring nature underneath her bravado.
She takes this opportunity to gain power within her family; JW’s secret will not go over well with their surly pops or the authorities. He tries to scare her, but it’s no use, Cheyenne is a lioness. We see her rev herself up in her room, roaring at the poster, and then she roars right in J-Dubs face after kicking him the balls.
Cheyenne is a badass and puts the sass in Kleinsasser. Not only that, she seems to have a good head on her shoulders despite the bad blood that runs through her veins. Although, her motive is still unclear.
I am already Team Cheyenne (or Team White Lion?) at this point, though—this episode has sealed that.
Hello Dolly!
Big Sky is at its best when it goes completely off the rails, and Ronald’s storyline is consistent with this. Brian Geraghty is brilliant in this Norman Bates rip-off role—talking to his dead mother (who he killed), eating cereal (it’s creepy, trust me), and going into a murderous rage when his “good boy” status is called into question.
Actually, I think Norman Bates is tamer than Ronald. He’s a good baddie, and those are always fun to watch on dramas like this.
Once again, my favorite line of the night is from him, Ronald posing as Arthur.
Arthur: When three people are photographed together, it’s the middle one that will die first.
Keep in mind he just told Mary (Jaycie Dotin), his girlfriend’s sister, to stand in the middle for the scariest group selfie ever. He knows that she recognizes him and he needs to silence her.
Ronald terrorizing Mary is truly frightening, but with all the campiness surrounding the cruelty, it’s not quite as heavy as it could be.
The camp in the scene where Ronald kills Mary consists of the cereal eating (oat flakes!) and the literally hundreds of porcelain dolls all around the house. The blood splattering across their faces is a nice touch and gives it a bit of a horror/slasher element.
And, of course, he takes a doll with him, letting her ride shotgun.
Big Sky is settling in nicely to this balance of absurdity and drama. I am left gobsmacked every single episode.
Stray Observations:
- A lot of the dialogue is generic cop show fodder, but Big Sky makes it work somehow.
- Speaking of posters, Mark’s sob story is so contrived, or perhaps it’s the way he tells it. “That poster saved my life.” I find this line very funny when it is supposed to be very serious.
- I do not ship Mark and Cassie. I really don’t want the show to pursue that at all, but I can tell it is.
- “Steve’s not coming back. Seriously, like ever.” So, this Steve fellow is dead, I gather, and I suspect Scarlet (Anja Savcic) killed him and Mary helped her hide the body in her freezer; that is who Mark and Cassie find in the basement.
- That ending! Big Sky sure does keep things interesting.
What did you think of this episode of Big Sky? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Big Sky airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on ABC.
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Erin Allen
Erin is a former script supervisor for film and television. She's an avid fan of middle aged actresses, dark dramas, and irreverent comedies. She loves to read actual books and X-Files fan fiction. Her other passions include pointing out feminist issues, shipping Mulder and Scully, and collecting pop culture mugs.