As Walt (Robert Taylor) settles down to a Rainier beer, he opens his mail and listens to DJ Strongbow on the radio. He prefers radio to TV, naturally. He then opens a credit card bill belonging to Cady (CAssidy Freeman) and sees a payment to the Rusty Parrott, which gets his mind working overtime. There's a call over the radio from a man who tells him someone's following him in a car. Malcolm Eaglestar (Anthony Wamego) holds onto his phone and he's on the Rez somewhere but can't say where for sure and he's being shot at. Three shots are fired and Walt races out. Outside the radio station on the Rez, Henry (Lou Diamond Phillips) and Mathias (Zahn McClarnon) already there, as Vic (Katee Sackhoff) arrives asking if they've been invited. Walt just thinks it's right to be here. Also for more ulterior motives which will become apparent later on. Vic asks how a 911 call ended up on the radio cos a lot of viewers would be wondering that too, and he responds, the tribal switchboard takes calls when the local one is inundated with calls. This time an intern accidentally pressed the switch to go on air.
Malcolm is president of the Tribal Council and Mathias allocates quadrants to search. Sneakily giving Walt the one where Malcolm's DB is found and Walt does a quick prelim of his DB and the car. Explaining to Vic he was shot somewhere else and his DB moved as there would have been more blood if he'd been shot in the seat. Also his shirt has dirt on the back. Again, being a bit of a forensics person, she should have realized that already. It's all to do with blood lividity. Vic adding that is Walt 'Kreskin.' Henry tells Walt he received a call from the Denver PD. The wallet is empty and his phone isn't found. Henry now uses his flare to signal the others. Yeah again that was sneaky, there was Walt thinking that they'd found the DB first and yet it had already been found and moved, off the Rez! Mathias offers to help and Henry adds Malcolm was divorced, but Mathias points out he had a girlfriend.
Jill Littlefox (Yvonne DeLarosa) is distraught not knowing why anyone would kill him. Then coldly asks who will get his winnings cos he told her he was winning. He'd been playing poker but she doesn't know where. He had a debt too. Henry doesn't know of any poker games on the Rez and money like that wouldn't change hands until Jacob Nighthorse (A Martinez) has completed his casino. Henry warns as his campaign advisor to not make accusations about Malcolm, at least not without proof. Walt replies he's not his advisor, ha. Walt also tells him that if the motive was robbery, why move his DB?
Mathias explains Malcolm's gambling addiction and a Tribal Council member in that position wouldn't look good. Also cos he has to make a ruling on the casino. The case is very sensitive which is why Mathias politely asked for Walt's help and also why the DB was moved. Mathias shows him where he was found and Walt is angry, he's tampered with evidence (but nothing Walt wouldn't have done in certain circumstances either). Walt won't arrest him cos it's an election year and he's already removed one Tribal Chief Police. Mathias adding if the killer is from the Rez, then he could lose his badge, leaving Walt in much the same position and Walt adds it's better for him to expose Malcolm having a gambling problem. Also Mathias says he wouldn't have any jurisdiction if someone from outside the Rez killed him.
Also asking if Walt can say he's never broken the law for the right reason. That would have been close to him cos from his flashbacks, guessing he has. Also in the ep with the missing Indian children, Dog Soldier, Walt did the right thing in sending them back to their biological parents. Walt asks about his phone. Walt's Bronco is being repaired so Omar left his keys to his truck and Tribal Council leaders are here. Walt hands Vic the phone and she's angry she spent so long searching for it but he doesn't tell her where he found it. Walt also tells Ruby (Louanne Stephens) to call Cady and tell her he's still getting her bills. Then asks what day Freddie Whitehawk was killed (1.4 The Cancer.)
Branch (Bailey Chase) plays golf with his father, and asks if Barlow (Gerald McRaney) played cards with Malcolm. He'll only reply if the info will help Branch win the election, cos the last time he gave him info on Walt, he didn't use it. This is about solving a murder and if Branch can help break the case, then that'll be great press for him. He'll get Branch the address but he owes him now. Vic finds Malcolm got threats on his phone about ruining his marriage. Branch walks in pleased with himself having found the address, with little legwork on his part. Walt is not happy and marches him into his office. He's on the warpath. Walt wants him to go to the Rusty Parrot and find out if Cady was there on the 21st. When Walt had to call Branch in from a "romantic getaway". He confesses they've been dating for six months. Branch using dating cos he knows how old fashioned Walt is, but guess it was really dating after all, seeing as he didn't want to call it off with her. Branch didn't tell him cos it's none of his business, but he's his deputy so it is. Thinking about it, it really isn't. Branch asking if he can snoop around in Walt's private life when he becomes Sheriff. Walt shouting, "IF" he becomes sheriff. Walt should talk to Cady sine she wanted to keep it secret. Walt grabs the paper and leaves.
Ruby calls on the radio adding that Det Fales from the Denver PD called and Walt has a flashback to Denver PD and storming out of there. Walt enraged enters the tattoo parlour and picks a fight with the bikers cos he wants to get into the poker game. Another flashback to a fight with Walt and other men and one of them with a Samurai sword slices into his back, which explains his scars. (For the purposes of Channel 5 prime time viewing this scene was cut so wouldn't have made sense, so much for warning people about violent scenes!! Why would you do that?)
Walt manages to knock down the door and find four bikers engrossed in a poker game. One biker rushes at Walt and manages a punch and beat him on his back, before the sheriff's posse, ha, races in. One biker threatens them with his lawyer and Walt picks out one who doesn't look like he's a biker and waltzes him into his office. As Walt orders Branch to stake out the tattoo parlour. Walt tells Jeff (Richard Speight Jr) he's got a good poker face but he has a tell, there's no fire in his eyes. Jeff can't talk cos he's afraid of the bikers but Walt replies he doesn't have to say anything, he'll just make it appear that he spilled. He calls in Vic and they look at Jeff in the chair. Vic traced the call back to Reuben Lamebull (Jay Tavare). Walt then calls in Ferg (Adam Bartley) who brings in a tape recorder, which looked like it hasn't been used in a while.
Jeff finally admits Malcolm was at the game but he lost. Ruby informs of the biker's lawyer but Walt leaves. Walt asks Vic if she knew about Cady and she replies he doesn't tell her much either. She didn't have proof. Darla Lamebull (Rusty Schwimmer) tells Walt that she's a gold digger and was only with Reuben cos he was going to get money. Malcolm sent Reuben a letter "disenrolling" him from the tribe. He won't get his share of casino profits or tribal benefits. Henry says Malcolm introduced a a resolution to alter the blood quantum requirements for membership of the tribe. If you had below a certain amount you were kicked out, which turns out to be most of the elderly members. Thus garnering more profits for those left.
Walt asks the Council for a list of members and no one knew the letters had been sent out. Anita (Claudia Ferri) Malcolm's ex shouts that Malcolm had huge debts which is why he called the meeting when he knew at least two wouldn't be around. But Jacob speaks out saying he didn't have any debts cos he bought his debt. He didn't want him to be influenced when it came to voting or making decisions. No, cos he'd just vote his way then. Reuben tries to prove he's got more Cheyenne blood than anyone by cutting his arm and his gun doesn't match. Cady warns Walt about the lawsuit and reads out names on the list, including Mika Dullknife. Walt grabs the list and crumples it up. Walt loses it with her and asks if her way of helping was dating Branch. If she wanted to hurt him, she'd have told him. She's old enough to do what she wants and brings up how she gave up her life to look after him. He relieves her of that burden.
Walt has a brainwave, and asks about Mika Dullknife being in the biker gang cos then he'd have known if Malcolm was at the game. Since his father was "disenrolled." They get to the tattoo parlour and Mika is led out the back where a biker gives him a bike. Walt gives pursuit and at the roadblock set up by Mathias, Mika turns off into a side road. He finally falls off his bike as it skids. He's arrested for the murder but he believes he's on the Rez and so Walt can't do anything. Walt adding that Malcolm was found in his jurisdiction. But Mika is certain he was on the Rez. He then admits he ought to be killed, he was a coward just for money he betrayed his tribe.
Walt talks with Jacob and Anita will be taking Malcolm's seat, it won't be Jacob since he doesn't have enough blood requirement. Adding that the US government quantifies three things by blood: dogs, horses and Indians. Walt retorts horses and dogs don't sell their own out for profit. Walt suggests Jacob was behind the entire killing and from past ep Dog Soldier, we know he's capable of it. He tells Jacob that he underestimates him. Jacob does have a beef against the US government over their treatment of Indians, but then he does the same thing too. Cady drives to see Branch and is sorry she hasn't returned his calls. He was trying to warn her about Walt. She tells him he lied too and he replies Walt'll forgive her, but what about him. He has two choices, he either quits his job, or takes Walt's. He ain't no quitter, no but Walt's a fighter!
This ep included plenty of betrayals and underhandedness. Yes they were all at it this time round. Mathias using Walt to investigate incase he loses his badge, moving the DB. Malcolm betraying his tribe for money. Cady's relationship with Branch being seen as a betrayal by Walt. Then Jacob doing much the same in order to profit. With everything coming to a head cos it's the penultimate ep. Walt being unable to answer Henry when he tells him about the Denver detective calling him. Well, it just keeps us hanging on for longer. Though it had to be about his wife.
Mika did have a point aboutd being angry his father was thrown out of the tribe, it's a cultural thing too. Most of them were elderly so you don't kick them to the wayside when they grow old on the basis of them not having enough Cheyenne blood. But Jacob's plan all along was to get onto the council somehow and if that involved removing Malcolm and getting Anita in his place, he knew that she' eventually go for removing the 'disenrolling' resolution. Again the same with Cady, most people would look after their parents instead of seen them as a 'burden' as Walt puts it, again a cultural thing, not palm them off to nursing homes and the like just like Branch's uncle.
Of course now Branch owes Barlow, wonder what his payback will involve, obviously something against Walt. Branch also betraying Cady in a way as he now tells her he's running cos last time he'd have given up the race if they could be together. Cady seemingly is a constant source of trouble for Walt. She was there to look after him, but a year later, she doesn't still have to be there on such a regular basis and she didn't have to lie to him, cos that's kind of the ultimate betrayal between a father and daughter. Walt would demand a little loyalty at least from his flesh and blood. Though many can't understand why Walt would blow his top over Cady's secret. There's no love lost between Barlow and Walt so maybe some of this animosity between them filters down to how Walt sees Branch, though he's capable of doing his job. Walt has trouble trusting him personally.
Vic directing her wrath at Branch was a good scene about him pooping where he eats, clearly she's not into all this 'inter-office' romance, so it's hard for us to actually envisage her having a relationship with Walt, hoping they won't go down that road, cos it's just not necessary.
Then there was Richard Speight Jr, aka Trickster/Gabriel from Supernatural, who was rearing to make a quick exit from the sheriff's office! Ha.
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