The killer has struck again! One of the suspects became the killer’s latest victim, adding a new layer to the already complex mystery.
“Episode 4” is where the series takes off as the killer expands their murderous plot. The investigations go deeper, the suspects could die, and the players start turning on each other more than ever. The series only goes up from here.
Let’s find out why by rewatching the next chapter.
Leita Rose-Blodgett wasn’t going to be the killer. The investigators cleared her on Murder in Small Town X Season 1 Episode 3, but her role in the story and ability to commit the murders never lined up with each other.
Her connection to the story was the main reason why she was included.
[About Leita Rose-Blodgett] It seems like somebody shaved her head.
Angel
Leita being dead now removes any chance of learning more about her past and any further information about her husband’s connection to C.R. Flint and Hayden DeBeck. It’s a shame she died because Leita was nice and wanted to help the investigators where she could.
Plus, now we’ll never hear her story of why William Lambert’s mother was run out of town. (Coincidental or convenient?)
Whoever killed her wanted Leita to suffer and feel the pain. Shaving her head and chasing her around her home was cruel.
In addition to Leita’s murder, Lindsey choosing Brian as the next Lifeguard also shocked me.
Why did she choose Brian of all people? Why didn’t she choose Kristen (i.e., her friend)?!
Her video message stated it was due to Brian having the skills to lead, but she would’ve known that Kristen would be thrown into the killer’s game if she wasn’t saved. Any other decision guaranteed a spot of Kristen potentially going home.
Also, the men were in an “unofficial” alliance, so another woman was bound to go in. Stacey only made Brian’s job easier by volunteering to go in regardless. (We’ll get to Stacey’s baffling decision very soon.)
“Episode 4” had an interesting structure for the players compared to previous rounds. Instead of three main tracks, the stories ventured out into another night of three tracks to continue their cases.
Most of their journies just so happened to converge at the nightclub.
All three tracks will be essential to the main story of Murder in Small Town X. Without giving any spoilers away, characters like “The Burnt Man” and the exposition dropped by the suspects will come back later.
This is where writing down notes (or reading these rewatches) comes in handy!
Track #1 (Leita’s murder) exposed some big pieces of evidence for the investigators to keep their eyes on.
Like, why did the killer shave her head? And did any of the pieces from the suspects clear them of suspicion?
Frank Kovick couldn’t have dropped that toy after the murder since the blood pooled around it. The item had to have fallen during Leita’s death to leave that stain; he either dropped it while killing Leita, or she had borrowed it, and it had fallen in the struggle.
Secondly, the rip on William Lambert’s jacket either happened during the murder or earlier if he visited Leita.
And finally, the call to Rusty Crandall confirmed he wasn’t around to pick up her phone call. The answering machine got it, so where was he during the time of the murder?
Track #2 creeped me out as a kid. There’s something about the menacing way The Burnt Man told his story that gave me goosebumps (it sometimes still does to this day).
Everything about The Burnt Man’s tape screamed that it played a bigger part in the story.
“Episode 4” wouldn’t have spent so much time bringing up history about the town, dates about his birth and murder, and details about his life if it didn’t matter. The killer had a connection to this man, and them leaving the tape during the last killer’s game was a big sign to notice these clues.
Stacey: Do you know of any fires in this area?
Frank Kovick: There was one in ’41.
Stacey: There was one in ’41? Where?
Frank Kovick: In Sunrise.
Stacey: Sunrise…
Frank Kovick: It was huge, it destroyed most of the town.
Stacey: Really?!
Frank Kovick: Founders Day fire. They called it the “Miracle Fire” because nobody died.
Stacey and Jeff asked all the right questions to Frank and the trailer park owner. No one else in town knew about The Burnt Man, but his presence had something to do with all the murders going on.
Plus, Frank discussing his adoption and life was just another layer to his mysterious side.
The third track (and, by extension, the second phase of Track #1) was where the drama really ramped up.
William Lambert is a sinister man. Everything about him came across as a crooked mobster trying to take over Sunrise, Maine. His plan to create the new hotel was no exception; he had his hands in everything and could get whatever he wanted.
You think I killed Leita? Just let me tell you a little story here. Shortly after I was born in Sunrise to a 15-year-old single mother, they tossed us out of there like yesterday’s garbage. And as I grew older, I came to understand that my mother was driven out of town by a vicious campaign of gossip and innuendo led by her very best friend, Leita Rose. So, do I hold a grudge against Leita Rose-Blodgett? You’re damn right I do! Do I need her land? Yes. But I would never kill her for it.
William Lambert
And with Deanna by his side making the deals, the pair might be the most powerful duo in town.
I wasn’t surprised in the least that he owned the nightclub. It’s just another venue for him to spread his control and conduct his business dealings.
Who else called it that Mary-Elizabeth Merchant dumped Abby Flint’s car into the ocean? (High fives for everyone!)
Based on the evidence, she seemed like the obvious suspect; her confession to Alan and Kristen only implicated Jimmy Tinker even more. Begging her to dump the car made him look sketchier, as if he had a bigger reason to get rid of the car.
Sure, Jimmy claimed that he did it because he destroyed Abby’s car in a drunken rage and found the bloody scene on Murder in Small Town X Season 1 Episode 1. However, his actions of stealing the car and dumping it only dug him a deeper hole.
Leita earlier shared the news of Jimmy fighting with Nate Flint, so there has to be more to this story than his lovesick attitude over losing Abby. No one who sleeps with their dead girlfriend’s best friend so soon would be that clean and heartbroken.
At least Frank, Samantha Larabee, and William had their dirty laundry out in the open.
Surprisingly, the people of Sunrise know EVERYTHING about each other. Like, why would Prudence Connor so openly talk about Samantha’s night terrors? They’re probably friends, but it wasn’t her secret to tell.
And Frank was a messy drunk. He knew exactly that his words would cause a commotion and dampen the nightly spirits.
These two aren’t friends, and later on, their actions will make it very clear.
Who do you side with in the case of William Lambert’s jacket: Katie or Kristen?
Kristen gave Katie a tip on how to get the jacket, and she claimed that Katie took all the credit. From the scenes at home base, it looked like Katie didn’t mention Kristen at all. Her confessionals also showed that Katie never acknowledged Kristen’s part.
She walks over to Lambert, asks for the jacket, comes home, and takes all the credit and doesn’t tell anybody that it was my idea. She took the credit for it.
Kristen
Katie should’ve given Kristen some kudos.
It’s not so much an ego aspect to prop Kristen up, but it’s more about acknowledging that Kristen was a team player. She worked with Katie to get the job done and, because of her quick thinking, the team succeeded in their mission.
In a round where everyone was once again clashing with Kristen (especially Jeff and the men cheering over William talking down to her), it would’ve been nice to have the team congratulate her too.
Stacey’s actions over the team vote and killer game were baffling. What was she thinking?!
The killer’s game is a 50/50 chance of survival. There are no challenges or mechanisms within the game that determine who wins; it’s all based on a lucky envelope pull to grab the right location. Stacey talked about it like she was going to succeed based on how she explored the location.
She should have never volunteered to be chosen.
The odds were already too risky, and since it’s all luck, she had no control over where she went. Unless the group voted her into the game instead, Kristen was going to have the first pick at the black envelopes. This was a bad game move!
Last Thoughts From The War Room:
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Drew Chambers was another minor suspect in the grand scheme. His being cleared was uneventful since he didn’t have a big part in the story.
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Alan needed to chill while being at the strip club. Mary-Elizabeth dancing in front of him gave off weirder vibes instead of it being sexy.
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Now that Stacey is gone, the next big fight will be Jeff vs. Kristen.
- Why didn’t Dudley Duncan wash his bloody hands before visiting the players? He needs to pull himself together and act as the police chief.
Now, it’s over to you!
What did you think of “Episode 4”?
Who will the killer murder next? Did Leita’s murder make William Lambert or Frank Kovick look more suspicious? Did Stacey’s frustration cloud her judgment?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Justin Carreiro is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.