Big Sky Episode 7 recap: Is Rick faking his memory loss?

Big Sky Episode 7, “I Fall to Pieces,” is all about the characters trying to move forward, whether in their personal lives or with the investigation. The Sullivan sisters and their parents are eager to move on from Montana and “never set foot” in the state again. Before they can do that, though, Grace steps up to the plate as the sole witness to the fisherman’s murder and the only one who can add a murder charge to Rick’s long list of crimes. Meanwhile, Jerrie is living in fear that Ronald plans to kill her after the note he left on her door.

Speaking of Rick, he’s alive and still kicking somehow. The bullet punctured his frontal lobe, which means he might experience personality changes and memory loss. Merilee tries to inform him of his litany of bad deeds, and all he can say is, “but I’m a Montana State Trooper.”

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Rick does have one powerful and frightening ally in his corner. His attorney, Penelope Denesuk (Karin Konoval), is introduced in this episode, and she’s quite formidable. Her mantra is all about giving everything “best efforts,” even if it means defending a man who is clearly 100% guilty. Even Merilee is skeptical of Penelope’s motives and her ambitious agenda.

And as we’ve come to expect from this series, there are plenty of surprising shocks in store, the biggest of which is the climactic showdown between Ronald and his mother, Helen. But as the final moments of the hour suggest, Ronald might soon be headed for the clink as Cassie and Jenny are hot on his trail.

Big Sky Episode 7 recap: Rick loses his memory (allegedly).

Rick’s frontal lobe injury leaves him slurring lines from Jaws and unable to remember the events that put him in the hospital. Curiously, he does remember that he was shot, although he doesn’t recall who shot him. I’m not convinced that Rick really did lose his memory. It seems too convenient, and we know Rick is a cunning manipulator.

Big Sky Episode 7 recap: Grace identifies Rick as the man who killed the fisherman.

This episode seems like the final one for Grace and Danielle, and potentially Jerrie, too. Jerrie is living with some friends to keep her safe from Ronald, who now knows where she lives. She also helps Cassie and Jenny get a much more accurate police sketch of Ronald to track him down. Elsewhere, Grace volunteers to assist Cassie and Jenny with finding the fisherman’s body.

He’s discovered in a hot spring pool in the woods, and since Grace was the only person present when Rick killed him, she’s their best bet to link his death to the state trooper. Poor Grace is still experiencing some PTSD from the incident, and part of her blames herself for the kind stranger’s death. Cassie reassures Grace that it wasn’t her fault. But by the hour’s end, Danielle and their parents have made it clear they’re ready to put this terrible chapter behind them and leave Montana for good.

Big Sky Episode 7 recap: Ronald kills Helen.

Ronald does everything he can think of to keep himself from getting caught, including dying his hair black. He also meets up with Merilee under his “Mitchell” disguise to find out what he can about Rick’s memory loss. But the one thing he doesn’t anticipate is his mother, Helen, being willing to throw him to the wolves, not that he leaves her much choice.

Ronald starts telling her how he has yet to kill anyone, but that might have to change if he wants to avoid jail time. Unnerved by her son’s increasing depravity, Helen tells him she’s planning to turn him into the police, and Ronald snaps and breaks his mother’s neck! The storyline between Helen and Ronald has always had shades of Norman and Norma Bates, but it completely crosses over into that territory by the end of the hour as Ronald officially kills Helen.

I guess that puts to bed my theory about Helen not being real. You’d think Helen would have been smart enough to go to the police first, instead of telling her son — who just admitted he had murderous intentions — she intended to betray him. That said, I don’t think Ronald’s life on the run is going to last much longer.

As for the actors, Valerie Mahaffey, who plays Helen, chatted with TVLine about whether or not she felt Helen believed Ronald would ever physically harm her.

"“Yeah. I think it became that way. At first, she was the power broker of the whole thing and could chastise him and make him slink away. In that very episode where he ultimately kills her, do you remember the scene where she goes to his truck? And he screams at her to get out? It was scary. She got it. And he throttled her a couple of episodes before that. So the tide was beginning to turn. Yeah, she was scared. Even watching it, I knew what was coming, and I was like, “Ooh, that’s terrible!”"

Later, Ronald revisits Merilee, potentially to kill her. Before he can get more blood on his hands, Ronald slips into the upstairs close, searching for a hollow point in the wall. He finds it, punches through, and discovers a secret alcove with a hidden item tucked inside. I have no idea how Ronald knew this secret room was there or what the item he took out of it is. The show hasn’t previously addressed it, so it comes out of nowhere. I guess we’ll find out more next week.

In the final moments of Big Sky Episode 7, Cassie and Jenny visit Merilee to show her their new police sketch, courtesy of Jerrie. This one is much more accurate, and Merilee immediately recognizes “Mitchell,” who she says is upstairs in her house right now. I wonder how Merilee feels, knowing she’s been hoodwinked by two psychopaths now?! At this point, She should follow in the Sullivan sisters’ footsteps and hightail it out of Montana.

Were you shocked by Helen’s death? Do you think Rick is faking his memory loss? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

New episodes of Big Sky air Tuesday nights at 10/9c on ABC.