IR TV Review: BIG SKY - EPISODE 1 (“Wakey Wakey”) [ABC-S2]
The texture of "Big Sky" works in the idea that there is always something waiting around the corner. The series seemed to gain momentum and followers obviously going into last season with the cliffhanger. While Episode 1 of Season 2: "Wakey Wakey" changes the course a little, it also alters the MO or at least the reasoning of some of our lead characters. Katheryn Winnick as Jenny feels much more lived-in now. She has undergone trauma but (realistically speaking) we don't see time in terms of her recovery so that element feels less than earned. However Winnick feels comfortable and empowered in the role and she plays it fairly loose while pushing the story forward. The initial theme is unwinding the puzzles but also moving forward with a sense of authority. Kylie Bunbury as Cassie, whom we saw speeding off after the fugitive Ronald in last season's finale spends the episode trying to figure out why things are and fitting the points together while still fending off romantic intentions from a fellow marshal from last season.
Cassie, unlike Jenny, doesn't want to let any of this go and obsession starts to lean heavily on her horizon. Jenny herself is wrangling in the romantic field as well. And while these love (or lust) elements may seem extraneous, the show does want to be many things to many people (and not just dark and brooding) so this angle is understandable. The interconnecting lines especially in terms of endangerment to all the characters keeps building but that might be predicated on the drug trade that forms the background of the inherent crime this season (as compared to last season. The introduction of Blake (likely) as a character feeds to that plus the need for Jenny as a character to move forward. But as the season premiere episode ends, the swirling of two storylines separately parallel (one in the background and one in the foreground) seems to be what is going to fuel this season, chasing one while another creeps up. "Big Sky" has grown in many ways from its first season, a little more stable on its feet but still with a bit to go. B-
By Tim Wassberg
