Reviewer Rating: 4.5/5.0
4.5
It’s hard to believe it’s the season finale of Small Town. Where are the longer seasons or at least the 13 episode debut season?
As the show works to bring closure to the case, Small Town Season 1 Episode 8 shows that sometimes judgment can be bad and even good people can become serial killers.
Some cases hit harder than others and had a significant impact on the team. The locals become suspicious of Carl, and we finally learn more about Sid’s family history.
After confirming the identity of Jane Doe, the police found Roger
“Small Town” excels at parallel scenes and twists, and this season finale is no exception.
Meanwhile, Roger sees news of a photo of Jane Doe, identified by her agent as Sally Dublin. The icing on the cake was that her agent also worked with Roger and knew that Roger and Sally were friends.
Sally’s murder hit everyone hard because she changed her life. Although she had used drugs before, she had been drug-free for several months, which affected Sid the most.
Roger seems guilty, which is somewhat understandable given the circumstantial evidence and the secrecy surrounding his life. But he looks suspicious because he borrowed Cassandra’s car, dented her car without telling her, and asked her to lie about her whereabouts.
He didn’t want to admit that he was using drugs for him and his sister because they couldn’t cope with their mother’s impending death.
It’s an embarrassing family secret. As Carl said, Roger may be a weirdo, but he’s not a murderer.
This plot point is used to distract the audience from the real murderer.
What happened to Devon?
Sometimes there’s a fine line between mentoring and nurturing, especially when a teenage girl admires and has a crush on a teacher.
Devin becomes Mr. Cumming’s apprentice, helping him prepare for art exhibitions. Some of their scenes border on sexual grooming as they celebrate his success, and she impulsively hugs him and he tells her she’s the best.
Believing a teenager had an interesting secret and helped police draw a portrait of a murder victim, he was asking for trouble.
Equally horrifying, Devon said that if she was as talented as Cummins, she could die happy. This feels like foreshadowing, especially since Devon gets scared in the woods not long after.
This may have been an editorial choice since she showed up at Holly’s house in the middle of the night. But we still wonder if something happened to her besides her throwing herself at Mr. Cummins.
Could it be that he was behaving inappropriately and she was too embarrassed to admit it?
Since Devon was missing when the woman was murdered, she terrified her mother, who in turn accused Carl of not protecting the town.
Artwork leads police to real killer
Mr. Cummins seemed to take pride in his work, as he kept hinting, for example, that he couldn’t draw anything he hadn’t seen.
Carl begins to have doubts, but what makes him suspicious is that he sees a beautiful portrait of Clyde, the Singer family dog who had just been murdered.
That scene was hurtful because both Callum and Mary loved their dogs, and like Sally Dublin, Callum Syngal had changed his life. Others want him to suffer or put the blame on him.
Initially, I thought Jesse was a jerk, but maybe it takes one to get to know him. Perhaps he was the only one who could see through Mr Cumming’s façade and denounce him publicly. No matter what the circumstances, teachers should not hit students.
Sid is also right, using civilians to watch their crimes is a horrifying idea, and Carl eventually realizes that each crime scene matches one of Cumming’s paintings.
Devin also noticed this when her life was in danger in Cumming’s private studio. This is one of the highest-stakes cases since Cummins tried to taunt Carl (Holly was in danger while holding a knife to Devon’s throat).
It was his toughest moment as both a father and a cop, and I’m glad they explored both sides of his character and that his team showed up to rescue him.
What struck me was that Cummins considered watching someone die to be an intimate feeling. Generally speaking, looking someone in the eye is a very personal act, but this is creepy.
Return to the core of the series
The last few episodes were different, with Carl and Cassandra separated. While it took her time to process her kidnapping, we’re relieved that she finally agreed to go on a date with the police chief.
It’s infuriating when everyone in town realizes she’s in love with Carl, and even Roger. At least they ended up talking about it, or decided that too much talking and thinking was getting them into trouble.
What a perfect way to end the season finale with a passionate makeup kiss.
Hopefully Fox will renew the series soon, because we need more of Carl and Cassandra’s adventures. “Small Town Murder” is interesting because it highlights their romance and cozy murder mystery.
Many unfinished character arcs bring hope for season 2
Although the murder has been solved, we didn’t learn some important information about the characters until the last few episodes. If Small Town gets a second season, we’d like to address this issue.
Until this episode, we didn’t even know Sid had a sister, let alone that she died from drug addiction.
He was a kind man who wanted to help others, so it was understandable that Sally’s death after cleansing affected him, and his attempt to stop Gale Galbraith became her own worst enemy.
Sid doesn’t often get emotional with witnesses, and if there’s a season 2, hopefully they’ll explore his past more.
The show has only recently explored Corporal Gan’s past career and how she felt guilty for being recognized for solving a crime she didn’t commit. However, she did a great job with the Gibson Police Department, so hopefully they explore her personal and professional perspectives.
Even Cassandra needs a little more sparkle. Hopefully the series will follow her run for city council and she’ll get funding to expand the library. While Carl and Cassandra are the core of the series, she still needs to have her own arc.
Over to you, TV fanatics. Are you satisfied with the finale of Small Town Murders?
What else would you like to see? Do you want a second season?
Let us know in the comments.
Come back tomorrow for our exclusive interview with EP Jeff Wachtel, who will dissect season one and discuss a potential season two!
Watch Small Town Murders 2024 online
