Big Sky S03 E02 Recap: The Woods Are Lovely, Dark and Deep

Big Sky S03 E02 Recap “The Woods Are Lovely, Dark and Deep”

Air Date:  Wednesday September 28/22

On September 28/22, Big Sky’s episode 2 “The Woods Are Lovely, Dark and Deep” aired on ABC.  Before we delve into this Big Sky S03 E02 Recap, I think it’s a pretty safe bet to acknowledge that our gracious Sunny Day Excursions hostess Sunny Barnes, is more momma-grizzly than the bears she warns her glamping guests about.  Bear-aware is right!

Episode Recap

ABC Big Sky-Sunny Mark

At the opening of this episode, Sunny admonishes her recluse son Walter and reminds him that they have a deal; he has his own place, and he needs to stay there.  Walter tells her he has something to show her.  It turns out to be the broken body of our missing backpacker Mark Woodman.  Walter insists that the backpacker fell from the cliff’s edge of Deadman’s Drop, but we’re not so sure that Sunny believes him.  As Mark lay dying and pleading for Sunny’s help, she sits by his side and sings to him while his life ebbs away.  It’s obvious that Sunny suspects that Mark’s demise will implicate Walter, so she remains ever committed to protecting her son, regardless of the cost.

Back at the offices of Dewell & Hoyt, Cassie interviews two young girls, Amber and Kendall, who called in a tip about the missing backpacker and confirm that he was up on Deadman’s Drop.  An inevitable hike up to the trail to investigate, has Cassie calling Beau for his help.

As a little sidebar here, I’m wondering about little hidden Easter Eggs.  I’m a die-hard Supernatural fan and there is a running joke that the writers made Jensen Ackles’ character Dean Winchester, eat in several of the episodes.  Is Jensen Ackles’ Big Sky character, Sheriff Beau destined to suffer the same fate?  We’ll have to keep a watchful eye, as this episode opens with Beau enthusiastically enjoying a sandwich from the Blue Fox Diner.  Beau offers Jenny a taste, which she refuses on principle, as she launches into a rant about Tonya and Donno being cartel-criminals that she intends to put in prison.  Tonya hears this exchange.  She is at the station to file a complaint about a squatter in one of her properties.  Beau gives Jenny the case while he leaves to help Cassie with her continued investigation of the missing backpacker.

Tonya is waiting outside her property when Jenny and Poppernak arrive to investigate her complaint.  They hear raised voices coming from inside the house, belonging to the squatter and Donno.  When Jenny asks him who he is, he says “Jef with one F” and claims he lives there.  He can produce a utility bill with his name on it, quoting the “Homestead act of 1862” which outlines his rights.  Jenny tells Tonya that the only way to rid herself of “Jef with one F” is to get a court-order.

ABC Big Sky-Jenny Donno Jef

During this time, Donno picks up a canvas bag full of cash.  Jenny takes the bag from Donno and finds a gun and several fake ID’s inside.  She demands to know who “Jef with one F” really is.  His lack of cooperation leads to his arrest, as he and Donno are put in a holding cell back at the station.  Jef continues to plead with Jenny for his release, when Poppernak enters the holding area with a drunk who was picked up a few blocks away.

Poppernak puts the drunk in the cell with Jef and Donno, while Jenny and he leave to continue their investigation into Jef’s real identity.  They look for a fingerprint match in the computer system, but a loud scuffle has them retreating to the holding cell where they find the drunk trying to stab Jef with a syringe while Donno holds him back.  Jenny and Poppernak intervene, and it is now apparent that Jef’s life is in danger.  Jenny demands again to know who he is, and who wants him dead.

ABC Big Sky-Beau Cassie

Beau and Cassie look for evidence up on Deadman’s Drop when they discover two separate boot prints, and a reusable water bottle.  Cassie wants to check in with Sunny Barnes to give her an update on the missing backpacker and Beau wants to take the opportunity to check in with (not spying on) his daughter Emily.

Beau is introduced to Sunny and Buck and while they’re talking, Emily notices her Dad.  She takes him on a quick tour of her tent while telling him he didn’t need to come all the way out there to check on her.  He insists that he was there (mostly) to help Cassie with her missing backpacker case.

ABC Big Sky-Beau Cassie Emily Avery

Avery joins their conversation and tells Beau they are having a lovely time.  Avery says that Emily is getting material for her podcast which garners a look from her Dad, that he has no idea what they’re talking about.  The moment is somewhat awkward for Beau, but he pulls Emily aside and gives her a warm, heartfelt hug.  She insists that she is happy and fine, and her Dad leaves with Cassie.

While Jenny and Poppernak run the fingerprints of the drunk who attached Jef in the holding cell, we learn he is from Redman Aircraft corporation.  While they scroll through the online company roster, they also find a picture of Jef and learn that his real name is Paul Carlson.  They interview him again and find out that he is a whistle-blower.

Back at office of Dewell & Hoyt again, Cassie looks at photos and confirms the water bottle that her and Beau found, does in fact belong to the missing backpacker, Mark Woodman.  She is convinced that something has happened to Mark at Deadman’s Drop.  Denise tells Cassie that the 20-year-old bleeding heart murder case happened there too.  Cassie must run to pick up her son Kai and take him to camp, and we see an uneasy Denise who is remembering the mutilated girl from the old murder case, like it was yesterday.

Jenny and Beau show up bearing gifts at Cassie’s new place; bread (so she doesn’t know hunger); salt (so she is protected from demons – okay for sure this has to be a Supernatural Easter egg!); and tequila (so she always has fun).  As they toast Cassie’s new home, she shares news with Beau that she confirmed the water bottle belonged to Mark.  She also chats with Beau and Jenny about the 20-year-old murder case.  We immediately see Beau’s concern that Emily is up in those woods.  He tries to text her, but he gets a “not delivered” message in reply.

Case of the Week

ABC Big Sky-Poppernak

After learning that this is a whistle-blower case, Jenny finds out that Redman Aircraft has a new fleet of passenger jets that has failed every safety trial.  Jenny asks Paul why he is not in protective custody, and he tells her that he got cold-feet and ran.  Redman is a huge, powerful, billion-dollar corporation and Paul had no faith that the government could protect him.  The new fleet of jets is due to go into service in two weeks.

Beau joins Jenny and Poppernak on the Redman case, and they learn that the CEO’s executive assistant, Camille Perez, went missing two weeks prior.  In a follow-up interview with Paul, Beau cautions him against his plan to run for the Canadian border.  Redman has the resources to hunt him down and won’t stop until they find him.  Beau says his best bet is to enter witness protection with the US Marshals.  He can see that Paul is scared, but Beau offers assurances, giving him his word that they won’t let anything happen to him.

As the US Marshal Deputy Weaver arrives to transport Paul to the airport and into witness protection, Sheriff Beau checks her credentials and makes the necessary call to verify.  As they pull away, we learn that Beau has asked Poppernak to tail them to ensure Paul is safely delivered to the airport.  It isn’t long before Beau’s phone rings and it’s Poppernak telling him that Weaver didn’t take the turnoff to the airport.  Jenny and Beau ask Poppernak to follow as they suspect Weaver is taking Paul to Tonya’s property to retrieve the hidden evidence he kept for insurance.

ABC Big Sky-Sheriff Beau

Beau and Jenny arrive at Tonya’s property and separate to search the house for Paul.  Jenny comes upon Weaver who immediately puts her gun to Paul’s head.  While Jenny tries to negotiate for Paul’s life, Poppernak comes from behind and strikes a blow to disarm Weaver, who gets flipped on her back by Jenny.  Meanwhile, Beau hears noise coming from downstairs and heads down a staircase to investigate.  He breaks through the door, and we hear a scream.  While Poppernak cuffs Weaver, Jenny runs to Beau.  We see that Beau has Camille Perez.  Camille says she can, and will, corroborate Paul’s evidence against Redman to take the company down.

Deadly Trails Saga

ABC Big Sky-Sunny Emily

When the episode begins, all seems quiet at the Sunny Day Excursion camp as Sunny shows Emily where they lock up the food to keep it safe from any wandering bears.  We see that Emily, still trying to land on a suitable podcast theme, is video taping Sunny.  Sunny is explaining that bears will pretty much leave you alone, if you don’t come between a mother bear and her cubs.

Sunny excuses herself to chat with Buck who wants to know where Sunny was during the night.  He woke up and couldn’t find her.  She explained that she went for a walk in the moonlight.  As she pats Buck on the shoulder for being overly protective, we can see she has blood on the back of her hand and Buck notices it.  She clarifies that the blood was a consequence of her collecting and stacking firewood.  We know where that blood came from, but Buck doesn’t, and he seems suspicious.

Cormac has assembled the campers for their hike and reminds them to stay on the marked trails and to take plenty of water.  It’s at this moment, Luke chooses to toss a bottle of water to Paige, who not being ready for it ends up getting sprayed with water.  Luke takes offence when Cormac is not shy about flirtatiously offering her his hanky so she can wipe herself off.  The two men bristle at one another while Emily manages to film the exchange on her cell phone.

While the group is out on their hike, we see Luke and Paige alone in the woods, bickering once again.  While Luke claims he’s trying to make the best of their miserable vacation, Paige insists he stop calling it a vacation and acknowledge what it really is; “a way to hideout until things blow over and they can go back for the money.”  Luke insists her comment is a backhanded way of calling him a screw-up.  They agree to head back to camp.

Some time later Sunny asks Buck if he has seen “the love-birds?”  He says that they missed check-in.  Sunny insists that they look for them before they lose what is left of the daylight.  She tells the rest of the guests that Paige and Luke have gotten themselves lost.  Emily video tapes the conversation and Sunny tells the group that they’ve never lost their strays.  Her, Cormac, and Buck will go out and search for them, while the rest of the group relax at the camp.  We see Avery look over at Paige and Luke’s tent.  We get our first inkling that he knows something about these two, that we don’t.

ABC Big Sky-Luke

By the time we catch up with Paige and Luke again, it is very clear that they are lost.  He wants to stay put until they are found, but Paige thinks that makes them a target for bears.  As they argue again, she tells him she is done cleaning up his messes and if it wasn’t for her, Luke would be in jail.  He wants to know what happens to the money if they break up?  Their argument escalates until Luke grabs Paige by the throat.  She pushes him away and threatens to kill him if he ever touches her like that again.  She storms off, but this time when Luke follows her, he picks up a big rock.  As the two of them walk away, we can see another heart-shaped red carving in a tree.

Back at the camp the next morning, Avery enters Paige and Luke’s tent.  He begins searching for something and when he picks up Paige’s bag and opens it, we see a journal full of writing and a gun.  He hears someone coming and quickly puts everything back just as Emily walks in.  When Emily asks why he is in Paige and Luke’s tent, Avery claims that it was just a mistake.  All the tents look the same.

Sunny announces to the group that Paige and Luke were not found, and they did not come back to the camp.  She has reached out to a buddy “Ranger Mike” to help find them.  Emily suggests that everyone join the search.  All those who want to help, split into pairs and head for the trails.

ABC Big Sky-Sunny Cormac

Sunny shows up to a deserted campsite calling out for Walter, but he doesn’t come out of hiding so she leaves.  She meets up with Cormac on the trail and asks him to keep a close watch on everyone so there are no mishaps.  Cormac heads in the direction Sunny had just come from.  She steps in his way to stop him, insisting that she has already checked that part of the trail.  Cormac asks if “Ranger Mike” is going to get a real search and rescue going, but Sunny says it isn’t necessary.  Their discussion gets heated, and Sunny raises her voice, telling Cormac to act like a grown man.  Clearly something is going on here.

We see Emily walking with Avery, who is complaining it’s late, and he needs a toilet.  He insists they head back to camp.  Emily wants to check one more trail so Avery heads back without her.  Before long we see Emily come upon splatters of blood and she begins to track it, and finding it on rocks and  leaves.  She eventually comes upon Luke at the edge of a stream where he is clearly washing blood off his hands.  She pulls out her phone to take pictures and Luke turns to face her.  We can see that he has cuts on his leg, his arm and on his face.

Cast

Questions

1. Beau says that Jenny and Carla would not get along.  Why?
2. Cassie and Cormac exchange another meaningful glance in this episode.  Attraction?
3. In episode one, Sunny and Buck talk about a shed-hunter that was mauled by a grizzly bear.  Was it a grizzly?  We still don’t know anything about this.
4. Paige and Luke find a red, heart-shape carved into a tree in episode one.  They also pass by another carving in this episode.  Is this blood?  Is this linked with the old mutilation case?
5. Buck seems suspicious of Sunny’s absence from the camp during the night.  Does he know about Walt?
6. Paige and Luke are hiding out until things blow over and they can go back for the money.  What is all this about?
7. Paige claims that if it wasn’t for her, Luke would be in jail.  Why?
8. What does Avery have to do with Paige and Luke?  Why was he searching their tent?
9. Paige headed towards a campfire in the distant woods.  Was it Walter or someone else?
10. Luke picked up a rock to follow Paige.  Did he hurt her?  Is it her blood all over him?
11. There seems to be some friction between Cormac and his mom Sunny.  Does he know about Walter?
12. Is Emily in danger?

Each week look for the following:

• This week’s episode recap.
• The case of the week.
• The Deadly Trails saga.
• New Questions.
• Cast Grid
• Poppernak’s running list of nicknames.

Watch ABC for the next episode of Big Sky Deadly Trails, this Wednesday October 5 at 10 pm.