Is the small-town Montana sheriff about to get caught?
Is Legarski about to get caught?
It's still business as usual-ish for the folks in Big Sky, even though the mysterious circumstances by which private detective Cody Hoyt (Ryan Phillippe) disappeared is beginning to raise red flags for Cassie Dewell (Kylie Bunbury) and Cody's ex, Jenny (Katheryn Winnick). Of course, we know Cody was brutally murdered with a single gunshot to the head by the unassuming Montana sheriff, Legarski (John Carroll Lynch), after the two paired up to investigate the abduction of two teenage girls that Legarski secretly had a hand in.
In Tuesday's episode, "The Big Rick," Legarski's shady moves since Cody went MIA (six feet under) may finally be catching up to him when Cassie confronts him about his suspicious maneuvering after she goes to his ex for some eyebrow-raising intel.
"I extended myself for your partner, Cody," Legarski says to Cassie in ET's exclusive sneak peek. "And I did so again for you. You talked to my ex-wife makin' me out to be some kind of deviant. I am a Montana state trooper!"
"That's the part that doesn't compute," Cassie replies, not backing down. "The always on-call jingle, the 'I go the extra mile because I'm that kinda guy' thing. As far as I can tell, you haven't even gone the first mile. Two teenage girls are missing and you let Cody go it alone because, what, you're worried about your pension? That isn't a Montana state trooper, that's a load of crap."
Clearly, Cassie's struck a chord. Legarski threatens to arrest her right then and there, but she's not playing his game.
"On what grounds?" she snarls.
"On whatever grounds I want!" he warns. "You say you want to help these girls, I am the law in these parts. Do you really mean to antagonize the law?"
Here's the official logline for the next episode: "Still on the search for the missing girls, Cassie grows more suspicious of Legarski after a threatening conversation between the two. Meanwhile, Grace manages to make headway on the girls’ quest for freedom. Merilee pleads with Legarski to open up emotionally before it’s too late, and Helen finally confronts Ronald about his increasingly strange behavior."
Following the shocking series premiere, ET spoke with Phillippe about Cody's tragic fate and how the death reverberates throughout the rest of the series.
"I love the fact that with this shocking ending, first of all, it sets the bar in regards to the danger that lurks within the show, in that anybody could be hurt at any time," he said. "As much as I'm afraid of the backlash from my fans, who were expecting a series with me in every episode, there is a playful part of myself that is going to enjoy the response, just because how often are you really that shocked by what you watch?"
"I love the fact that it comes out of a situation that feels very safe or normal. You've got this small-town cop that I'm a little bit irritated by. I've probably dealt with guys like that in the past, and he just seems like a goofy, lovable guy or whatever. And so, Cody absolutely does not see it coming," Phillippe added. "I think the challenge for John Carroll Lynch and I, and Paul McGuigan, the director, was to make sure that as we played those scenes leading up to it, you don't tip the hand. You play against what's going to ultimately end up happening because you want people to have the reaction that you had and that I hope others have."
Big Sky airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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