Marshals: Falling Sky

The military has to test drones someplace, so Montana would be a logical place. It is literally called “Big Sky Country.” However, an extremely obnoxious military contractor has been testing just outside the Broken Rock Reservation’s air space, even though there is no shortage of wide-open skies availabll. Tragically, a pair of activists apparently shot down the top-secret drone, causing it to fatally crash on an elder’s cabin. Not surprisingly, this leads to a whole mess of trouble for Kayce Dutton and his colleagues in “Falling Sky,” the latest episode of Marshals, premiering tonight on CBS.

That next-gen hardware was expensive, so Esher, the obnoxious military contractor that produced it, demands the Marshals arrest the three self-styled defenders of Broken Rock seen on the video feed, firing at the drone. Frankly, Col. Brooks is obviously embarrassed by Esher’s arrogant, dismissive behavior, but the Marshals still have to serve the arrest warrants just the same.

Lucky Dutton gets to act as a “liaison” because of his military background and family connections to Broken Rock. He is not happy about it, but it is easier than dealing with his son Tate’s passive aggressive whininess. Likewise, team leader Pete Calvin would rather oversee a manhunt than think about his upcoming chemo session. Meanwhile, Chairman Rainwater finds himself taking flak from Reservation critics demanding a more confrontational response.

“Falling Sky” definitely reflects a bias against the military, even though Chris Gann portrays Col. Brooks like a decent fellow. Technically, the “surprise” villains aren’t military either, but if you don’t want to give the troops the best weaponry available, you’re not really supporting them.

However, this episode does a nice job showing how hard it is for the Marshals to mediate between opposing communities while trying to enforce the law without favor or prejudice. It is a hard job for the Marshals (and all law enforcement), especially when the media and politicians (like NY’s AG) prejudge cases, for reasons of identity politics. Eventually, it builds to nice climactic shootout, slickly executed by director Gonzalo Amat, which is what all the non-Yellowstone fans will be watching for.

This is also a good episode for exploring the team’s increasingly closeknit espirit de corps. Writers Tom Mularz & Kseniya Melnik nicely handle Calvin’s first encounter with chemo, showing sensitivity, without belaboring the moment. Unfortunately, sullen Tate is even more miserable than before. Nevertheless, this is arguably one of the episodes that will more appeal to fans of the mother-series, because of the way Dutton and Rainwater work together to keep the various factions in check. Recommended for series fans and Yellowstone purists ready for a check-in, “Falling Sky” airs tonight (10/18) on CBS.