Murder in a Small Town Season 2 Episode 5 Review: Bullying, Gunshots, and Tyler Posey in Emotional Turmoil

Critic’s Rating: 4.8 / 5.0

4.8

For the first time in weeks, Murder in a Small Town hooked viewers immediately by opening with multiple crimes. Only we didn’t know they were connected.

Brett Holman, the Mayor’s son, bullied another boy, and the scenes were interspersed with two adults fighting at the beginning of Murder in a Small Town Season 2 Episode 5.

After the teens fought at school, we saw a gun go off at the house, and the other boy threatened Brett with a gun symbol. That was a thrilling opener.

After school, the one boy, Elliot, walked home, and was nearly run over by a muddy truck, and a half-dead man stumbled into a man, mumbling the name, “Chad.”

“Strangers Among Us” portrayed a heartbreaking and realistic view of kids who have been abandoned and felt no one was on their side.

It also featured Tyler Posey as the victim’s best friend and took us on a wild ride through another cold case.

An Attempted Murder Leads the Cops to An Old Case

Whoever tried to kill Jack Coutts didn’t succeed since he literally stumbled into a frightened teenager.

Naturally, the foster kid gets a bad rap, but in essence, Elliot saved the man’s life by calling 9-1-1.

Soon, Sid went to check on Jack, and the many characters connected to Jack started appearing. First was his emergency contact, Ryan Coogan, played by Tyler Posey.

Ryan filled the cops in, saying that Jack hadn’t gotten over his daughter Anya’s death, who died in a jet-ski accident. He met Jack in a grief group, and they became close friends.

Laila and Sid encountered Nicole, another friend, at Jack’s house. They thought she had broken in, but she worked with him, and she was the only one who recognized the differences in the home.

Jack was obsessed with finding used jet-skis and finding the owner of the one who hit daughter years ago,

His ex-wife thought he had since she received a cryptic message from him a few days before the accident, stating he had found the one.

Tyler Posey Played Such a Complex Character and Left Us Guessing Until the End

Tyler Posey excelled at portraying Ryan Coogan, a complex character, who kept us guessing. He seemed like a genuine friend, but there was a warning flag that Nicole despised him and didn’t trust him.

That should have been a bigger sign since she gave the cops his name, but they were so busy trying to chase down Chad.

Sid and Laila finally realzed Chad was selling a Monsoon jet-ski, and he was likely the one Jack meant.

Chad seemed like an arrogant jerk, and wasn’t overally concerned about Anya’s death, but he didn’t seem like the killer. However, the pieces started to fit.

Chad used to buy drugs from Ryan’s best friend Jordan, who also died. He couldn’t pay him one time so he gave him his gun.

I kept thinking Jordan and Anya’s deaths were connected, and they died at the same by accident, but we’ll never know.

It became more suspicious that Ryan was at Chad’s party years ago and was high and drunk. He likely hit Anya by accident, but then befriended Jack to cover it up and keep him closer.

The problem was he genuinely started to care about him, but then Jack began to unravel the truth.

Ryan never wanted to harm his friend, but he couldn’t have the truth come out. Lies have a way of unraveling at the worst time.

Posey kept us guessing. I really thought Chad was guilty until I could smell Ryan’s desperation. Well played, sir.

Endless Bullying Left The Kids With Desparate Choices

It was strange seeing Jacob Shoemay portray a vicious bully. He portrays a sweet teenager who was in the foster care system in When Calls the Heart. Talk about a 180.

It was like he took being the Mayor’s kid and entitled to heart, harassing anyone else, but especially Elliot Gifford, who was afraid to fight back, since he was in the foster care system.

Being bullied excessively can cause teenagers to want to defend themselves, and I understood why Elliot grabbed that gun and put in his backback for self-defense.

Taking it to school and letting his younger foster brother see it was the wrong thing to do. While Elliot’s brain had matured to understand grey decisions, Greg’s had not.

He only understood that you defended family, and Elliot was family, and Brett Holman messed with him.

The kid saw red and acted on it, and then Elliot felt responsible for a careless error.

Murder in a Small Town Season 2 Episode 5 Left Me in Tears Due to Powerful Performances

Murder in a Small has had several exceptional episodes, but this one left me in tears, mainly because of the younger cast members.

Stories about foster care often affect me since I’ve worked with older kids in the system, and Elliot Gifford (Jaden Rain) acted like he thought no one cared about him. 

He pushed people away because he thought they would reject him. He had a cynical view of the system, thinking his foster mom, Nancy, wouldn’t kick him out because she wanted the payments.

While he’s right that some people play the system that way, she seemed to care about him more than he thought. She seemed concerned about him getting in trouble with the cops and wanted him back.

Jaden Rain was older than the 16-year-old teenager he portrayed, and in some ways, that showed.

Elliot knew when to walk away from the bullies, even if it meant disappointing his younger foster brother, Greg, whereas Greg wanted them to team up against Brett Holman.

It was a feeling Elliot had never experienced, but it came with dire consequences.

Someone should have stepped in before the teens got hold of a gun. This happens way too often in real life, with young kids not even knowing how to handle a gun, but wanting to take back control.

This was the most I’ve liked Mayor Holman because she wasn’t barking orders, but she was a mother breaking down.

She knew her son acted out and looked exhausted from dealing with him.

However, no matter how much he exhausted her, she didn’t want to lose him, which is why she blocked Greg from shooting him. That’s motherhood and relatable.

Other Musings About Murder in a Small Town Season 2 Episode 5

I started to worry in Murder in a Small Town Season 2 Episode 4 that Laila and Vanessa weren’t an ideal fit. That worry increased in this installment when Vanessa was arrested for shoplifting.

That put Laila in a tight position since Vanessa didn’t know she was a cop, and her colleagues didn’t think she was dating Vanessa.

Vanessa acted so childishly, even when Laila tried to fix things, but perhaps she was hurt that Laila didn’t admit their relationship.

I was impressed that Laila decided to meet and begin again by reintroducing themselves, admitting she was a cop. I think Vanessa craved a close connection to her parents, like Laila had with her dad.

Maybe now that things are out in the open, their relationship has a chance.

It felt like Cassandra and Holly’s case almost had a Halloween vibe, as Cassandra found Enchanted Nightshade at Lauren Park’s and another gravesite.

That flow symbolized revenge, so that should be an interesting avenue for her and the girls to explore. Hopefully, they don’t dig themselves too deep.

I found it interesting that Karl didn’t think he could be anything besides a cop, even though art brings him peace.

I suspect that could come into play later with Karl and Cassandra, especially since he became injured on the job.

I wish we could have seen that case to better understand her worry.

Over to you, Fanatics. What were your thoughts about “Strangers Among Us?’ Did you relate to Elliot’s school bullying issues? What did you think of Tyler Posey’s character?

Let us know in the comments.

Enjoyed this Murder in a Small Town review? Help us out.

Drop a comment or share it — it’s free, painless, and helps keep independent TV coverage alive.

If you enjoyed our coverage of Murder in a Small Town, we also cover blue-sky procedurals like High Potential and The Rainmaker. If you enjoy Canadian series, we also cover Wild Cards and Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent. Interested in more analytical and passionate pieces? Check out our editorials and op-eds.

TV Fanatic is searching for passionate contributors to share their voices across various article types. Think you have what it takes to be a TV Fanatic? Click here for more information and next steps.