‘Big Sky’ Season 1 Episode 11 Recap: “All Kinds of Snakes”

Big Sky Episode 11
Kylie Bunbury in ‘Big Sky’ season 1 episode 11 (ABC/Darko Sikman)

Although episode 10 of ABC’s Big Sky ended with Jenny (Katheryn Winnick) receiving a surprise phone call from Blake Kleinsasser, season one episode 11 picks up with Cassie (Kylie Bunbury) paying a visit to the U.S. Marshall handling the hunt for fugitive Ronald Pergman. Mark (Omar Metwally) is hoping they can form more of a connection, and not just in regards to the search for Ronald.

Cassie confirms she’s working on a different case concerning a friend of Jenny’s and Mark assures her he’s willing to offer help in any way he can.

Small talk done, they focus on Ronald and Mark shows her the truck they’ve recovered that belongs to the fugitive. The VIN has been removed and it’s been painted, but he failed to cover up a “help me” message engraved in the truck. The message indicates it was written by someone named Kelli.

And speak of the devil, Scarlet’s discovered the taser Ronald (Brian Geraghty) stashed in the bathroom. She asks if he’s keeping secrets, but he lies and says he doesn’t have any. She presses him and asks if the scars on his leg are from this taser. Scarlet confesses she likes to steal things, hoping he’ll open up about his life. He doesn’t.

Scarlet won’t give back the taser until he kisses her like he means it.

Cassie joins Jenny on a visit to the prison. Blake’s lawyer, Reynolds, presents them with his file and warns that given the Kleinsassers’ standing in the community, no one will like the fact they’re poking around.

Blake (Michael Raymond-James) greets Jenny with a “Hey, sunshine,” and she responds by telling him he looks like hell. He appears genuinely happy to see her and explains he was in New York, Portland, and elsewhere but then his dad had a stroke. Blake’s back because his dad’s dying.

Cassie shows him photos of a woman named Rosie he’s accused of beating up, and he claims he had nothing to do with it. Blake’s dad fired Rosie’s dad after 25 years and he was helping Rosie sneak back into the caretaker’s cabin to retrieve some belongings. He thought he saw lights outside and then he fell and hit his head. Blake’s sure something was off that night because he can normally hold his liquor but couldn’t that evening.

Blake explains he’s known Rosie since she was a kid and never would have hurt her. He also reveals his brothers aren’t happy that as the eldest son he’s set to inherit the ranch. Blake doesn’t think anyone in his family saw him the night Rosie was injured.

Jenny and Cassie discuss Blake’s statement as they’re leaving, and Jenny doesn’t think he did it. However, Cassie isn’t convinced he’s innocent. As they’re talking Blake’s little brother Rand (Ryan Dorsey) drives up and Jenny tells Cassie he’s a psycho.

Rand and his brother John Wayne (Kyle Schmid) decide they’re not telling their dad about Jenny being a PI and showing up at the jail. Their mom, Margaret (Michelle Forbes), asks if they spoke with Blake and both siblings seem to think things would be better off if Blake had stayed in New York.

Their only female sibling, Cheyenne (Britt Robertson), joins them for game night but Rand doesn’t want to play. He’s talked into it because their dad, Horst (Ted Levine), is so into games and they don’t want to disappoint him. Even though he’s ailing, Horst is fully in control of his family. He even pulls a gun on Rand after his son tries to leave before the game is finished.

Later, John Wayne’s looking through a folder on Horst’s desk when his dad catches him. Horst admits he thought Blake would come back and take over the ranch but instead he’s going to give it to John. Horst also says this means John needs to take care of his mom and siblings, along with handling the ranch business.

John informs his dad Blake called in investigators one of whom is Jenny Hoyt. Mrs. Kleinsasser overhears this and remembers Jenny as a good girl who used to date Blake. Horst says Jenny shouldn’t be poking around in their business and John promises to take care of it.

Mark shows up at the detective agency and asks Jerrie (Jesse James Keitel) questions about Ronald. He wants her to tell him something that’s not in the report. She recalls a time when she was alone with Ronald and he told her to wash up. After she took off her clothes, he didn’t look at her even though she could feel that he wanted to. Strangely, she felt safe in front of him.

Jenny checks into the Grey Cliff Inn and the clerk is incredibly nosey. After playing 20 questions, she reveals she’s a private investigator.

Ronald’s in bed with Scarlet and he shuts her down when she tries to discuss things they like to do in bed. He tells her to shut up but then attempts to make up by apologizing.

Jenny answers a knock on the hotel room door with her gun out. It’s only Cassie, and Jenny explains the hotel clerk’s a creep. Cassie fills Jenny in on Ronald’s truck while Jenny says she hasn’t been able to find the woman Blake supposedly beat up.

As they’re talking there’s a commotion outside and someone has thrown blood on their truck and slashed its tires.

The following morning, they pay a visit to Lochsa County Sheriff Wagy. He doesn’t seem concerned about the vandalism of their vehicle or likely to help them find Rosie. The sheriff claims Rosie’s been through enough and won’t turn over any contact info.

They’re stopped as they leave the building by the clerk, Angela, who checked them in. Angela’s much more helpful and wants to know where to send any evidence once it’s back from the state lab. Angela notices she’s being watched and stops talking before revealing any more info.

Jenny and Cassie decide to split up to continue the investigation.

John Wayne finds his brother sprawled on a couch after doing drugs instead of out working the cattle and mending fences. John says they need to figure out what to do about Jenny snooping around, and Rand takes credit for slashing their tires.

Rand really is a crazy dude and he rambles on about Jenny and Cassie both being pretty, admitting he likes to watch them. He wonders how Jenny would look mixed in the pit with dead cows. The image of it makes him smile.

John tells Rand to get his head straight and relieves him of his knife.

Big Sky Episode 11
Katheryn Winnick in ‘Big Sky’ season 1 episode 11 (ABC/Darko Sikman)

Jenny shows up at the Kleinsasser home and Margaret Kleinsasser invites her in for tea. Margaret remembers Jenny and reveals she followed the missing girls’ case. Jenny says she doesn’t think Blake beat up Rosie and Margaret confesses she hoped Jenny would wind up with Blake.

Horst interrupts the chat and Jenny explains she wants to look at where Rosie was assaulted. Horst claims Jenny’s trespassing and isn’t welcome in his home. He warns her not to ever come back.

Ronald drives out to his old place late at night and carries flowers and a cake inside. The cake has something written on top and the name Kelli, and as Ronald lights a single candle he tells someone offscreen that he’s met someone new, what he had with her wasn’t real, and this is goodbye. (My guess is he’s talking to a corpse.)

It’s revealed Margaret is scared of her husband and worried about her son Blake remaining in jail. She appears hopeful that Horst will pass away sooner rather than later.

Cassie visits a bar and asks the bartender if he remembers anything about the night Blake was there. The bartender glances at Cheyenne (also seated at the bar) and then confirms he remembers Blake and Rosie. He says Blake was drunk and took a bottle of whiskey to go.

Cheyenne introduces herself to Cassie and asks about Jenny. Cheyenne says she hasn’t seen Blake in years and isn’t sure if he hit Rosie. She claims Blake only returned to town because their dad’s dying and he has plans for what to do with the ranch once it’s his.

Cheyenne keeps talking and now it appears she thinks Blake was capable of hitting Rosie. Cassie excuses herself to answer a call from Jenny and immediately reveals she’s run into Cheyenne. Jenny explains she got run off the ranch but knows an alternate entrance. She’s going to send Cassie the location so they can meet up there.

Cheyenne warns Cassie the men in her family aren’t happy private investigators are snooping around.

As Cassie’s leaving, John Wayne arrives and tries to get her to stay and have a drink. She refuses and he follows her outside, tipping his hat as she drives away.

Meanwhile, Mark’s handed video of Ronald sleeping on his mother’s grave. The video was taken by a secret camera set up in case he returned.

Mark jots down a note that reads “I’m always with you” signed with a heart. He takes the note to the cemetery and leaves it on top of Helen Pergman’s headstone.

Cassie’s pulled over on her way to meet up with Jenny. Deputy Al Gregor (Paul Piaskowski) accuses her of swerving as she exited the bar and demands she step out of the car after she refuses a breathalyzer. He immediately places her in handcuffs and puts her in the back seat of his squad car.

Blake’s let out of jail in the middle of the night and his father rolls up to pick him up. Blake would rather walk but he’s not given that choice by his dad.

Jenny’s unaware of Cassie’s predicament as she checks out a trailer on the Kleinsasser ranch. She spots Rand cooking drugs inside and a woman he’s with alerts Rand to the fact they have a visitor. Jenny takes off running and Rand gives chase. She tumbles into a pit of dead cows and other creatures. (Rand’s dream came true.)

The cop who arrested Cassie passes the sheriff’s office without slowing down. She demands to know where he’s taking her, but Deputy Gregor doesn’t respond.