‘Big Sky’ Season 1 Episode 6 Recap: “The Wolves are Always Out for Blood”

By
Rebecca Murray
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Big Sky Season 1 Episode 6
Kylie Bunbury in ‘Big Sky’ season 1 episode 6 (ABC/Darko Sikman)

ABC’s Big Sky season one returned from its lengthy winter break with episode six, “The Wolves are Always Out for Blood,” airing on January 26, 2021. Episode six picks up right where episode five left off, with Cassie (Kylie Bunbury) having just shot State Trooper Rick Legarski (John Carroll Lynch) in the forehead. Although it appeared Rick was a goner, episode six immediately reveals he is, unfortunately, still breathing.

Cassie comforts the kidnapped girls while Sheriff Walter Tubb (Patrick Gallagher) checks on Legarski. His fingers drum the floor so he’s capable of some movement, even though his eyes appear fixed and his breath comes in raspy gulps.

EMTs check on Danielle (Natalie Alyn Lind), Grace (Jade Pettyjohn), and Jerrie (Jesse James Keitel) as Tubb questions Cassie. She confirms she shot Legarski after he threatened to shoot her. Jenny (Katheryn Winnick) rushes up and wants to know if they’ve located Cody. Cassie breaks the bad news Cody’s still missing.

Cassie informs Tubb and Jenny that the girls said a trucker was also involved in their kidnapping.

And speaking of the trucker, Ronald (Brian Geraghty) cruises by the crime scene. The parking lot’s full of squad cars and ambulances so he doesn’t stop.

Rick’s rushed into surgery to remove the bullet from his skull just as his wife arrives at the hospital. He flatlines on the way into surgery but once again manages to pull through.

Later that evening Cody’s truck is lifted out of the pit where it was hidden from view. Blood’s evident on the passenger window and Jenny collapses to the ground, screaming in agony. Cassie also cries as Cody’s body is visible, slumped over in the driver’s seat. The search for Cody has now also come to an end.

Ronald watches the news with his mom, attempting to assure her no one knows his name. He explains the girls have seen his face and right now he’s pretty stressed out.

The following day Cassie pays a visit to Grace and Danielle in the hospital. Grace is in a wheelchair recovering from her thigh wound but other than that they’re both doing well physically. The sisters were able to work with a sketch artist and the drawing will be available later in the day for police to use to hunt down the second kidnapper.

Cassie explains she’s working on a profile and asks if there’s anything they can remember about the man. Grace describes him as coming off looking sweet, even though he’s obviously a psycho. Grace slips in that she’s glad Cassie shot Rick.

After leaving the girls Cassie spots Rick’s wife, Merilee (Brooke Smith), and they sit down to discuss what happened. Although Merilee initially believes Cassie was mistaken, Cassie explains the girls each identified Rick as one of their two kidnappers. Merilee confesses she feels responsible for not noticing Rick was up to something.

Denise (Dedee Pfeiffer) stops by Cassie’s place to find out how she and Justin (Cassie and Cody’s teenage son) are holding up. Cassie asks for Denise’s help planning a service, explaining Cody would want it to be somewhat celebratory. Denise wants Cassie to remember Cody died while on a mission to find the girls; his death was not in vain.

Meanwhile over at the sheriff’s office, Tubb apologizes to Cassie for not taking her suspicions about Rick seriously enough. He assures her they’re working on finding the second kidnapper now and then asks her to walk him through the events immediately prior to the shooting.

Cassie explains Rick said he was going to count to five and then shoot her, so she shot him when he reached four because he wouldn’t listen to her commands. She also confirms he didn’t point his weapon at her before she fired her gun. “Look, it was him or me. Deal with it – I have to,” says Cassie.

Back at the hospital, Merilee receives a call from Ronald. He offers his condolences and learns they’re not sure Rick will recover. After hanging up, Ronald reports to his mom that Rick’s not dead.

And now we get a brief touching scene with a smiling Cody (Ryan Phillippe) as Cassie has a vision of him while out riding her horse. He fades away as she recalls how he always bit off more than he could chew.

Denise returns to the office to find Jenny’s been busy researching different rigs trying to narrow down what the trucker drives based on the girls’ description. Jenny’s narrowed it down to 27 rigs from throughout the county of which four were working in the area at the time of the kidnapping. She’s got a friend who’s looking into names to match the trucks and she plans on paying each of them a visit.

Jenny’s obviously having a difficult time but she’s following Cody’s advice by keeping busy and keeping her feet moving. It’s what he would have told her to do if he was still around. Denise suggests it’s best not to run away from intense emotions, and Jenny accepts that as truth. Jenny wants Denise to know she understands how she felt about Cody and is aware of how Denise took care of him at work.

Merilee’s at home as sheriffs search her home for any possible evidence.

Over at Ronald’s place he’s busy painting his truck and altering anything that could identify his rig.

Jerrie’s at the diner when Jenny tracks her down…and so does Ronald. He snaps photos from his car as Jenny and Jerrie have a chat in a booth by the window. Jerrie promises to tell Jenny anything she can think of in order to get the second kidnapper. “Whatever you need. Your husband came to find us. Whatever you need,” says Jerrie.

Jenny’s next stop is at the hospital where she wants to ask a reluctant Merilee some questions. When Merilee attempts to put her off saying it’s not a good time, Jenny tells her Cody was last seen with Rick. He was found dead with a bullet in his head – a bullet put there by Rick.

Merilee’s both horrified and sorry but still believes this isn’t the right time for this discussion. As Jenny’s leaving, Merilee struggles to hold it together while apologizing for Jenny’s loss.

Ronald returns home to the news reporting Rick’s house is being searched. He tells his mom Rick’s records and anything incriminating would be in a secret room hidden behind his master bedroom closet. He needs to get there and retrieve them but his mom’s worried about him being out in public since there’s a description out that could lead to his arrest. Ronald has a quick vision of strangling his mom but resists the urge. The only way to keep the police from knowing his identity is to retrieve Rick’s records.

Big Sky Season 1 Episode 6
Kylie Bunbury and Katheryn Winnick in ‘Big Sky’ season 1 episode 6 (ABC/Darko Sikman)

Cody’s been cremated and his memorial service is held. His friends watch as Jenny lifts some of his ashes into the air. They then gather in a restaurant to share their memories of Cody. Jenny’s the first to speak and she describes Cody as a rascal. That gets a laugh from the crowd which includes Daniel, Grace, and Jerrie. Jenny adds that Cody was a great father and laughs along with his friends as she admits he was also a pain in her ass.

“Spirit in the Sky” plays and Cody’s friends take to the dance floor. Cassie approaches Jenny and admits she’s not sure how to be around her. “Can’t you just Google it? ‘How to be with the widow of the dead guy you slept with?’” replies Jenny.

Jenny’s just kidding and actually asks for Cassie’s advice on how to handle this, given that Cassie’s husband also died. Cassie offers the suggestion that Jenny not push people away like she did.

Grace is determined to help catch the trucker. She asks Cassie if she can sit with the sketch artist again, hoping she can provide more important info.

Jenny takes the stage with the band to sing Cody’s favorite song, “Harvest,” by Neil Young. She can’t make it through more than a line before breaking down and asking for help. Cassie takes the stage with her and after a rocky start, they find their footing. Jerrie joins them and the duo becomes a trio.

Ronald arrives at Rick’s place while Merilee’s inside assessing the damage left by the officers during the search. She calls the hospital but is distracted when a dog begins barking outside.

Later that evening, Jenny finds Cassie back at work. They both admit they’re not supposed to be working on the case anymore – Sheriff Tubb told them to back off – but neither wants to let it go. They exchange friendly banter and seem truly comfortable in each other’s company for the first time since this mess began.

Jenny thanks Cassie for helping her get through this. Cassie asks Jenny to take Cody’s place in the private detective agency, suggesting they work together. Jenny’s initially shocked by the offer but seems to reconsider. She circles one of the rigs and notes the one they’re looking for has been customized. It’s 53’ on the outside but just 47’ on the inside because there’s a hidden compartment.

“So, we’re doing this,” says Cassie. “For this one case only,” replies Jenny. Cassie nods her head yes but it’s obvious she thinks Jenny will stick around.

Jerrie’s heading home down dark streets when a man begins chasing her. Thankfully, it turns out to be her friend Jimmy who claims he was just checking on her. Jimmy assures Jerrie they can still talk, but she thinks that time is in the past.

After thanking him for checking in, she returns home to find a threatening note on her door that reads: “You don’t learn.” Jerrie vividly recalls Ronald used to say that to her.

The episode ends with Rick opening his eyes in the hospital.




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