Shoot, Shovel and Shut Up – The show begins with a white van driving down a road. The driver gets out of the van and opens the back door to free several dogs. Joe Pickett (Michael Dorman) is awakened by a 4am alarm. He gets up to find his wife, Marybeth Pickett (Julianna Guill) in the bathroom, with Nate Romanowski’s case file. She says he comes on too strong and will end up dead if he doesn’t learn how to back down sometimes. She suggests they think and act like insiders. He agrees to try.

Missy (Sharon Lawrence) is researching real estate listings in Saddlestring, which she calls a “shithole.” Sheridan Pickett (Skywalker Hughes) begins to panic when she has a flashback of her encounter with Wacy (Paul Sparks). He threatens her life if she tells Joe. She is startled when Joe grabs her arms and kisses her on the head. She pushes his hand away when he tries to touch her head. Raising her voice, she says I’m not hungry and rushes out the front door. Joe follows her outside to the swing set and asks what is happening. She says Saddlestring is not different, and she hates it. She asks, what will we do if you die. Vivian and Violet Bouvier (Joyce and Jacqueline Robbins) arrive home to find their emus dead.

Marybeth arrives at Jeannie Keeley’s (Leah Gibson) house. April Keeley (Vivienne Gyunn) answers the door. Jeannie is asleep on the sofa. Marybeth plans to file an injunction to let her and April stay in their home for a couple of months. Jeannie says it will be just in time for the birth of her baby. Marybeth says they have to fight. She has enough fight for her and Jeannie. Jeannie breaks down sobbing.

Joe arrives at the Bouvier Ranch to investigate the emu deaths. Vern Dunnegan (David Allen Grier) is present when Joe pulls into the farm. They ask why a wolf killed every one of the emus. Joe doesn’t believe it was a wolf because of the significant damage and the emus were not eaten. Joe asks if someone recently tried to acquire their property. Attorney Spencer Stone inquired about their property.

Cricket (Aadila Dosani) reads the newspaper to Nate Romanowski (Mustafa Speaks.) His horoscope is about feeling trapped. He asks if the newspaper is only available in print. She says no, it has been around since 2014. He warns her that they will be coming for him soon.

Joe burns the emu corpses. Vivian says she hopes he kills whoever is responsible for the emus. He has a flashback of recent events and his father before grabbing his gun and heading out to search for the suspect.

Marybeth continues to review Romanowski’s case file while Missy greets the girls when they arrive home from school. Marybeth meets April outside, where she is with her dad’s horse. She asks to see where Joe found Ote Keeley (Benjamin Hollingsworth). Marybeth escorts her to a pile of firewood. She tells April about her father dying in a helicopter crash. Sometimes they forget their fathers died. She says the pain will never go away, but it will subside. April lays a bouquet of flowers on the ground. Marybeth takes April and Sheridan for a horse ride.

Joe searches the trail to a black dog. He fires his shotgun in the air to scare the dog away.

Marybeth tells the girls that she hated Wyoming. Her first horse, Layla changed her mind. Sheridan suggests calling the baby Layla. Joe arrives at the Scarlett house to drop off a dead emu. Hank Scarlett (Roget LeBlanc) demands to know the purpose of Joe’s visit. He alerts them of their dogs being confiscated in connection with the death of the Bouvier’s emus. Arlen Scarlett (Brendan Fletcher) calls Joe negligent. He says you are no longer above the law.

Vern tells Hank there was no need to kill the Bouvier’s emus. He wants out. They bet their ranch on the deal. Opal Scarlett (Judith Buchan) and Arlen believe Joe is close to discovering their secret.

Joe gets drunk while putting the baby crib together. George Pickett (Kyle Mac) forces young Joe Picket (Zebastin Borjeau) to fight his brother, Victor (Oliver Mandelcorn). He thinks there are better ways to handle situations than fighting. Victor is ordered to hit Joe. He punches him in the face twice as he cries. Joe takes his down and beats him in the face until he is out cold. George tells Joe that he is no better than him. Joe says I never apologized for hitting you. Victor says, there is a lot we didn’t talk about.

Marybeth excitedly wakes up Joe to tell him about her discovery. Ote’s autopsy report reveals he died from complications of poison, not an arrow. He reads the name of the poison, Tetramethylenedisulfotetramine “TETS”, in the autopsy report and says it matches the poison found in a vulture at Crazy Woman Creek. He says they need to connect the poison to the Scarlett family and Sheriff Barnum (Patrick Gallagher).

Joe visits Taylor Maldonado (Rachel Colwell) at a reservation to ask about the poison from Ote’s autopsy report. She tells him that the scat sample was inconclusive. The International Database wants to run another test. Joe ignores a call from Vern and asks her about TETS if it can be homemade. She writes down a list of over-the-counter products, including acetone, to make TETS. It is much more deadly than cyanide.

Marybeth visits Romanowski in jail to tell him about Ote’s autopsy report. She will file to have the case thrown out later today. He hopes it is soon enough. Joe is driving down the road when Vern starts blowing his horn. He puts his gun in his pocket before getting out of his truck. Vern questions why he hasn’t been answering his phone. Joe admits to being busy and asks if he can do something for him. He suggests Joe take the InterWest job offer. Joe warns if he is connected to the Scarlett family, he better get out before it is too late. Vern asks if he is talking about him. He accuses him of trying to start a range war. Joe asks if he is aware of endangered species in Twelve Sleep. Vern reminds him of the local workers in Saddlestring who would be out of work. The feds would order everything to be shut down. He recommends killing any endangered species and not telling anyone.

Marybeth walks in as Missy and Deputy McLanahan (Chad Rock) in bed. She tells them, the girls will be home in 20 minutes. He says that is all he needs. She runs him out.

Joe arrives at a local pharmacy to ask if they sell acetone. Dwayne Barrett says it is not a chemical company while adjusting his wild animal taxidermy mount. A female worker suggests fingernail police, which has an acetone base. Joe asks if a customer purchased a lot of acetone recently. Barrett suggests keeping his nose out of other people’s business if he wants to be an insider. The female worker says Ote purchased three cases of fingernail polish before he died.

Marybeth struggles with her outfit for court. Missy slits the back of her shirt, so it will fit. She recommends a blazer to hide it. He believes Ote had conspired with the Scarlett family to make homemade TETS. Sheridan tosses the weasels some food and orders them to leave because they are not safe here.

Joe visits Jeannie to ask about Ote and his relationship with the Scarlett family. He didn’t like them. He tells her about Ote making poison. She says it is something he did this past April.

US Marshall Jerry Kelmeckis arrives to pick up Romanowski. He congratulates Deputy McLanahan for arresting a very dangerous man. Cricket snatches up the document asks why he is taking custody of Romanowski. He is believed to have been responsible for the death of two federal agents. Deputy McLanahan asks him to stay until Romanowski returns from his arraignment.

Marybeth asks the court to dismiss Romanowski’s case based on the autopsy report. Romanowski sees Kelmeckis walk into the courtroom. He approaches the bench to show the warrant to the judge.

Joe gathers Ote’s stuff when he notices a falcon mount. The falcon belonged to Romanowski. Ote told her, he had something on him. Joe finds a newspaper article about a Montana man who is wanted for killing two federal agents.

Marybeth and Romanowski are escorted into the judge’s chamber until they decide what to do about the warrant. Joe tries to call Marybeth to tell her Ote was blackmailing Romanowski, not the Scarlett family. When Marybeth permits him to feel her baby move, he grabs her and puts his hand over her mouth. A report of a hostage situation at the courthouse captures Joe’s attention. The dispatcher refuses to identify the hostage as the episode comes to an end.

 

Joe Pickett Review

Not much has changed in Saddlestring. The Crazy Woman Creek investigation is dragging on a bit too slow, with four episodes to go. The pace is so slow, it is a chore to recap.

Some of the scenes lack realism, including the hostage scene. What legitimate court would permit a murder defendant and attorney to remain in the judge’s chamber without a guard present? Even worse, Romanowski was uncuffed and Marybeth an idiot for permitting him to touch her.

With four episodes left, it is questionable what the writers will come up with next. Just get to the finale already.

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