If Kristin Kreuk is in something, I’m going to watch it. So this one was a no-brainer for me. Plus it has the added bonus of being a blend between drama, mystery, and romance. Basically, it’s a show that is everything I want. Which means I definitely set my expectations for the first episode pretty high. But luckily, this first episode delivered! Also, can we take a moment to appreciate a show that doesn’t name their first episode “Pilot”? I mean, I understand why they do it, but when you cover multiple new shows, it just feels like it’s a lot. Anyway, this new show took the opportunity to use their first episode to set the bar all the way up. And I hope they can keep it up. So keep reading for my Murder in a Small Town 1×01 review!
Love in a Small Town
Karl and Cassandra met on a dating app and I love that they dove right into it within the first few minutes. We get to meet the characters just as they are meeting each other. Also, Cass wasted no time in stating that while she was on the dating app and accepted the date, she wasn’t so sure she wanted a serious relationship. More than that, she stated that she wasn’t so sure what she wanted at all. I like that. No one always knows what they are doing at every given moment. At least, not anyone I’ve ever met. So I’m all for Karl and Cass exploring things between them and just seeing where it goes. But if we go based off of the spark between them, they aren’t going to take long before getting pretty serious. If their night together is any indication, that is.
Also, can we touch on one of my favorite tropes? The cop and the librarian. On the other side of things, I don’t usually love the single dad trope. But this episode just went a long way toward helping me feel a bit more open to it. Because I kind of loved the moments we got to see Karl bonding with Steph. The brutal honesty between Karl and Cassandra was refreshing and I absolutely want more of them. I’m kind of loving that they start out the series meeting each other with the intentions of dating and then starting out on actually dating. That’s definitely a new one for me. But I’m absolutely loving it.
Murder Happens Everywhere
It may be a small town, but that doesn’t mean it’s immune to crime. We had our first murder within the first few minutes of the show. It didn’t take long after that before we saw just how Karl operates. The way he sees things is intriguing. I know that this is based on a book series and after watching the first episode, I may just have to look into it. Books have a way of delving deeper into each character and Karl definitely has me wanting to do that. And I would love to know what he is thinking as he is taking in every aspect of the crime scene. He certainly seems to have a gift. Not only with how he looks at the crime scenes and pieces things together, but with how he speaks to people.
I’ll be honest, I did not know who the killer was going to end up being until it was blatantly revealed. About fifteen minutes after the murder was shown, I had plenty of suspects. But I was really struggling to narrow it down. There were a lot of red herrings thrown in. And those combined with the music, facial expressions, and suspicious behaviors of so many had me completely stumped. So well done to the cast and crew responsible for that. Because I was literally suspicious of everyone except Cassandra and Karl. While it became clear that it was George who was the guilty party, I’m still not convinced that there isn’t a whole lot more going on under the surface of this little town.
Secrets Always Come Out
The first case Karl had to solve was a freaking doozy. At first, there were plenty of red herrings to give a good pool of suspects. Plus, with the suspenseful music and suspicious behaviors from more than one character, it seemed like it was going to be a tough one. But then, about halfway through it was abundantly clear that it was George. And then the question came down to why he did it. As things kept unraveling, that also became clear. But with that clarity, it was hard to just want George to be arrested and have that be the end of things. I appreciated the question of justice and the conversation that Karl and Cassandra had about it and how Cassandra seemed to play devil’s advocate. But I also appreciated that Karl’s opinion was that he made an oath to uphold the law and didn’t make decisions about justice.
What did you think of Murder in a Small Town 1×01? Will you be watching the next episode? Did you know George was the killer right from the jump? Or did you also have some suspicions of others? Do you think Karl and Cassandra will continue to butt heads as Karl continues to investigate murders around town? How do you think their relationship will continue to progress as the season goes on? Find and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Threads to discuss all things Murder in a Small Town 1×01! Be sure to also check out our site for more articles, quizzes, podcasts, and more on all things Disney and beyond!
