As the episode begins, we see John Cardinal (Billy Campbell) running toward a vehicle with someone trapped inside. He makes it closer and tries to smash the window as the ice around them begins to crack. He wakes up from the nightmare seconds later. John leaves his new dwelling and meets with Lise Delorme (Karine Vanasse). John agrees to keep her company while they wait for the snowmobile thief. She arrives before we see a man laying out his snow gear and other items. A woman leaves her motel room and we see a man who appears to be stalking her. When she leaves in her car, he backs up in his and pops the truck.

He heads up to the motel room and knocks on the door. After the intro, John speaks with his daughter Kelly (Alanna Bale) on his computer. John confesses that the furnishings in his new place don’t match his taste before their conversation ends. Lise gets a call and steps outside. She speaks on the phone until John arrives and tells her that he got a call from Jerry Commanda (Glen Gould) about a missing person. She is asked about prosecutor Robert Quillen. Together, they meet with Jerry and Robert’s wife Sheila Gagne (Carmen Moore). She explains that she was in an open relationship with Robert but that they did have rules. So, he wouldn’t have stayed out so long.

She says he drinks in moderation but doesn’t use drugs before being asked about their mental status. She says Robert did not have a history of mental illness but she takes medication for anxiety because people don’t like her or the job she does as a politician. On top of that, Robert prosecutes some of the worst people. The detectives leave and we learn that Robert booked one night and he hasn’t checked out yet. They knock on the door but nobody answers. They enter the room and look around. Lise finds Robert’s phone and billfold in the bedroom alongside a feather. John notices Robert’s boots sitting by the door so they don’t understand why he went out on a cold night without proper clothing. John suspects Robert was dragged from the motel room.

Before long, Abby Harris (Katheryn Alexandre) arrives and collects evidence from the scene. She promises to notify John if they find any blood before he goes outside and speaks with Lise. She says they found out that Robert was dating a woman by the name of Holly Francis. The hotel only had a camera at the front desk so that isn’t going to help them. Francis is brought into the station and questions by John and Lise. She tells them about her relationship with Robert before she learns that he was likely abducted from his motel room. She explains she left around 1:30 AM and Robert was in the shower at that time. On her way out, she didn’t notice anyone out of the ordinary. She is asked about the feather found in the bedroom but she knows nothing about it.

A call from Jerry interrupts the interview. Lise and Cardinal leave and meet up with Sheila and Jerry so they can learn about a ransom attempt. A man called claiming he knew who had taken Robert and he wanted $9,000. Sheila got the money and dropping it off near the closed shopping mall Pine Point. She hid a cellphone in the bag and the detectives can use that to track the culprit. Then, we see a man, Wade Kleiss (Aaron Pool), yelling at Janelle through the door. He tells her he is leaving before heading outside with a big bag on his shoulder. He doesn’t get far before the detectives arrive and order him to get out of the vehicle. John calls the phone and learns that Wade has it. At first, Wade pretends to know nothing about Robert but he eventually flips and asks for protection.

Ash Kular (Zach Smadu) is tasked with taking Wade back to the police station while Lise learns Wade had drugs and more money on him. Then, we see a mysterious man in a van. That night, Ash makes it back to the station with Wade but he is attacked from behind. Wade tells the man that he needs to get him out of there but the man kills him instead. Then, he throws the evidence in a portable toilet and his coat in a trash dumpster. Meanwhile, Lise tells John she was accepted for that job offer in Toronto. John tells her that she’ll do great down there. As they drive down the road, the killer walks across the street with several other people. They made it back to the station and find Ash on the ground and Wade dead.

Jerry returns to Sheila to tell her that her extortionist has been killed. She isn’t happy with the detectives. She receives a call from a man saying he has Robert. He says Sheila knows him and he wants her to prove that she loved her husband. At the station, Ash blames everything on himself but Lise tries to convince him otherwise. Then, Lise and John find out that the man must’ve been listening to them using a police scanner and that is how he planned the attack. Cardinal says the man is rational since he didn’t want more police after him and that is why he didn’t kill Kular. McLeod (James Downing) lets them know that Sheila has arrived and she wants to hold a press conference.

Noelle Dyson (Kristen Thomson) speaks with her in private about the idea. She also encourages Sheila to trust Lise and Cardinal. Sheila holds a press conference while the mystery man watches it on television. Jerry takes Sheila home and tells her that they have to keep looking for the kidnapper. Later, she receives a video on her tablet and it shows Robert pleading for help in the cold. John tells Lise that Robert didn’t try any of Wade’s cases so he isn’t sure how they’re connected. He wants to tell her something else about the Toronto job offer but she invites him inside and he accepts. They made it to the door before a call stops them in their tracks. The mystery man gets rid of the phone and gets another one.

At the station, the detectives watch the video of Robert. They work quickly to find the location where Robert was held. John notices the trees have been cut so he wonders if it was a logging site. Later, they use drones in hopes of finding the location. John tells Lise that the culprit wants people to hurt. Back at the station, Ash says Wade had almost $20,000 in cash but he only got $9,000 from Sheila. His girlfriend told Ash he did something for a guy he knew from prison and that is how he got the money. Next, the location from the movie is found and Robert’s body is there. Jerry leaves to tell Sheila while John and Lise inspect the crime scene. John says that Wade’s murder was business but Robert’s killing was personal.

They admit nobody could make it to the road while tied to a log but the killer wanted Robert to think he could. John calls is one final cruelty. Jerry makes it to Sheila’s place and tells her about the discovery. The mysterious man listens to the police scanner and watches a man shovel the snow in front of his house. In a flashback, we see the man with Robert on the night of his murder. Robert pleads with the man not to leave him there but he does. Next, John tells Lise he is going to say until Ident’s has finished. She agrees to get a ride with McLeod before checking on John who says he is okay.

 

Cardinal Review

I am glad Cardinal is back because I haven’t watched anything decent in the past 3 or 4 months and I was starting to give up hope. Cardinal isn’t a perfect show. Some of the acting is bad but it is always enjoyable. The story really stands out from everything else on television. Each season is captivating in its own unique way and this one seems that it is going to be great as well.

I think the writers are opening the door to a relationship between John and Lise. We knew it was going to happen and I am bit surprised they didn’t get together sooner. The episode set up the rest of the season and introduced this season’s new characters. I will likely binge this show as quickly as I can and recap an episode a day if possible. Cardinal is generally good enough for that. This episode scores a 7.5 out of 10. Previous recaps of Cardinal can be found on Reel Mockery.