Sheriff Country Season 1, Episode 9 ‘Crucible, Part One’ ended in such a way that we know we’ll be thinking about it until next year.
There was love confessions, painful family confrontations, and meddling from the FBI that could cost the lives of one of our favorite characters. In our eyes, this was a solid winter finale. We didn’t want this suspenseful hour to end, so we’re glad to know this is just the beginning of a two-part storyline.
The hour focused on the Barlow family, armed ranchers who have taught their people to both be hesitant of authority and attack them if necessary. And when the daughter’s husband brought their son into protective custody because he grew afraid of the family, things got ugly fast. Tensions were high throughout, and the episode ended with the family targeting the Sheriff department in a shooting.
Overall, this was a big episode for Mickey, Travis, and Cassidy and we loved seeing their stories intertwine with the case of the hour. Sheriff Country Season 1, Episode 9 ‘Crucible, Part One’ was dark, intense, but also full of heart.
MORE: Want to rewatch Sheriff Country? Read our Season 1, Episode 1 ‘Pilot’ Review HERE!
Travis and Mickey
There was a clear reason Mickey pushed Travis away multiple times in this episode. Despite, in our opinion, feeling the same as he does. No, it wasn’t the french toast. No matter if Mickey was right in saying Travis shouldn’t have made her breakfast after sex. He shouldn’t have assumed anything had gone back to normal. Was it mean and dismissive? Sure, but we know why. Mickey has realized her feelings for Travis haven’t gone away, and that scared her. So, she let fear and denial get the better of her when Travis confessed his love for her later in the day.
Mickey has been opening her heart to people and letting them in all throughout Season 1. Reconnecting with her dad, Skye, and stepsister Sharon was huge for her. Which is something Travis has noticed because she’s changed from the woman she was in their marriage. Therefore, it’s not something she could lie to him about. Even when she tried really hard to. He’s known her for twenty years, and even if she was bad at showing emotions or love, Travis has always known her expressions.
He knows when she’s sarcastic, lying, upset, or happy. So, in the end, we think he’s telling the truth here. Travis has seen Mickey take a step forward in being vulnerable with others. And that vulnerability is what he’s craved from her for years. So, we can’t fault him for wanting to try again. He never stopped loving her, and we can’t help but root for their second chance romance.
Second Chances
For a long time, Mickey felt like their marriage ending was mostly Travis’s fault while she took minimal blame. Travis had opened her eyes in seeing that it was both of their faults back in Season 1, Episode 4 ‘Out of Office’. Now, if he was willing to admit hard truths, then it meant he wanted to be all in their second chance at a relationship. And for someone still learning to be comfortable letting people in, Mickey got defensive and scared.
While understandable, healing isn’t about being perfect. It’s about trying and doing the things that scare you. And if you fail the first time, it’s okay. Just as long as you keep trying to be better. For Mickey, growth revolves around trusting and being open with people she cares about. If Travis wants to be that safe space for her, and if her feelings are really lingering and true, then she needs to be honest even if it’s difficult.
We’re rooting for her to find her joy, and being in a true relationship with Travis could be one of her joys. She’s worthy of being with someone who wants to see and cherish all of her, including her flaws and imperfections. And Travis is not backing down from showing and telling her he could be that person if she’s willing to be just as brave. He was right, these feelings aren’t nostalgia. It’s love that never really had a chance to blossom. So, things could be different now for them after Sheriff Country Season 1, Episode 9 ‘Crucible, Part One’.
Why Travis
Mickey outright lied about not feeling all the feelings for Travis in this hour. We saw how she looked longingly at their homecoming photo in Season 1, Episode 8 ‘Death and Taxes’. And when he asked if she thought about him during this episode, she denied it.
Clearly, Mickey is hesitant about falling back into him. And it’s because of how he stopped fighting for her when asking for a divorce. While that’s a valid reason to hold resentment, Mickey deserved the push back here from Travis. Because she was someone who didn’t want to change and let him in before. She wanted him without the effort, and that wasn’t right.
Admittingly, Travis getting shot was crucial and necessary in Sheriff Country Season 1, Episode 9. Because it’s the push Mickey needs to confess her love or turn him away for good. It’s time for her to be the one fighting for him.
MORE: Check out our ‘Best TV Ship Moments of 2025′ HERE!
Cassidy Needs to Be Brave
For the first time, Mickey and Cassidy are in the same boat in Sheriff Country. Both needed to learn to be brave and do what’s right with people they care about. However, unlike Mickey, Cassidy took the leap to begin uncovering the truth about her missing sister Zoey. And surprisingly, it was because of Hank’s harsh yet encouraging motivations to do so. He may be tough, but he has a heart that we’d like to see more of.
Cassidy’s life story is heartbreaking. We want to give her the biggest hug after seeing how her mother treated her. Because her mother is still grieving the loss of her daughter who went missing fifteen years ago. She believed that Cassidy stopped caring about her sister because of how she’s able to live on without her. Which made the scene of Cassidy laying a blanket over her mother’s lap with a cupcake in hand to celebrate her sister’s birthday so painful to watch. Because that wasn’t true. Cassidy thinks about her sister everyday but has been afraid to find out what happened to her.
To Cassidy, finding out Zoey died would shatter her. So, she’s forced herself to believe her sister was alive and happy somewhere in the world. Both scenarios are awful, but Hank was right in telling Cassidy that living in ignorance was wrong. She needs to give her mom closure and needs to find out the truth of what happened to Zoey. In the midst of a child endangerment case that has painted a target on everyone’s backs, this winter finale set up two storylines that’ll need closure. And we’re excited to be on the journey.
Sheriff Country returns on February 27th, 2026, at 8 pm EST on CBS.
