#Big Sky Review: Say Hello To The Kleinsasser’s

Well, the Kleinsasser’s seem like a lovely, wholesome little family, don’t they?

Actually, no. No, they do not. And while their first appearance lacked the pizazz of Legarski and Ronald’s who went right for the murder and kidnapping, this influential farm family makes quite the impression throughout Big Sky Season 1 Episode 10 and Big Sky Season 1 Episode 11.

With the missing girls in their rearview (kind of), Cassie and Jenny are taking on some new cases, and with that comes some unique dangers.

With Lergaski gone and Ronald now officially in the wind, two different Big Sky’s are happening on-screen.

On the one side, we’ve got the ladies leaning into their Private Investigation business and taking on a one-off case (in hour one) and a longer-form case in the later hour. And on the other side, we’ve got Ronald living his life under a new alias and Cassie still in hot pursuit, although the case seems to have run cold.

Following the events of Big Sky Season 1 Episode 9, about three months have passed, and everyone is trying to move forward from Cody’s death and the whole missing girl’s investigation, but it’s not easy going.

Everyone appears to be just hanging on and throwing themselves into work as a worthy distraction from having to sit around too long and think about what they went through and what they lost.

Cassie, more than Jenny, isn’t content with the lack of progress on capturing Ronald. But she’s getting some help in the form of US Marshall Mark Lindor, a Montana implant who is charming, if not a little odd at the onset.

Considering how this show loves its misdirections and crazy reveals, you can’t help but wonder what Mark’s true intentions are after disclosing he asked to be relocated for this assignment.

Why? What is about this case that made him want to leave the bright lights of Hollywood for Helena?

He and Cassie have a spark, though, whether that be romantic or otherwise, we’ll have to keep watching, but for her sake, hopefully, Mark is a good guy and an asset to the case. Because in typical Ronald fashion, he’s decided to hide in plain sight, and he’s getting away with it.

A quick aside, there are many genuinely terrible wigs on television, but Ronald’s might be the worst of them all. From the color to the style and the cut, it’s just a complete and utter no.

Anyway, Ronald and his horrendous wig have a new name, a new job, and a new girlfriend. You’d think he would be laying low and just living his new fake life and trying to stay far away from the ladies, but it’s Ronald.

He’s still calling the office and mouth-breathing into the phone and even driving around Helena like he’s not a wanted man.

Aside from getting away with it, Ronald’s endgame has always been murky at best. And messing with the girls and drawing attention to himself seems like a silly idea, but it’s almost like he can’t help himself.

Like he can’t help but visit Helen’s grave and spend the night there on the dirt because Helen Pergman has a hold of her son even in death.

Ronald appears to be once again channeling his inner Norman Bates with that whole scene where he’s talking to someone or something off-screen and bidding them farewell, and all signs point to that being Helen. But wouldn’t that be on tape if it was?

Everything with Ronald is a little confusing and, at times, feels out of place with the opposing storyline. But it’s giving us Mark, who is already the most interesting character we’ve seen on Big Sky yet.

The race to find Ronald should be an interesting subplot this season, but it’s definitely going to play second fiddle to the Kleinsasser’s shenanigans.

What a family, man.

They’re like the Ewings or something but in Montana. A family headed by a wildly unhappy man, a wife who may or not be ready to kill him, and four children with a variety of issues that more than likely stem from Horst “I will shoot you if you don’t want to play Chutes and Ladder” Kleinsasser.

Blake may be the one in prison, but he appears to be the one with the most common sense for getting far away from that ranch and that family. Considering we only get Blake’s version of events, it’s harsh to say whether or not he’s guilty of the crime in question.

Jenny seems rather convinced of it, but she’s also got a soft spot for her one-time beau, and you can’t exactly blame her. Any guy with a smile like who calls you ‘sunshine’ first thing in the morning will be hard to forget.

His siblings, on the other hand, seem like the kind of people capable of setting their brother up to take the fall of it means they get to gain something for themselves.

John Wayne is clearly the resentful brother who wants all the things Blake had coming to him. He wants the farm, and he wants the respect of his father.

Horst: I always thought Blake was gonna come back and take over things. But he’s been running from this place his entire adult life. And after what’s happened with…the girl. The ranch is gonna go to you. You’re gonna have to man up. You’re gonna have to make decisions for yourself. You’re gonna have to change the damn letterhead. You think you can handle that?

John Wayne: Yes, sir.

Horst: Most importantly, you’re gonna have to take care of your mama, and your sister, and your brothers.

John Wayne: Yes, sir.

Horst: That includes Blake.

Rand is cooking up meth or something in a wayward trailer away from the main house and fantasizing about killing Jenny in his spare time.

Then there’s Cheyenne, who’s been regulated to the little sister whose opinion means nothing in a house of alpha males.

All three seem like the type to set Blake up. And I imagine the remaining episodes this season will deal with Cassie and Jenny finding out who assaulted Rosie and how to bring the Kleinsasser family down from their perch as the Corleone family of Lochsa County.

Horst doesn’t seem to respect or care for anyone. Not his children and not Margaret either. But in a semi-lucid moment, he did let it slip that Blake was the favored child. Could dear old dad have set things in motion for something terrible to happen to Blake since his eldest son abandoned him and wants to sell his legacy?

Everyone in this town is shady, and everyone is a suspect at that point.

Things end with both Jenny and Cassie in dangerous situations and at the mercy of this family. And we can assume the ladies will find their way out of it, but we don’t know what the cost of that will be.

If we thought the Pergman and Legarski families were a lesson in dysfunction, this new family is about to take us on a wild ride.

Odds and Ends

• Bringing Jerrie into work at Dewell and Hoyt is the perfect way to keep her integrated into the show, and I’m glad the power that be recognized her value to the show!

• Scarlet seems…strange. When her sister inevitably finds out who Ronald is, it almost feels like Scarlet will protect Ronald. There’s some weird energy there, and we need to find out more about her moving forward.

• Big Sky has never ventured into case-of-the-week territory, but we did get that in the Alan/Naomi/horse semen saga. It was an okay storyline, but nothing stood out too much, besides one of the bad guys being called “The Snail” and Cassie and Mark bonding over horses while at a crime scene.

• Jenny would make a tremendous cop, but her desire to do what Cody would have wanted her to do will probably end up winning in the end.

• Sheriff Wagy was about as useless as Legarski was back when the ladies first started working the missing girl’s case. One has to imagine he’s under Horst’s thumb like everyone else in that town.

• Kleinsasser is a top villain last name if I ever heard one. And a name like John Wayne Kleinsasser just screams bad news.

Well, guys, that was a wild ride from start to finish! But Big Sky can pull off the crazy, and it’s looking like we’re in for a lot more of that.

What did you guys think about the new cast additions?

Will Ronald get caught soon?

Do you think Blake is guilty?

Are you shipping Cassie and Mark already?

Drop a line down below with all your thoughts about the supersized spring premiere so that we can talk about everything!

If you’re behind, remember you can watch Big Sky online anytime via TV Fanatic!

Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.