It’s the episode we’ve been waiting for – Stana Katic guest stars as a cunning psychopath in Small Town Murders .
Small Town Season 1 Episode 3 was more focused on the case than Carl and Cassandra’s love story, in part because of having such a big-name actor.
Only snippets of their romantic relationship were shown this time, but the show dropped hints about Carl and Sid’s lives.
Which sibling is more mentally ill?
I’m not sure who would win if the Strachan siblings had a competition to decide who was more psychotic. Zoe (Stana Katic) might win, but Benjamin (Ben Cotton) is close.
In the past few episodes, “Small Town” has gone too far with scenes of these dueling siblings, one of whom owes money to the mob. It’s just fun for so long.
Benjamin hasn’t seen Zoe in years, but he needs money or these thugs will hurt his family. While most of the siblings wouldn’t have been thrilled by his sudden arrival, she was shocked by his unexpected appearance.
Zoe acts like Benjamin betrayed her, implying that the Strachans have many family secrets.
After all, who would call the police on their brother?
Things get more complicated when the thugs confront Zoe at the hardware store. Benjamin died soon after.
As much as I enjoyed watching Stana Katic, the family drama moved too slowly. This episode requires knowing the murders early enough to feel the impact.
Although Zoe acts like a sad sister, she’s great at wrapping her fingers around men. She attempts to trap Carl in her web, distracting him from solving the case or realizing that Benjamin has a child.
This murder was different from the others because multiple people injured Benjamin. While the mob gets involved, others finish the job of silencing Benjamin.
Zoe Strachan’s killer tendencies could harm children
Just as Carl’s team realizes that Benjamin’s young son is missing, Zoe discovers him hiding in a cupboard. Hunter Strachan sees right through Zoe’s behavior when she tries to sound like a loving aunt.
This is dangerous for the child because all she wants is evidence that his father stole from her years ago.
It felt like Zoe was playing cat and mouse with an innocent child. He didn’t know about cassette tapes and probably didn’t even know what they were.
Knowing Zoe’s tendencies made everyone worried about Hunter, especially when his grandparents reported him missing.
Zoe has been harboring resentment since she was a child. Corporal Yan found the coveted cassette tape in which she confessed to killing the old neighbor who betrayed her.
This motivated her because her brother was probably using this to blackmail her.
As Zoe believes her nephew has betrayed her, he is in danger of a similar fate. Zoe likes to play with fire because it destroys evidence.
When Carl takes action to save Hunter, the cinematography feels like a superhero series. Zoe smiled at the mass destruction and looked like a psychopath.
She almost kills a lot of people, but Carl and Sid won’t let that happen.
In-depth case reveals the truth about Carl and Sid’s lives
The case ultimately sheds light on Carl and Sid’s personal lives and friendship.
Carl Ahlberg reminds me of Will Trent in that he notices the little things that are crucial to the case.
For example, he noticed that Ben Strachan was wearing a homemade friendship bracelet, which meant he might have a child they needed to find before Zoe did.
The case struck a chord with Carl and Sid because both had homemade gifts from their daughters in the office and knew fathers would keep them close by.
Working with Carl made Sid even more passionate about his job. He no longer minds working long hours, but his wife misses him.
I’m glad we met Sid’s wife Elsie (Jill Morrison). The hairdresser has the best wit and she is warm and friendly. Hopefully she’ll reappear and she and Sid can double date with Carl and Cassandra.
As in many programs, the team doesn’t often socialize outside of work, but they have determined that Sid helped Karl rebuild his deck.
These two make a fun police duo. Sid is a loyal family man who would jump from a burning building for the people he loves. Carl is a brooding police chief who sees things differently.
However, they support each other.
Intruder disrupts Carl and Cassandra’s relationship
While Carl and Cassandra need drama and can’t be cute and sexy all the time, they don’t need an intruder so quickly.
Roger Galbraith (Lucas Bryant) is cocky and annoying, and he wastes no time hinting that Cassandra likes to love them and leave them.
Since he told Calcassandra would be returning to Los Angeles with him, he wanted to assess the competition.
Naturally, the town gossip breaks out and everyone, including Carl, thinks Cassandra and Roger are back together. However, Roger liked to embellish the stories.
Carl doesn’t realize these are rumors until he finds a worried Cassandra waiting for him at home. Disappointingly, we have to wait until the end of the episode for her to reveal how much he means to her and watch them kiss passionately.
TV Fanatics, what did you think of this episode? Are you excited to see it unfold around this case? Have you missed the romance?
We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please share them in the comments below.
Watch Small Town Murders Online
