Big Sky Review: You Have to Play Along (Season 2 Episode 3)

Big Sky Season 2 Episode 3, “You Have to Play Along,” brings the chaos back to Season 1 levels as it hits its second season stride.

Any show that gets me yelling at the screen and screaming with laughter deserves high praise. It’s such a difficult balance to achieve, and Big Sky is mastering it with the energy that got me hooked in the first place. 

The story is fast-paced and moves along with a nail-biting intensity, but the clues are parceled out gradually and deliberate. It’s like reading a crime novel that you just don’t want to put down.

Having old-school week-to-week installments is an ideal format to cultivate this type of dramatic storytelling.

A lot happens within this episode, so I’m going to break it down with the five most suspenseful and laugh-out-loud moments of this jam-packed hour of television.

1. Tonya escapes and is recaptured.

Poor Tonya. She manages to get away from creepy Donno’s clutches by stabbing him in the leg with a tree branch, but he catches her again. This is what had me yelling at my TV. Tonya’s a bit slow to get away—perhaps we can blame that on the fear and trauma of being kidnapped—and Donno (Ryan O’Nan) is able to get to her with an injured leg as well as getting through the cook at the Sad Clown Cafe who tries to help her. 

It’s things like Jamie-Lynn Sigler’s superb acting and details like naming this diner in the woods the Sad Clown Cafe that add so much to the richly-woven tapestry that is Big Sky. 

2. Ronald is back with his one-liners.

On Season 1, Ronald, played so well by Brian Geraghty, delivered some of the most random, out-there dialogue. This is back in full force on this episode, the most disturbing line being “I hate beets. They taste like blood.” 

This leads to a discussion with Wolf (John Carroll Lynch) about his “comfort food”—cereal. Wolf tells him it’s “sugar soup” full of toxins, to which Ronald responds, “It has vitamins and minerals.” 

3. Max is so in love.

On Season 2 Episode 2, “Huckleberry,” Max was giving Harper major puppy dog eyes, and here she just comes out an asks her.

Max: Harp, do you… you know, do you like me or is it more about the money for you?
Harper: I mean I do care about the money… but I care about you, too.

Then they cleverly share a kiss to distract T-Lock and, of course, it works like a charm. 

4. The Wisdom of Ren

The best Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss moments of the episode are from Ren (Janina Gavankar). She puts men in their place with ease and style. She’s businesslike and detached when she has to be, bringing to mind Helen from Ozark. 

In an exchange with Tonya, her captive, she plays up the “girl power” angle. 

Ren: Don’t do that. Don’t diminish your worth. We’re women. We got enough people out there doing that to us everyday.

Another great moment is when she poses as an overzealous crime scene crasher and chats up Bridger. 

Ren: It’s okay to be weird, kid. Nobody tells you that. 

5. Team Jenny and Cassie

I like that these two were so quick to reteam—a less confident show would likely drag something like that out. They work so well together, especially given their history.

And I love that both the reteaming and their history is acknowledged in the dialogue. 

Cassie: You took a bullet for me, Jenny. Saved my life. I’m not sure how to thank you. I’ll never forget it. 

Tough-as-nails Jenny tears up which makes me tear up as well. It’s moving to see how moved she is by Cassie’s gratitude. Although, not one to linger in sentimentality, Jenny lightens the mood.

Jenny: To be fair, I also punched you in the face once.
Cassie: I punched you back.
Jenny: How far we’ve come. 

Indeed.

Bon(e)us: Praise for Good Dog Bad Dog by Wolf Legarski

“[…] should be required reading for any serious animal enthusiast or strategy buff. It gets your mind where it needs to be…” -John Navarro, author of Toxic Femininity 

What did you think of this episode of Big Sky? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Big Sky airs Thursdays at 10/9c on ABC.

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