‘Big Sky’ Recap: ‘Family Matters’

Written by Emily Auskaps

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 217 of ‘Big Sky’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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The wild twists and turns continue in this episode as chaos reigns supreme. As Cassie points out in this episode, it’s impossible to predict the effects that grief will have on us. In the case of Richard Ford, the loss of his son Mason has driven him on a mad path of revenge that has now led to the Bhullars’ ranch. He’s there waiting the next morning when Jag returns from picking up Veer from the airport. Veer demands to know where Ren is, but Richard has the gun and informs them they are going for a little ride.
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Richard forces Jag at gunpoint to drive the three of them to the river. He orders the father and son to walk toward the riverbank. Richard informs them that they are going to die where his son did. Little does Richard realize that this father is not feeling particularly benevolently toward his son at this moment, as during the ride from the airport, Jag took the opportunity to confront his father about cutting the drugs and let him know that he and Ren feel his time in charge has passed as result of this.

Veer antagonizes Richard about his son as they walk, ever the bully even as a hostage. He surmises that Mason must have been weak to do drugs, and that he understands what it’s like to have a weak son. Veer then offers Richard money as repayment for the loss of Mason in which Richard has no interest. He orders Veer and Jag to keep walking.

In town at Dewell and Hoyt, Jenny gives Cassie and Denise an update on Tubb’s condition and mentions a strange man she saw in his hospital room, a man we recognize from the ambulance ride that Wolf Legarski did not survive. It appeared Jenny arrived just in time to interrupt the syndicate’s plan. She now has a guard at the door to Tubb’s room.

The women of Dewell and Hoyt agree that their priority now must be tracking down Richard Ford before anyone else is hurt. Cassie thinks the best place to look is at the Bhullars, for sooner or later Richard’s hunt will lead to them. She and Jenny arrive at the Bhullar ranch to find the front door ajar. They draw their guns and clear the first level before Jenny yells, “Police! Anyone here?” Ren calls out in reply. Jenny and Cassie find her, and Travis tied together upstairs. Ren angrily tells them that Richard took her father and brother. Almost instantly, Cassie says she knows where to find them. She and Jenny leave Ren and Travis the way that they found them.

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As they near the riverbank, Jag tries a different approach with Richard, showing penance and attempting to reason with him that he’s not a killer, that he’ll regret this. Richard replies that they have made him a killer. Veer cruelly interjects that Richard should just kill Jag then. Veer lies that it was Jag who cut the drugs with poison and begins to calmly walk away. He only stops and turns back at the sound of a gunshot; Jag lies crumpled at Richard’s feet. Veer simply turns away and continues walking.
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Not long after, Jenny and Cassie find Richard standing over Jag’s body holding his gun. They order him to drop it, but he instead points the gun at himself and says he’s going to see Mason. Jenny tells him that his wife Mona needs his help. He snaps at her that she’s innocent and to leave her out of this. Jenny and Cassie exchange a look, then Jenny informs him that the drugs that killed Mason belonged to Mona. Stunned by this revelation, he denies it, repeating ‘no’ over and over. Cassie confirms the information to him, telling her Mona needs his forgiveness. This doesn’t seem to be getting through to him, so Cassie lowers her gun and takes a few steps toward Richard, imploring him not to do this to his daughter. He angrily swivels the barrel of his gun towards Cassie, but she persists. She tells him that a girl needs her father, she knows this because she just lost hers. “You don’t do this to Hayden,” she orders him. Resignedly, Richard drops to his knees and lets the gun fall to the sand. Cassie finds Jag still alive and calls for an ambulance. As Jenny takes Richard into custody, she tries to comfort him.

At the hospital, Ren confronts Jenny with Donno loyally at her side. Jenny tells Ren she’s lucky her brother made it to the ICU at all, as she stabilized him until the ambulance arrived. Ren demands to know if she’s supposed to thank Jenny for doing her job. Jenny insists Jag wouldn’t have been shot if not for his family’s dealings in drugs. They exchange threats, among which Ren reveals that she knows “Stone” is really Travis, and that he used to be a cop, but now he’s working for her. After Jenny leaves them, Donno offers to locate her father, but she asks him to stay.

Alicia has just discovered Veer soaked in sweat at the kitchen sink when Ren and Donno burst through the door. Ren announces that Jag has a bullet in his chest and with a sneer, tells her father she’s glad to see he’s fine. Veer growls that there are unavoidable costs to doing business. Ren angrily tells him not to blame Jag for his own mistakes. The carefully sown mask begins to slip from Veer’s face as he informs Ren that doesn’t blame Jag. He blames them both for plotting behind his back like rats. The look in Ren’s eyes subtly but visibly shifts, and Veer spots it too. Veer believes all of Jag’s ideas originated with Ren, and angrily assures her that his time is not over. When Ren begs her father to at least admit responsibility for Jag getting shot because he cut their drugs with poison, he drops all pretense of being anything besides a monster in sheep’s clothing. Veer demands to know how long she planned to string her brother along, knowing she’d never settle for second in charge. Ren has had enough and begins to leave as her father roars at her. “You really think you can do better than me?!” he bellows at her. A familiar look returns to Ren’s face: cold, dark, purely business focused. “I know I can.” As she strides away, a brief look of fear flickers in Veer’s eye. All the while, Alicia remains confused and now stunned by the whole exchange.

Later, Alicia approaches Veer to have him sign what she says are insurance forms for Jag. He signs at the flags she has marked without a second glance. Alicia then asks him again what happened with Jag, he brushes it off as the consequences of stepping out of line. Alicia reminds him that is the natural order of life for one generation to take over for the last. Veer insists that his children aren’t ready. Alicia counters that perhaps it is he who is not ready. Veer thought she was on his side, which she assures him she is, but she does have limits. If he chooses to fight Ren and Jag for control, he can do it without her by his side.

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Jag comes to as Ren sits on his hospital bed bribing him with beard oil in exchange for his recovery. They agree to stop fighting with each other. Jag asks about their father with fear in his eyes, he’s at home Ren tells him. Jag seems surprised she doesn’t already know when Ren asks him what happened with their father out there.
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After an unsuccessful meeting with Travis’ handler, Jenny returns home to find Travis waiting inside in the dark for her. He’s come to tell her goodbye. Jenny wants him to get out, now, but he tells her it’s no longer that simple. It’s about Kate Garza and he intends to see it through to the end. Jenny asks him about their relationship, he replies he never planned on it. Jenny begs him to change course, but he has only one thing he’s there to do. As he walks out the door, Jenny threatens to stop him, she is still a cop. He scoffs that there’s no ways she’d shoot him, she loves him, and deep down, she always knew she’d have to let him go. And she does.

After barely surviving an encounter with the same hitman that the syndicate sent to take care of Tubb, Scarlet calls Cassie from a pay phone. She wants to negotiate her freedom in exchange for information related to the girls Ronald and Rick were trafficking. Cassie tells Scarlet that’s not how it’s going to work, she’s no victim of any kind, and the syndicate will never stop looking for her, no matter how long it takes. Scarlet threatens to come for Cassie, Cassie says she’ll be waiting. Scarlet tearfully tells Cassie she killed the man she loved; Cassie retorts that she’d do it again. Cassie offers Scarlet safety for Phoebe as her only good option, Scarlet disconnects the call.

The next day, things are eerily pleasant between Ren and Veer as they prepare to go get Jag. Veer is uncharacteristically gentle with Ren, apologizing for being so hard on her, complimenting her, and then telling her that he loves her. In a normal family, this would be a warm and lovely moment. But knowing what we do about Veer and the Bhullars, this sweet moment is actually very creepy and likely the calm that proceeds the storm.

The chaos continues to swirl, and losses are likely to mount as people desperately grab for power and relationships continue to splinter. The season finale should be one wild ride.

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