Upamanyu Biswas
At the beginning of ‘Murder in a Small Town,’ detective Karl Alberg looks to reassert some peace and tranquility back in his life after moving away from his previous big-city life and its psychological toll. However, his new residence at Gibsons, a small town on the Sunshine Coast, brings new secrets to the fore as he gets engulfed in a murder investigation in the show’s first episode. While the prime suspect seems clearly linked to the crime, other things come into play that throw up doubts in the protagonist. Additionally, he has to navigate matters of the heart with a new relationship blossoming with a town local, leaving a lot to chew upon for the central characters! SPOILERS AHEAD.
A Murder Interrupts Karl and Cassandra’s Date
Following his move to Gibsons, Karl Aberg seeks to enrich his life with better personal connections, which he makes happen by going out on a date with the town’s local librarian, Cassandra Mitchell. The pair get off to a lukewarm start, but Karl’s commitments take precedence right after the date comes to an end. A local resident named Carlyle Burke is found bludgeoned to death in his house, sparking a new homicide investigation. Carlyle’s body was discovered by another resident named George Wilcox. Karl and his team question George on details pertaining to the body’s status and how he found it.
Karl uses his deduction abilities to conclude that something has been stolen from the living room mantel. Amidst the investigation, the detective and Cassandra continue a halting relationship with one another. Intriguingly, Cassandra has ties to George, who is a good friend of hers. The librarian finds herself stuck in a triangle of conflicting allegiances as her bond with Karl and George causes her to have split loyalties. Meanwhile, Karl talks with his daughter, Steph, over the phone, who asks him about his move to Gibsons. The protagonist is still navigating challenges in his personal life but is mostly settled in the idyllic lifestyle of the small town setting.
The investigation heats up when Karl and the other police officers learn that George and Carlyle had a long-standing relationship prior to the latter’s death. As it runs contrary to what he told them during his interrogation, Karl confronts him about it. George admits to him that Carlyle Burke is his brother-in-law. The two became estranged after the death of George’s sister, for which he blamed Carlyle. Their relationship with one another soured as George began to hate Carlyle more than anyone in the world. Therefore, it seems more and more likely that George is the one who murdered Carlyle.
George Reveals the Truth to Cassandra But Causes a Rift Between Her and Karl
With Karl bearing down on him, George decides to save himself however he can. During a date night between Karl and Cassandra, where the two end up sleeping with one another at Karl’s home, George mounts his boat and rows out to the river. By the time Karl wakes up, he realizes that George had stolen whatever was kept on the mantel, most likely the very thing that had been used to bludgeon Carlyle to death. He arrives at George’s house and notices the man rowing back on his boat. Karl instantly makes the connection that George has just dumped the murder weapon deep in the river, thereby saving himself from being arrested.
The next day, Karl assembles a search party to search the waters and find the murder weapon. The operation takes up most of the police force’s efforts as the protagonist drives his people to relentlessly hunt down the main evidence linking George to the crime. Meanwhile, a distraught George invites Cassandra to his home. The librarian begins conversing jovially with George but soon realizes that he is in a state of anguish. George reveals to her that he does not wish to go to prison and that he has done something terrible. Although she is confused initially, Cassandra understands that he is referring to the murders and confessing to her indirectly.
On the day of the murder, Carlyle had invited George to his house for lunch. The latter was reluctant to meet up with him as there was still bad blood between them. However, the affair turned out more pleasant than George initially expected. Things started getting bad when Carlyle began talking about George’s sister and how Carlyle was blameless in her death. The more he talked, the angrier George got. At some point, his anger overflowed into a prompt decision to strike him on the head with an artillery trench art piece, which was kept on Carlyle’s mantel. While he abstains from the details, Cassandra gets a picture of George’s actions from his words.
Despite knowing that she should inform Karl about what she learned, Cassandra decides to keep the knowledge to herself as she believes George to be a good person and incapable of committing any more heinous crimes. However, after several trials and tribulations on his part, Karl comes to know that George is planning to move to Montreal. He also learns after discussing with him that Cassandra already knows the truth behind George’s guilt. When he confronts her about it, Cassandra reprimands him by saying that it is not a black-and-white affair. The two have a major fallout that does not bode well for their relationship.
Karl Heeds Cassandra’s Advice and Lets George Go
It is clear from the start that Karl is a talented and zealous detective who finds a great deal of pleasure in solving the puzzle of a good crime. However, while his obsession drives him to hunt down any particular clue with unflinching resolve, he is ultimately a kinder soul than he lets on. After having the fight with Cassandra, Karl has a change of heart regarding capturing George. Even though he cannot prove that George committed the crime, Karl has enough fuel to charge him with murder. However, at the episode’s end, he decides to take up Cassandra’s valuable advice and showcases his compassion for George, who is dying anyway. He lets George go and leaves him with a stack of letters from his past.
A few days later, George passes away after having moved away from Gibsons. Before dying, he leaves behind a letter for Karl and Cassandra, admitting his guilt for the murder of Carlyle. He also informs Karl to maintain his relationship with Cassandra as he means a lot to her. They meet up with one another outside Molly’s Reach, where Cassandra tells him that she knows what he did and is happy with him. Therefore, the final act of kindness shown by Karl helps a dying man live out his last few days in peace, and it also promises that Karl and Cassandra have a lot more growing to do in their relationship.
