Sheriff Country just delivered a powerful midseason finale, which brought hope, reveals, and a cliffhanger that makes us need the winter premiere right now.
Going into the episode, we knew it would end with a cliffhanger. The fact that the title included “Part 1” made it very clear.
What we probably didn’t expect was that a life would hang in the balance after a huge romantic gesture, and that hope would remain that a couple could get back together.
Mickey Still Connects with People
It didn’t take long to get into the case of the week, and I appreciate that. What I also understand is that the case of the week became a major driving force for the rest of the episode.
When it comes to potential child endangerment cases on TV, we see the person accused of it on the offense, and yes, that is how Sheriff Country Season 1 Episode 9 started.
Enoch Barlow wanted to get his grandson back, making it clear that he didn’t respect Mickey’s authority. To him, she was just another cop.
Yet throughout the episode, she connected with Enoch in a way no one else in that sheriff’s office could.
She’s dealt with men like Enoch before. At times, her own father can be a little too set in his ways, and she’s managed to handle him.
Each time she deals with men like Enoch, she finds a way to help them connect with her as a person, and in this episode, it came down to the past.
She had met Enoch before, although it was decades earlier, and with just a little bit of a reminder, Enoch remembered her.
This was a case where knowing the person before the current situation was critical, because Mickey knew the type of care a man like Enoch could offer, so she had a way to plead to that side of him.
Enoch was willing to let the social workers do their job because he had put some trust in Mickey after seeing her as a person, not just the sheriff.
The FBI Posed a Real Problem on Sheriff Country
Now, if the FBI would learn to keep their nose out of things, or give a sheriff a heads up! They’re the ones who ended up creating a much bigger problem, arresting Enoch for tax evasion.
It’s the oldest trick in the book, but it’s not always a good idea.
I do have to laugh, though, because if this were the TV show FBI, we’d see the tax-evasion arrest come from someone like Maggie or OA to get Enoch on another charge, and we’d be rooting for it.
Because the FBI is the outside force, we’re against it, but that’s mostly because they really did turn a bad situation into a terrible and life-threatening one. Had they not arrested Enoch, the rest of the compound wouldn’t have attacked.
Boone Learns from Mistakes
Over the last few episodes, we’ve finally gotten to see something from Boone. There has been more emotion and a greater sense of connection with people.
That indeed continued on Sheriff Country Season 1 Episode 9. Not only did we see him share his heart with Nora, but we also saw him finally connect with Mickey on a friendlier level.
Watching Mickey and Boone banter back and forth made my heart happy, as we have been constantly told that the two were friends before Mickey became sheriff.
Men and women can be friends, and they can enjoy some banter and point out flaws in each other’s personalities, and that’s what happens via the conversation in the car.
Both of them can open up a little about what’s going on in their personal lives, and it’s a little of what Sheriff Country has missed from the beginning.
It’s why we needed the recent Fire Country cameo on Sheriff Country Season 1 Episode 8, so that Mickey could work through some of her feelings.
Now that Boone and Mickey are back on this friendlier page, we can have more of these conversations between them rather than focusing too much on unnecessary Fire Country cameos.
More importantly, this episode proved that Boone is really learning from his mistakes, as he calls Nora to apologize for putting her forward for a job without asking her first.
It’s okay to admit you were wrong and to apologize. The more we see it on TV, the more it becomes a reality.
Travis Also Takes Big Steps
I wasn’t sure at first if Sheriff Country was going to go the trope-ish route of a dream when Mickey and Travis first hooked up.
I’m thankful that that wasn’t the case, and the two really did have a passionate morning together.
It did come a little out of nowhere with Travis not being in the previous episode, so everything went off the back of the dance at the high school, but there had been a few teases of their feelings for each other still being there.
Feelings don’t just disappear, especially the feelings that people have had for 20 years, and it’s not like Travis and Mickey stopped being friends.
While they had their moments of annoyance with each other, they were still on friendly terms and would lean on each other when necessary, and that makes this reunion all the more believable.
What was even better was seeing Travis take some significant steps toward making this relationship work.
Is he rushing things after just breaking up with Cassidy? Yes, I do think so, but reconciling with Mickey is entirely different from starting a new relationship.
There is a lot of history between the two of them, and Travis, of all people, knows that. Yet, he also sees a future with his ex-wife.
He made a beautiful speech about change, which is so essential, so that the two don’t fall back into the same patterns.
A Cliffhanger That Keeps Us on Edge
If Mickey can fix things with Wes and Sharon, she has changed enough to make it possible to fix things with Travis. I do think Travis will need to remind her of that from time to time, though, and she’ll need to take that feedback as constructive.
That is, if Travis makes it through this cliffhanger, because all we know is that he’s been shot. We don’t even know how bad his injury is!
The Sheriff Country Season 1 Episode 9 cliffhanger puts the entire sheriff’s office in danger, and it certainly makes us ready for the winter premiere.
And yes, I know I’ve not even mentioned everything that happened with Cassidy. That is for another piece, because there is a lot to break down, but Michele Weaver was outstanding in this episode as her sister’s story came out.
Sheriff Country returns on Friday, Feb. 27, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
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