Reviewer Rating: 3.4/5.0
3.4
An evil sociopath has arrived in Gibsons, but it’s not who police initially suspect.
Small Town Season 1 Episode 6 is the first series not based on LR Wright’s novel.
This is one of the more graphic and twisted episodes, which isn’t entirely a compliment.
I was initially looking forward to this movie based on the promotional footage and spoilers, but after watching this I was disappointed.
The only part I really liked was that the series didn’t gloss over Cassandra’s kidnapping. She had time to process accordingly.
The sociopathic killer who comes to Gibsons initially seems like a lot of fun
Sean Sloan looks like a violent murderer. In the opening scene, he attacks politician Murray Zuckerman (played by stuntman Douglas Chapman).
This may seem like a tired storyline as many politicians have secrets, but Zuckerman pleads with him because he loves his wife.
It doesn’t look like a random murder, Sean beat him with a tire iron and put a bag over his head. It feels very personal.
Most sociopaths kill without blinking an eye, without an agenda, and without remorse.
When a stupid hitchhiker named Daryl Newton picked up Sean, I feared for his life. However, Shane seemed like a different person.
His people skills need work, and he steals Daryl’s phone, but it looks like they were just two guys hanging out on a road trip.
It makes you wonder if he actually has borderline personality disorder, or if Dr. Lewis is wrong about him.
Sean’s scenes keep us on the edge of our seats, wondering what he will do next.
Watching Scout. Alberg’s work with Dr. Lewis reminds me of old fashioned procedures
Do you remember when procedural cases required a psychiatrist to determine whether a suspect was incompetent or had sociopathic tendencies?
That’s what I think. Dr. Lewis comes to alert the Gibson Police Department that Sean Sloan approached Gibson out of courtesy and that she is his next target.
She seemed to sincerely want to help the police but also feared for her life. She paints an in-depth picture of Sean as an unpopular kid with problems that didn’t fit with him, so it made sense that he would commit some of the crimes.
The Gibsons Police Department suspects he turned from robbery to violent murder.
They try to decipher how he planned his suspects and considered his next move before anyone else was hurt.
At first, texting Sean using Dr. Lewis as bait seemed like a good idea. After all, he trusted her, but one of their own was hurt.
Why do they make psychiatrists evil?
Why did they have to make Dr. Lewis evil? Small Town Murders offers the ideal opportunity to team up with a psychiatrist and a police chief to solve a critical case.
When Dr. Huang analyzed the suspects, I thought it was like an old-school Law & Order: SVU case, and that’s exactly how it started.
However, Dr. Lewis appears to be portraying Sean Sloan as a murderer when he was initially just a misunderstood teenager who committed his crimes.
She was the one pulling the strings, even though she kept her tracks hidden. Isabella found enough dirt on her body that Carl was impressed by her investigative skills.
Dr. Lewis manipulates other patients into discussing their problems and calls them stumbling blocks when they refuse.
She even interacts with people under a pseudonym. This is how Carl and Isabella realize she knew Murray Zuckerman and feel betrayed by him, and have Sean Sloane kill him for her.
It’s heartbreaking when you sympathize with a murderer because Sean was manipulated into thinking he saved her. He was a misunderstood young man who needed help, and she took advantage of that.
Carl and Sid sympathize with him and are disgusted by her, but Shane is so fascinated by Dr. Lewis that explaining to him why is challenging. It’s really sad when he would be safer away from her in prison.
Cassandra breaks down as she deals with kidnapping
This is the best part of this episode. Kristin Kreuk shines as she deals with her feelings of being kidnapped. I’m glad they didn’t skip this because she needed to understand that her feelings were valid.
Cassandra had a hard time dating a cop from the beginning, which solidified her relationship. Carl’s job puts her in danger but she doesn’t want to be angry with him because he is a caring man but she avoids him.
Cassandra was so nervous that she couldn’t stand anyone touching her or even being in the room as she prepared her presentation.
She doesn’t think it matters because Gordon Murphy is dying. It took a lot of help, but only Edwina convinced Cassandra that she mattered, and that her own choices kept her alive.
We rarely see Edwina counseling others, so it’s refreshing to see her in this capacity and get the backstory of why she transferred to Gibsons.
Cassandra may indeed need therapy to process her kidnapping and her relationship with Carl. Except Dr. Lewis is not, and he is right about one thing. Even if you are a victim, that doesn’t make you a victim.
However, she was too good at reading people to know that Cassandra had doubts about Cal.
While this makes sense, hopefully they can address this issue.
Carl likes Cassandra, and their relationship is the heart of the series. I hate that they spend the rest of their time apart.
What do you think of TV Fanatic’s “crazy method”? Are you upset that Dr. Lewis is proving to be evil?
Do you support Cassandra and Carl reconciling?
Let us know in the comments.
Watch Small Town Murders 2024 online
