Gibsons would be a lovely place to host a wedding. Small towns exude charm and often invite intimate gatherings.
That type of wedding never occurred in Murder in a Small Town Season 2 Episode 2. Instead of romance, we were thrust into a bitter family feud that escalated into violent accusations of murder.
The series changed the format with “Blood Wedding” and spent several minutes introducing the characters and the feud before showing the murder scene.
While I typically prefer getting to the crime, we needed to learn about the issues between the Tait and Connolly families.
A 100-Year-Old Feud Destroyed Two Families
Romeo and Juliet is one of my favorite classic plays, and it was interesting to see a modern take on that family feud.
The Taits and Connollys had been at war so long that it was difficult to believe that Jon Tait and Sylvia Connolly met and fell in love.
Jocelyn Tait (Camryn Manheim) and Griff Connolly (William Martin) remembered the bitter history differently, but she still blames him for killing her husband six years ago.
You’d think her son would have planned a better date for the wedding instead of the anniversary of his father’s death in respect to his mother.
The fun just began. There’s a drunk relative at every rehearsal dinner, only they typically don’t air all the dirty laundry in one toast.
Sylvia’s brother, Jacob, gave a scathing toast that led to a physical altercation and resulted in his arrest. She was the only family member whom I felt genuine sympathy for, especially when her father, Griff, ended up dead.
Karl and his team were drawn into a web of secrets and lies as accusations began to fly.
Camryn Manheim excelled in her performance of Jocelyn Tait, and she made you feel for her.
She’d been burdened with this family feud. Even though Griff didn’t hold a gun to her husband, she blamed him for the two of them losing everything and her husband’s deepening spiral. In some ways, he might as well have pulled the trigger.
She likely wanted Griff dead, but she wouldn’t have done that to Sylvia. Jocelyn loved Sylvia and wanted this stupid feud to end, so her son and Sylvia could live freely without all the hatred and resentment.
The Murderer Wasn’t Who You Expected
In many episodes of Murder in a Small Town, I can guess the culprit a mile away. The groom looked suspicious since he arrived way too late to the rehearsal dinner and didn’t have a clear alibi.
No one initially suspected the Bucholtzes, as they had known Griff Connolly for years and had run the resort with him.
I still think it was also difficult to assume that Leland Bucholtz would murder Griff from his wheelchair, but a man will do anything to keep his dignity.
Griff tried to take the resort from the Bucholtzes, just as he had taken everything from the Taits years ago. Instead of letting it kill himself, Leland Bucholtz killed Griff Connolly.
I felt sorry for him since he hadn’t meant for it to turn out that way, and he wanted to protect his wife, but there was nothing he could do about it.
It wasn’t someone who hated Griff, but a well-loved member of the community, making it a hard pill to swallow.
I loved that Sid got pulled into this case so much. As a father, he was the only one able to reach Jacob Connolly, who went off the rails, thinking Jocelyn Tait had murdered his father.
Jacob had a short temper that often got him into trouble, just like his father. I admired that Sylvia called the cops on her brother, even though Jocelyn was technically the enemy.
It was challenging for Sid to convince Jacob that someone besides the Taits had killed Griff. They were enemy number one. He’s going to have so much to reckon with if this feud continues.
While I know Jocelyn wanted Sylvia and Jon to get married and start fresh, that would be challenging with all the bad blood.
Cassandra Finally Had Her Own POV
Many fans, including myself, hated that someone with Kristin Kreuk’s talent had been used mainly as Karl’s love interest in Murder in a Small Town Season 1.
Don’t get me wrong. I ship Karl and Cassandra and look forward to seeing their relationship evolve, but I also want to learn more about Cassandra’s career and family.
There is something about Cassandra’s past with Mayor Holman that brings out Cassandra’s feisty side, and I’m here for it.
Calling out the past council may not have been wise, but Cassandra believed that coming together as a community was more important than saving a few pennies.
Creating the Arts Center and community initiatives was personal to her. She believed in Gibsons, and that’s why she returned home.
It wasn’t only because of her mother, and I suspect the Mayor knows more about the Lee family than we do with her insinuations about Cassandra’s mom.
I’m eager to learn more with these seeds that have been planted.
Karl Was a Work in Progress with Cassandra and His Girls
I love Karl, but he still wasn’t skilled at balancing his career and his family life. He had gotten used to it being just him, Cassandra, and Holly.
While it took some time, Cassandra and Holly were now great friends, and Holly had come to approve of their relationship.
Karl hadn’t seen Steph in months and assumed she was well adjusted and would be fine with meeting Cassandra at dinner.
While I still think Steph’s reaction was overplayed, since we went through this with Holly in Murder in a Small Town Season 1, I understand that she thought Cassandra had usurped her place in the family.
It was amusing that Steph was the one who thought Karl should grovel to Cassandra for missing the town hall meeting.
Let’s face it. Karl and Cassandra will always have conflicting priorities, and they’ll need to make it work. However, Cassandra finally felt like part of the family when she saw his daughters cheering for her, even though he couldn’t be there.
Other Musings About Murder in a Small Town
I’m glad they continued to touch on Sid’s story with his daughter. I predicted he would worry that Liza inherited his sister Annie’s alcohol addiction, and hopefully, they’ll continue this thread.
I would like to actually see Sid interact with Liza, as he’s a loving dad.
It was nice to flesh out Corporal Jackson’s character. I loved how nervous she was to call the woman from the napkin and admitted she had overshared, but it got her a coffee date out of it. She’s the first LGBTQ character on the series.
The Gibsons police department felt more complete. Even the new medical examiner and Karl seemed to understand each other better. I like this team.
Over to you, TV Fanatics. What did you think of “Blood Wedding?’ Did you enjoy seeing Camryn Manheim on TV again? Will Cassandra get her Arts Center?
Let us know in the comments.
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