Since setting up the storyline for Cassidy involving her sister’s disappearance, Sheriff Country hasn’t taken its foot off the gas.
During an episode with a case that was way too easy to guess — and I have to question Mickey and Boone’s abilities at times — the focus for Cassidy was on figuring out everything that happened to her sister.
At the same time, we finally get some details about Gina, but it’s still not enough.
An Easy Case That Isn’t Really Worth Mentioning
At first, Sheriff Country Season 1 Episode 12 seems to have an intriguing case of the week.
Thanks to some bad weed, a woman attacks her husband and then drives off in a complete daze.
It’s only when a cop also shows the same anger and strength that Boone and Mickey see that there is something wrong.
Fortunately for Mickey, she grew up around weed, so when she finds a joint, she knows how it should smell.
Right there and then, the case was closed. Synthetic weed, an AP chemistry kid, and that kid having a joint on him made it very clear that he was involved.
Mickey knew it, and she stepped back and did the police work.
I could see Boone doing that, but Mickey knows her town, and her gut is often right.
So, why didn’t she push for this kid sooner? Why did she go down the path of The Apothecary?
Granted, I loved seeing her turn to Wes for help on this case. She knew that out of everyone, she could trust him to give her a name, even if the lead seemed completely implausible.
It all led straight back to what we knew, though, and it felt like a waste of an hour and a case.
Like so many Sheriff Country episodes, this one wasn’t about the case. It just offered a look at Mickey and Boone working together post their breakups.
They are best friends, and part of me really wants to see it stay that way.
I don’t need female-male friends constantly getting together, because these relationships can and do stay platonic.
Adding a romance for the two of them would ruin the whole dynamic at this point.
Yes, I’m still rooting for Travis to come back and for Mickey to realize she said something dumb with the ultimatum, but that’s not the main reason I don’t want Mickey and Boone together.
The scene with the burger and the dating app just showed how great they are as friends, and we need more positive relationships like this on our screens, too.
Gina Needed More Backstory Before This Cancer Arc
Sheriff Country is wasting Caroline Rhea.
We know so little about Gina, although Sheriff Country Season 1 Episode 12 has finally given us a few tidbits.
At least now we know why we don’t see much of her personal life — and it’s because she doesn’t have one!
The problem with Gina’s breast cancer arc is that it means little right now.
I’m not invested enough in her life to feel the weight of this storyline, even though it’s important.
The one thing it offered was lightness, especially at the end of the episode, but with more time spent building Gina’s character up and turning her into a vital member of the time, we could have felt everything Wes was feeling.
It wasn’t until the scene in the car that I started to wonder if this arc was even for us to connect with Gina, though.
There’s a moment for Wes, as he shares how scared he is of getting old, and that’s something everyone can relate to.
Age may be a number to many people, but the health problems that come with age are real, and they’re tricky to navigate.
Wes is handling his heart issues, and Gina is handling her breast cancer. It’s like they can see death’s door in the distance, and it won’t be long before they’re knocking on it.
From the beginning, Sheriff Country has handled realism well, but something didn’t gel during this episode. I think a lot of that came from the disconnect with Gina.
Cassidy Has a Seasonal Arc Set Up for Her
Just before the Sheriff Country midseason finale, Cassidy opened up about her missing sister.
We finally got a few answers we’d needed from earlier episodes, which opened the door to a tremendous arc for her character.
Showrunner Matt Lopez had promised something more in the search for Zoe, and Sheriff Country Season 1 Episode 12 certainly delivered.
This is no longer a search for Zoe, but a search for answers about the disappearance of multiple young girls.
They are all marginalized girls, and they all look similar.
It’s the fact that they all looked so similar to Zoe that made this immediately stand out.
Marginalized people are often forgotten about by cops, and Cassidy has realized that she was part of the problem. Now, she’s changing that
Cassidy has seen the pattern, and it’s clear that in two weeks, another young girl could go missing from the same festival.
The idea of having a serial killer in town will send shivers down everyone’s spines, and it’s clear that Cassidy needs to handle this with care.
At the same time, she needs to handle it fast.
Two weeks isn’t long to get a team together to find this serial killer, and she needs to go to Mickey right away.
This could work better if both Cassidy and Hank go to see Mickey about this together, since Hank has also taken the time to help Cassidy search the files.
One thing that stands out is how Hank stepped back from the jealousy and competition with Cassidy.
He sees her as the courageous woman she is, and as the scared girl she once was. Now Hank is ready to support, and that’s exactly what Cassidy needed in the moment.
On top of that, like Cassidy, he’s realized that if he wants something to change, he has to be part of that.
Highlighting the serial killer and ending with the realization of this made up for an otherwise lackluster episode, offering a chance for Cassidy to find her footing as a deputy and even a potential career path as a detective.