What Happened to Travis on ‘Big Sky’?

Big Sky: Deadly Trails is entering a new era and living up to its new name!

After dealing with two murderous truckers and a drug syndicate, Helena finally got a break for a few months before danger crept back into town disguised as a glamping experience of all things. 

Sunny Day Excursions, run by Sunny Barnes and her husband, Buck, seems like a fun nature escape, but what’s lurking in the shadows, er, trails, is much more sinister. 

The episode kicked off with a death on Deadman’s Drop. The curious hiker, Mark Woodman, was ambushed by a hunter, who lured him in with a cassette player. While Mark initially managed to get away, when he reached the top of the cliff, he heard the same song playing, and when he turned around, Walter was standing right behind him. As fear washed over him, he backed away slowly and fell to his death. 

Mark’s disappearance hit the desk of Dewell and Hoyt, and they immediately jumped on the case. Cassie visited Sunny Day because has a personal relationship with Sunny Barnes, which is what threw everything for a loop. Cassie has a good feel for people, so if she thinks that Sunny is a great person, the kind of person she’d trust to go camping with her son, I’m inclined to believe her. 

Except that Sunny is hiding a very dark secret. After all of her glamping guests went to sleep, she threw the missing person’s poster into the fire, made some smores, and walked into the woods while singing the exact song that is played on the cassette player. She then called out to the man, Walter, who is revealed to be her son. I’m not entirely shocked since that was my guess from the very beginning, but when they introduced Cormac, I figured maybe I was wrong in my assumption. Now, I’m just bummed that Sunny’s friendly tour guide act is a total fake. 

It’s unclear why her son is a man of the woods, but we’ll just peel back the layers as the season progresses. Is he responsible for the murders and the hushed-up missing glampers? Or is he a witness to the killings? How is Walter involved?

It’ll be quite a shock to Cassie once she realizes that Sunny isn’t the woman she thought she was. 

The campers are all in danger, particularly Emily, who arrived with her stepdad Avery. Initially, they seem like just another random group of glampers, but by the end, the connection between Emily and Beau is made apparent. He’s concerned about his daughter and jealous that she spends so much time with her stepdad, Avery, who Beau hates and has on his punch list.

This also explains why Beau’s ex-wife, Carla, was brought up so many times. We haven’t met her yet, and she didn’t come glamping with Avery and Emily because of work, but I’m sure that she’ll show up eventually. Will Avery and Emily’s dangerous glamping trip bring her to Montana and reconnect her with Beau? And will she really hate Jenny as Beau said?

Sunny’s business and overall plan, however shady it may be, is in danger now that both Beau and Cassie are somehow involved. They won’t stop until they get to the truth. 

While it’s not entirely clear if Sunny’s husband and son, Cormac, know what she’s really up to, my guess is that they have to be aware. Buck questioned why Cassie visited them before the guest’s arrived, and he seemed worried that maybe the whole operation was going to unravel before it even began.

The mystery of Sunny Day excursions and the hiking trails was only just beginning as Beau and Jenny Hoyt tackled another case involving a nearly-naked man that flagged them down on the side of the road. The man, a cop, was seduced by a prisoner named Faith, who then robbed a small store at gunpoint and took the manager, Bill, as a hostage. Beau or Jenny couldn’t figure out why someone who just wanted cash would take a hostage, and when they checked out the manager’s house, his body dropped right onto the hood of their car. 

Jenny threw caution to the wind and ran up to check the apartment without backup (Beau should expect this behavior from her at this point), and figured out that the case may involve a child. When they tracked down Faith, sure enough, she risked everything for a little girl that she helped raise like a daughter. The scene that unfolded was heartbreaking as Maddie ran into her mother’s arms to save her from the guns that Beau and Jenny pointed at her. Eventually, Faith surrendered, and they allowed her to say goodbye to her daughter one last time before she was locked up for good. 

This was definitely a one-off case that didn’t tie into the overall mystery of the season, but it was necessary to help us get a deeper understanding of Beau and Jenny’s partnership. They work well together, even if they’re roasting each other half the time.  

These two may still be figuring each other out, but Beau and Cassie are the kind of BFFS that have movie nights together. If you’re thinking they are probably more than friends, well, so did Jenny, and Beau shot that right down. He’s clearly still hung up on his ex, while Cassie is getting over a breakup with Lindor. Honestly, I hate that. I know the series wasn’t able to get Lindor back this season because of a scheduling conflict, but I don’t buy the “we’re better as friends” and “he and Jeri are a great match” excuses at all. He was such a promising love interest for Cassie, so it hurts. However, there was definitely some sexual tension between her and Cormac, and I’m not opposed to giving him a shot, as long as he’s not involved in any shady business with his mom and man of the woods brother.

Cassie also purchased the ranch that was previously owned by the Bhullar cartel, and she managed to get it at a good price by playing Tonya at her own game. Tonya truly got off easy considering everything she did. She’s only a “legitimate business owner” because she worked her way up to acquiring land and property by working for a gang. Therefore, there’s nothing legitimate about it. I hope that at some point, Cassie and Jenny destroy her and Donno once and for all. Much like Ronald last season, these two are the lingering characters that keep the series grounded for longtime viewers, but it also means that their storyline isn’t over. Why did they stick around when the cartel operations clearly folded?

What did you think of the Big Sky: Deadly Trails Season 3 premiere? Have all your glamping dreams fizzled out? Maybe Luke was onto something when he complained that they weren’t at an all-inclusive 5-star hotel.