When a show like "Murder in a Small Town" churns out an episode like "This, That, and the Other Thing," it often leaves one pondering why it's content to meander in mediocrity most of the time. Season 2, in particular, has felt like a disjointed journey, reaching a crescendo of indifference just before Episode 7 becomes its standout moment, weaving a masterful tapestry of plot and character development. And, once again, it's not about a murder – a recurring theme of the show's best episodes revolving around other things. This is also the turning point where Karl and Cassandra's individual storylines start to intertwine, hinting at a meaningful conflict down the line. While it was obvious this was going to happen sooner or later, the lack of attention this season paid to their relationship made it difficult to believe they would ever find harmony.
This week's main concern – a kidnapping – witnessed by Isabella's uncle, turns out to be more than meets the eye. A young boy and his babysitter are snatched from outside a pizza place, leaving the police scrambling to figure out who's responsible and why. As the babysitter manages to escape and the respective parents are interviewed, the pieces start to fall into place, revealing a larger conspiracy than anyone anticipated.
In fact, the kidnapping is a ruse to stretch the struggling police force thin so that an auction at the swanky Gibsons Club can be relieved of all its expensive art and jewels. Unfortunately for the robbers, Phyllis is in attendance and manages to place a call to Cassandra, who tips off Karl, thwarting the kidnappers but leading to the fatal shooting of one of the suspects – the wife of the lead robber, posing as a caterer. Laila takes the shot, only compounding her already difficult start in the Gibsons PD. She has been neglected as a character thus far this season, so I'm hoping this is the spark of a more focused character arc for her.
Meanwhile, Sid also plays a pivotal role in the arrest but continues to grapple with his rebellious teenage daughter. And at the end of "Murder in a Small Town" Season 2, Episode 7, he falls asleep at the wheel while picking her up from a far-out party in the middle of nowhere, crashing his car.
All of this serves to deepen the underlying theme that ties into Cassandra's ultimate mission. In the early episodes of "This, That, and the Other Thing," she hands over the evidence she has gathered about the suspiciously symbolic flowers left at various road accidents, suggesting a shift in focus away from that particular investigation and allowing Laila to take the lead. This decision on her part is likely a wise one. In the interim, she dives deeper into the local political landscape, where one of the most contentious issues is the underfunded police force. This is why Karl and his team are struggling to solve cases and why Sid is falling asleep at the wheel. The situation is dire. Thanks to Cassandra's principled stance against Mayor Christie Holman's plans to slash investment in the social programs closest to her heart, the budget is frozen, effectively cutting off all funding - including for the police force.
One of the things that "Murder in a Small Town" has done exceptionally well this season is to humanize Christie beyond her initial caricature as an antagonist. We see more of her struggling at home with her son and a different side of her when she shows genuine sensitivity towards Todd, the troubled man whom Cassandra is encouraging to work at the local library. However, she is also using the police department's funding as a tool to keep Cassandra on her side by manipulating her relationship with Karl. She assumes that Cassandra will simply accept the sweeping changes to the budget because it includes funding for the police, but by rejecting it and encouraging the rest of the town council to do the same, Cassandra is putting Karl's department at further risk. And predictably, he is not happy about it. This is good for the show, as things were becoming too easy and siloed. The turns in "This, That, and the Other Thing" effectively weave everything together, and I hope it marks a turning point for a much-improved latter half of the season.
