Murder in a Small Town – Episode 8 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

Sleep While I Sing

Episode 8 of Murder in a Small Town begins with Karl heading out to the woods and retracing their Jane Doe’s steps. It would appear she was killed in one spot and then dragged through the woods before being placed in that very weird and deliberate position on the ground.

Karl returns to the office, where the composite sketch has been completed by our weird and creepy teacher, Tommy Cummins. Karl heads off to the gallery next to catch up with him further. He’s painted a variety of different women across his career, and apparently admires Karl’s mother too, who has a history of art.

After this brief chat, the sketch is put up on TVs and someone immediately rings the station, having apparently recognized our Jane Doe. Turns out her actual name is Sally Dublin and she’s an actor. She had trouble with drugs in the past but for now, she claimed she was heading out on the road and “might hook up with an old acquaintance” called Roger.

Does another body show up?

Roger is rattled when he sees the news and before the police contact him, he rings Cass and tells her to give an alibi and cover for him. It’s pretty suspicious behaviour and instead, Cass heads to the station and reveals everything to Karl.

It soon becomes clear that we’ve got a serial killer on our hands that kills every 6 years based on what Edwina and the others have uncovered. Karl is quite to warn them against assumptions and that there could actually be more bodies out there. In the morning, another dead body is found… but this time it’s a dog. There are stones arranged in a circle too and for now all fingers are pointed at Roger.

As for Devon, she makes a move on Cummins and then freaks, rushing away that night.

As for Roger, he shows at the station and Karl interviews him. His story however, seems to check out.

The media are out for blood though and of course they point to Karl being a white male as the reason for this incompetence. These journos want blood and they’re not going to stop any time soon. Then again, neither are Karl and the others.

Why do the police think Roger is responsible?

At the station, Sid and Edwina check over the CCTV footage and find Roger and a blonde woman in Cass’ car. As for Karl, he heads to the art gallery holding the crime scene photos and realizes that Cummins in their killer.

This isn’t what the other officers believe, as they chase after Cass and find a black handbag in her trunk. As the case develops, it turns out the blonde woman is actually Roger’s sister. It’s Sid that manages to talk her around, given she has a drug addiction which is very similar to Sid’s own issues with his younger sister. Although he lost his younger sister, he’s going to do what he can to make sure she survives through this no matter what.

Is Cummins stopped?

With this cleared up, Karl rings and the officers race to find Devon, who happens to be with Cummins. When Karl eventually shows up after an initial scuffle, a stand-off ensues as he holds Devon up at knife-point. Thankfully the other officers manage to get here in time and stop him.

The case is wrapped up, and Devon is reunited with her mother. As for Karl, he heads to the station to interview Tommy Cummins. He’s very clearly out of his mind, pointing out the magic and intimacy of killing, and humming too. There’s no way they’re going to find the number of victims he’s potentially killed.

Meanwhile, Roger speaks to Cass and encourages her to take a chance on Karl, given she clearly loves him. At the station, Sid tells Edwina she’s the key piece of this puzzle and helped resolve everything. Edwina cheekily retorts how amazing she is.

How does Murder in a Small Town end?

As the episode (and the show) closes out, Cass speaks to Karl. Cass is going to run for council, and she wants to try and move past her traumatic experience. She calls Karl an exasperated person and the pair start to break down their high walls. Karl encourages her to open up and talk about what happened in Sacramento but for now, they’re just going to try and keep things simple and be there for one another.

Karl very clearly wants to be with Cass, and Cass wants him, and as the pair kiss, the show comes to an end.

The Episode Review

So Murder in a Small Town comes to a very predictable yet somewhat endearing end. We see Karl and Cass finally make good on their promise to one another, and there appears to be good things on the horizon for the pair. As for the other officers, Edwina starts as a good cop… and ends as a good cop, while Sid actually gets a bit of an arc, fleshing out some of his character in a nice scene with Roger’s sister.

As for the case itself, it was painfully obvious last episode who the killer was and if there’s one thing this show has struggled with, it’s the ability to write compelling mysteries that don’t just point straight to the first suspicious person. The whole Roger connection was very obviously a red herring and alas, that is then confirmed in the show for us too.

Murder in a Small Town ends with a decent enough finale but whether that’s enough for this one to be renewed and come back for more, remains to be seen.