Episode 5
Esther Field (Lindsey Walker) - elderly schoolmarm, who has taken a vow of silence
Lester Field (Randy Brososky) - her son, proprietor of Fields, the general store
Sylvester Field (Jason Hardwick) - her other son, town undertaker
Chester Field (Peter Brown) - her third son, misses the old Muskrat Creek
Cyrus Lane (Jesse Gervais) - broken hearted widower
Holden Strong (Joel Taras) - hard working miner
Major Julien Bullion (Cody Porter) - The Baron, coal miner, owner of Crooked Fang Saloon
Billy Minor (Ellie Heath) - his bartender with a heart of gold
Old Man Muskrat (Vince Forcier) - town eccentric
Alma Grass (Caley Suliak) - Abandoned maid, cleans the whole town
Lady Lou Quigley (Stephanie Wolfe)- Owner of Lady Lou’s Saloon
Tilly the Dog (Breck Wilshire) – A very good dog
Myrtle Wordle (Kristi Hansen) – engaged to Lester.
Episode Director: Peter Brown
Director: Jake Tkaczyk
Music: Paul Morgan-Donald
Producer: Nicole Thibault
Synopsis: Jim Cej
Technical Magic: Olivia Bogaard
Substitute Scribe: Louise Mallory
ACT 1
As the Field family gathers, Alma repeats the accusation that Holden’s an extra brother. The resemblance is that all the brothers have glasses (Hester had laser treatment, but her eyes are still glassy). Alma knows because she used to stay late cleaning the blood off saloon walls, and she heard secrets. The Fields have fields of secrets. Hester asks her to keep this secret and drops a sack of gold.
Cyrus tries to convince the Sergeant that the found dog is his. Cyrus is sure deep secrets are buried in the Fields. Barnaby challenges Cyrus to describe the dog: he’s a Very Good Dog, with four paws and a wet nose. Tilly the Dog appears and howls. Cyrus weeps in delight. Tilly the Dog humps him in delight.
Old Man Muskrat is running an auction, with lively bidding action, on a Lot of land. Lady Lou and Julian have eyes only for each other. They stop bidding and waltz while the auction continues in silence. Ten thousand and a general store, bids Lester.
Sylvester is collapsed in despair, and Caliope attempts to comfort him. He wanted his life to move forward with Caliope, not get another brother. Is he proposing? Sylvester sings sweet rhyming verses about his dreams for the future and love for Caliope. She loves him too, but – first she needs to show him her shed.
Meanwhile, Lester and Myrtle Wordle (his fiancée) have a similar conversation. Lester gives her a flower grown on the land where her parents’ ashes were scattered. He sold his store to buy the land, but has no way to earn more money. Maybe she can be his sugar mama … she hints darkly about what he can do for her.
Hester is in Old Man Muskrat’s shack while he replays the auction frustrations. He used to grow flowers for Hester, one at a time, in Hester’s Field. But she hasn’t come for that – and no, not for “that” either - she came to ask him about “our boy”.
Cyrus and Tilly are wandering the town together, while various townsfolk greet them. Alma suggests that Caliope could help with Tilly’s medical problems because she has history with animals.
Lou and Julian can’t sleep while they’re waiting up for Billy Miner, as now they are his parents. They have different goals for their saloons. Can Julian change? Billy staggers in on his injured leg. Julian offers to teach him calis-tenics, in a montage, until Billy’s anger bursts out and Julian stomps off to the Crooked Fang.
ACT 2
They all gather in Lady Lou’s saloon, but Lady Lou is ready to fight. She punches Julian right when he pulls out a bouquet. She calls him out and he throws down. Old Man Muskrat tells them there’re are no rules. They fight. It is epic. Billy gets between them. He’s still limping and he still doesn’t know who shot him. Alma points the finger at Holden! Holden runs away.
Caliope shows Sylvester her tiny shed and huge weaponry cache. He is speechless. Why? She explains that it started with one wounded soldier who died leaving a gun. Sylvester asks more awkward questions, awkwardly.
Lester muses about whether to kill his mother. Myrtle and Hester both appear to his sides, urging him to different murderous actions. What is the price of slaying the demons, he wonders.
Cyrus takes Tilly to Old Man Muskrat’s shack, to see if they can benefit from Tilly’s nose for gold. Of course Muskrat has traps set around his place. Muskrat smells the beautiful scent of unconditional love and he can hear what the dog is thinking. Tilly just wants Cyrus to move on and find love, but Muskrat won’t tell Cyrus the truth – he says to put down roots. Cyrus asks what Tilly’s real name is – Tilly says Jonathan, but Muskrat gives a mystical line about eternal love and the ocean and other platitudes. Eventually there is a lot of face-licking.
Back to the Big Family Fight, in Lady Lou’s beautiful home. Why did Holden Strong try to shoot Billy? Why would anybody try to shoot Billy? Maybe he wasn’t the intended victim, who else was there? Julian thinks the other Fields were involved. Lou and Julian resume the sexiest fight ever, while Billy watches horrified.
Sergeant Barnaby tries to recruit Alma Grass to grass, since she knows everything about everyone and he doesn’t know anything about anybody. Alma gives him a few examples, like about JuBu dropping flowers. Barnaby says the law could use a woman’s touch. Alma could be a secret informant, using her womanly ways.
Holden Strong asks Hester Field to explain. After Holden was conceived, Hester walked away before the egg hatched, abandoning him before he was born. Should he call himself Holden Strong or Holden Caulfield now? That was a slip due to his love of reading, he apologizes. Hester says that he can earn the surname of Field by performing some service. Could he terrorize his newfound brothers with pain and torture? Old Man Muskrat appears and offers to teach him to fight.
Caliope and Sylvester and Myrtle Wordle are also discussing a dark plan. But it needs money. Myrtle offers them a loan, so they’re in. They sign in blood.
Julian and Lady Lou wake up together after their exhausting night, which they describe with natural-disaster metaphors. Billy bounces in, completely healed, due to their Sex Magic. He proposes opening a Sex Palace at the Crooked Fang. Lady Lou doesn’t like the idea of monetizing sex magic, but Julian points out that people will have more energy to work the mines. They can call it Lou-Bou!
Holden’s having fight training with Old Man Muskrat. Sergeant Benson and Alma arrive to arrest Holden. They’re stuck between a cop and a hard place. They accuse him of shooting Billy Miner and of using the name Strong when he’s actually a Field. Muskrat confesses to shooting Billy himself. Benson and Alma subdue them both, leaving Muskrat near death and Holden led off in restraints. Muskrat’s last thoughts are of the town, wondering whether creating it was a good thing, and reminiscing about fighting a bear and dropping the seeds of the town. Meanwhile, a tender moment between Cyrus and Tilly as Cyrus brushes Tilly’s mangy face. Tilly keeps trying to talk to Cyrus and he doesn’t understand. Muskrat sings that he’s not ready yet to die, Cyrus isn’t ready yet to leave town, and they harmonize with backup singers and Billy’s ladle/spoon percussion.
