Oh, Big Sky. What are you doing?

That's a question I kept asking myself throughout Big Sky Season 2 Episode 5, which felt like an hour where you were waiting for something to happen. And alas, nothing ever did.

But that's been a bit of a reoccurring issue with this show, hasn't it?

After a mini-hiatus, things picked up right where they left off, with the kids trying to save Bridger, Ren trying to end Harvey, and Jenny and Cassie in the midst of another shoot-out.

There was no telling how any of this would end up, but it was hard even to understand what was going on from the jump. There was a literal shoot-out in the woods surrounding the cabin, and neither the kids nor Ren heard the gunfire?

Perhaps it was miles away or something, but still, it felt odd knowing they were all in the woods leading to this cabin, but it was as if they were all in different states or something the way it was being shown.

Drop the bag! Or you die!
Harvey [to Harper]

Permalink: Drop the bag! Or you die!

The minute Harvey decided to kidnap a kid, you knew he was at the end of his ropes and not long for this world. He was a desperate man, resorting to dangerous means to try and keep himself alive. Except he underestimated the kids, who, while still entirely out of their depth, did manage to get the drop on him, however brief.

The creepy van man ended up being an ally to the kids, just as I predicted, because considering how easy it would have been for him to harm the kids on several occasions, he never did. Instead, he seemed to bid his time for something, and while he still may be bidding his time, he proved useful here in killing Harvey.

Harvey's death right now seems like a win-win for everyone, except for maybe Tubb, who will have to get off his high-horse and recognize that one of his own was as dirty as they come. Perhaps, he should pay more attention to the people under him instead of riding Jenny every chance he gets.

Actually, Jenny is looking to work the case and potentially save lives, but she and Cassie seem to be the only ones.

It's obvious there's something much bigger going on, but Cassie and Jenny are at a significant disadvantage because they're mostly going off hunches and not factual, concrete information. Enter Travis, who knows A LOT but has decided now is the perfect time to set up a boundary with Jenny.

And look, he's not wrong. Though he has seemed pretty fine with their physical relationship up to this point, so it's not all on Jenny for not understanding that the arrangement was benefiting her more than him.

She was using their connection to gather more information for a good reason. Still, with Harvey's death, Ren and Donno looming, and Dietrich already somewhat suspicious, it makes sense for him to cover his butt and put up some distance between himself and Jenny.

But it stings Jenny because it's then that she realizes she likes him as more than just an occasional hook-up. And that makes the closing frame super awkward.

Dietrich: So, why were you following me?
Travis: It's because they're cops.

Permalink: It's because they're cops.

Look, Travis has to do what he has to do to maintain his cover. And Jenny and Cassie should have known better than to tail Dietrich after a night of heavy drinking. It was pretty reckless, and they're probably lucky that Travis was there pointing a gun at them and not somebody else on Dietrich's payroll.

But straight-up outing them as cops was a bit curious. Travis could have just played it off and said anything else but that.

I'm sure there's a method to his madness, but right now, it's not clear what that is.

Elsewhere, Jerrie received a visit from her estranged father, and it put her on a path of figuring out whether or not she was ready to face the people who abandoned her.

When Ronald was holding Jerrie, she talked about the pain of her parents kicking her out, which is still very present in her heart. And it's the kind of pain that doesn't go away with distance and time.

Seeing her father brought a lot of that back, but hearing that her mother was sick and wanting to see her left her with a choice to make. And she went to Mark for help in figuring out what was best for her.

One thing about Mark Lindor, he's going to give it to you straight. He knows no other way. And he was right in his assessment that if she didn't go, she'd be having the conversation she wished she'd had in her head for the rest of her life.

Whatever the reunion ends up being, at least Jerrie won't have to wonder about what it could have been. There is a sense of closure in that, even if things ultimately don't play out exactly as you'd like them to.

Mark and Jerrie have developed a lovely friendship, and they get another kiss in before she travels away from Big Sky for a bit. Things are left pretty open-ended, but one must assume that when (if) she comes back, she and Mark are at least on the same page about having a mutual attraction.

These TV Couples Were Set Up to Succeed, But Failed Miserably

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It's safe to say, though, that things between Mark and Cassie aren't over, though they also haven't started either. But Cassie isn't even aware that Jerrie and Mark have a thing going on, so perhaps she decides to take Mark up on that overdue drink one of these days.

Love triangles are tedious and outdated, but if they're going to go there, give us some drama!

Speaking of drama, Ronald is as dramatic as ever. If he can't see by now that Wolf completely brainwashed Scarlet, then he's even dumber than any of us realized.

The fact that Scarlet's totally fine with being separated from her daughter should tell Ronald that she's not going to run away with him or do anything to jeopardize what she sees as a good opportunity she has with Wolf and Agatha.

If Ronald wants out, he will have to give up on Scarlet because she's totally under Wolf's spell.

But where he's succeeded in getting Scarlet to buy into whatever he's selling, Ronald isn't going to do that. And he is never going to confess. It's just not going to happen, and Agatha is right to question Wolf's plans because she can see the writing on the wall.

Wanting to clear the Legarski name (and sell a couple of books along the way) has Wolf thinking that he's going to suddenly break through to Ronald in a way that no one else before him has.

Even though this storyline is still the worst, at least we now know exactly what Wolf's endgame is.

That's something, at least.

Odds and Ends

Tonya is a mess. I wish I could say she's got some master plan in the works, but that's not looking like the case. She genuinely wants to work for the people who held her hostage and would have killed her in a second if it was convenient for them.

We got to meet Jag, another player in the cartel and Ren's brother. We also learned she's the thinker of the two. And just how long until we meet daddy dearest?