A Chill Rain – As the third episode of Murder in a Small Town begins, Benjamin Strachan (Ben Cotton) has a stun gun.  He has a notebook that says “Property of Z. Strachan” on the front and a cassette tape. Zoe Strachan (Stana Katic) passes a woman burning stuff in a barrel. Soon, Zoe finds herself alone with Benjamin. She reminds him they had a deal that they were going to stay out of each other’s life. Benjamin grabs her when she tries to flee. He explains that he needs her help because he owes money to some bad people. Those people will come after his sister and other family members. Benjamin thinks she can help him with money. He says they’re both dead if he doesn’t pay these people. When Zoe phones the police, Benjamin flees. Sid Sokolowski (Aaron Douglas) catches up with Karl Alberg (Rossif Sutherland).

They’re going to build a deck together. David Desrosiers (Shawn Youngchief) tries to get Randy Desrosiers (Nathaniel Shuker) out of the car to enjoy the view. They are ready to go do the Strachan guy. Zoe tells Edwina Yen (Mya Lowe) and Andy Kendrick (Fritzy-Klevans Destine) about her brother who wants money. Zoe explains that her brother scams people using pump and dump schemes. Next, Ben calls Zoe to say he has the diary and the tape. Unless she helps, he’s going to take them to the police and ruin her life. Karl catches up with Phyllis Diaz (Fiona Vroom) at her restaurant. Cassandra Lee (Kristin Kreuk) joins them seconds later. Roger Galbraith (Lucas Bryant) interrupts to complain about not being able to find a parking spot. Cassandra says she went to high school with Roger. Once Cassandra goes inside, Roger tells Karl about his role in Braddock’s Crossing. Karl leaves and checks in with Isabella Harbud (Savonna Spracklin).

She tells him that Sid and Edwina are waiting for him. When Karl speaks to them, he learns about Benjamin who was attacked by two guys outside a club in Everett six days ago. Benjamin’s wife died three years ago. Edwina thinks they need to take this seriously. Andy says neighbors filed a complaint about a year ago saying Zoe tried to kill her dog. Karl speaks to the neighbor, Glenda Hughson (Christine Lippa), who says Zoe made threats before her dog disappeared. Glenda insists she’s not afraid of her neighbor. Then, she admits she might be. Karl visits Zoe who says she’s fine. She jokes about Glenda’s accusations. Karl says her brother wasn’t lying when he said people were after him and she could be in danger as well. Karl’s daughter Holly is waiting for him. She says her boyfriend turned out to be a jerk. Karl tells her about his cat, Felix. Zoe goes to a store where she is followed by David and Randy.

They confront her and tell her that her brother owes them money. Zoe asks them not to be hasty. Later, Zoe calls her brother to tell him about the encounter. Later, they learn they’ve found a body. Karl reaches the scene and finds Benjamin’s body. Zoe is brought to the scene to identify her brother. Karl tells her they’re going to need a statement. He speaks to the forensics guy about what likely happened. Karl finds a receipt from a hardware store. At the station, Sid tells him that someone torched Benjamin’s car. Karl says she’s an aunt, but Zoe didn’t mention that. Zoe goes to Benjamin’s motel room where she finds the kid hiding. She tells Hunter she’s there to help. Karl speaks to Isabella about Zoe. Isabella doesn’t think Zoe likes people. She claims the land is stolen. Zoe recommends speaking to Elsie Sokolowski because she used to do Zoe’s hair.

Karl speaks to Elsie who says Zoe is nice when things go her way. When they don’t, she holds a grudge very well. They briefly talk about Sid before Karl leaves. Roger sees Karl again and talks to him about being the Police Chief. He wants to know whether Karl and Cassandra are a thing. Karl doesn’t answer and leaves. Andy checks a local motel to see if Benjamin stayed there. He finds Benjamin’s room and checks it, but the kid is already gone. Andy gets partial license plates for the people who were looking for Benjamin. Zoe tries to get more information about the notebook and cassette from Hunter. Dr. Olive Duvall (Crystal Balint) tells Karl about Benjamin’s injuries. Karl suspects Benjamin fought for his life. There could be evidence under his fingernails. Karl wants Sid to ask Isabella to get a number for the Corvallis Police. Edwina interrupts to tell Karl about the cousins, David and Randy Desrosiers. Zoe still tries to get information from Hunter who insists he doesn’t know where the tape is.

Zoe tells him a terrible story about someone dying. She was hoping they could be friends, but Hunter isn’t making this easy for her. Hunter wants to call his grandma. Zoe refuses to let him do that until they sort this out. Phyllis asks Cassandra if she is with Roger Galbraith. Cassandra blames Bree for telling her. She goes on to say she’s with Karl. Meanwhile, Karl goes to the Gibsons Building Supplies store. He sees Zoe coming out. Zoe admits someone ran into her but accidents happen. Karl takes her to the station so she can make a formal statement. Sid watches from outside the interview room. Karl asks if she’d like to revisit anything from her past statement. Zoe insists she was home alone all night last night. Karl points out the scratches on her arm. Zoe suggests Benjamin went to the cliffs to meet whoever attacked him. She denies knowing David and Randy. Zoe claims she didn’t speak to her brother again after he left her house. Karl suggests someone else was out there with Benjamin.

Zoe finishes the interview and leaves. Karl tells Sid that it’s Zoe. There is something missing in Zoe. Isabella tells Edwina that a couple in the Midwest named Mulhearn is missing their grandson. The boy’s name is Hunter Strachan. Edwina and Andy return to search the motel room. Edwina finds a box hidden under the cot. When she opens the box, she finds the notebook and the cassette. Sergeant Dosanjh calls from Corvallis and tells Karl that he kind of liked Benjamin. As for Zoe, she likely broke into a neighbor’s house and stole some jewelry. Two weeks later, the same house caught on fire and the 82-year-old resident, Rita Sturgess, was found dead inside. Zoe searches for Hunter who hides from her. Sid tells Edwina and Andy that the Desrosiers have been caught trying to catch a ferry. Edwina tells him about Zoe’s diary from 20 years ago. She finds something interesting in the notebook. Zoe continues looking for Hunter.

He grabs something so he can defend himself. Hunter hits her with it. Edwina and the others look at the odd writings in the diary. Then, they listen to the cassette. Zoe tells Benjamin that Granny Sturgess told lies and deserved it. Zoe admits to setting her house on fire. Zoe grabs gasoline so she can burn Hunter alive. She sets the fire and leaves Hunter to die. Karl rushes to the scene and requests backup. He manages to make it to Hunter only for Zoe to trap them inside. Karl pushes Hunter through the wood to help him escape. Then, other officers arrive to help Karl. Sid tells him he looked like he needed saving. Zoe is arrested and taken away. She tells Karl he looks like a roasted pig. Karl knows Benjamin tried to blackmail her. Karl tells Hunter that his grandparents are on the way. Andy tries to invite Edwina to join him for the night. She admits that wasn’t her finest hour at the motel. Andy says it wasn’t his either.

He knows he messed up and let her down. Edwina says tomorrow will be better. Karl goes home where he finds Cassandra waiting for him. He tells her it’s part of the job. He believes his daughter will be back. Cassandra reveals Roger took off last night. She explains Rogers tends to create his own reality. They talk about the deck. Cassandra says her dad died of a heart attack when she was eight.

 

Murder In A Small Town Review

The third episode of Murder in a Small Town was pretty much just more of the same. The investigation into Benjamin’s death was obviously lacking a lot. In fact, there really isn’t an investigation at all. Most crime dramas do that, but it seems that Murder in a Small Town puts even less effort into it.

The personal dramas are reminiscent of Sullivan’s Crossing. An actor, Roger, was brought in to try to drive a wedge between Cassandra and Karl. That’s probably the weakest part of the force because it feels so forced and it’s unnecessary. It seems they’re trying to do the same with Edwina and Andy. That’s really not needed because the investigations should be strong enough to carry the show.

The performances are often flat or just not very good, but the dialogue isn’t particularly strong either. The show really is unbalanced when it comes to Karl who is aloof at times but masterful other times. There are subtle political jabs, but they’re few and far in between. The episode wasn’t perfect, but it was fairly pleasant to watch overall.

It was an effortless watch that was a good way to kill an hour. Don’t expect much and there won’t be much to complain about. The finale scores a 5.5 out of 10. Recaps of Murder in a Small Town can be found here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link. Learn more about advertising with us here. See what others are saying here.