Sheriff Country Season 1, Episode 15 ‘The Lost Girls of Edgewater County’ continued right after Cassidy was taken hostage by the Blood Moon festival killer. And put an end to Cassidy’s search for answers over what happened to her sister Zoey and the other missing girls. It was a satisfying and bittersweet conclusion to a series of episodes that put Cassidy at the center of case that’s deeply personal to her. Also, we found out the killer was a creepy retired Sheriff named Ellis Monroe (Tim Guinee) who tried misleading Mickey’s search multiple times. However, of course, he didn’t succeed and was taken down by the team.
The hour held Cassidy forming a temporary yet impactful relationship with another hostage named Jane. All while Mickey, Boone, and Hank didn’t rest in order to spend every minute trying to find her. After watching Sheriff Country Season 1, Episode 15 ‘The Lost Girls of Edgewater County,’ there’s a lot to digest. From seeing how much Mickey and Cassidy cherish their friendship to how meeting Jane helped Cassidy grieve her sister. This episode was also crucial to Cassidy’s development in which she could turn the page and finally put her sister to rest.
MORE: Miss last week’s episode? Read our review for Sheriff Country Season 1, Episode 14 ‘Show of Force’!
Mickey and Cassidy Have Come a Long Way
‘The Lost Girls of Edgewater County’ opened with a flashback to Mickey and Cassidy meeting for the first time. It hurt because Mickey in the present didn’t even know Cassidy was missing yet. And Mickey in the flashback was promising Cassidy, a stranger, that she could be someone to trust and lean on.
She promised that whenever she used to code name ‘Canary’ to call for help, she’d come to save her. From the moment Mickey heard Cassidy use the name in the last call she made to her mother, all bets were off. She was going do anything and everything to find Cassidy because she made a promise worth keeping.
The memory began as Mickey, as a young deputy, answered a call about a domestic violence call to a young Cassidy’s house. From the minute Cassidy opened the door with a face of steel and visible bruises, we wanted to hug her. Not only because she deserved one for feeling brave to make the phone call to get away from her boyfriend. But she’s come so far from being afraid to breathe, sleep, or make any choices for herself.
Then, Mickey had to be the one to tell Cassidy that her boyfriend was ruining her self-esteem on purpose to hold power over her. She had a strong persistence in getting Cassidy to trust her and believe she was someone that cared about her safety.
Whether it was through awkward attempts to joke about plates or her childhood. Mickey wouldn’t let Cassidy believe she was alone and that she had to continue suffering. They may have just met but she wanted to be a safe place for her. That’s just how kind and good Mickey is as an authority figure. She’s always been this caring and this episode proved that.
Mickey’s Friendship Grounded Cassidy
Of course, there’s an added layer to her protectiveness when her friends are in danger. Even if she knew Cassidy was now a stronger person who didn’t take anything lying down. She was worried for her as a friend, not just as a co-worker. As the hour went on, Mickey was unstable and intense. She was able to piece together clues on Cassidy’s whereabouts based on the phone call and old files. That’s how obsessive she was over every detail of Cassidy’s disappearance. And why she didn’t give up on Monroe when he tried to mislead her multiple times.
So, when Mickey was able to fulfill her eight-year-old promise to Cassidy and save her from Monroe in the end, we got emotional. Cassidy had no reason to doubt Mickey, but she had just survived something traumatic. We think she’s allowed to cry when rescued, especially after making sure Jane got out to be rescued by Boone.
Mickey and Cassidy have built this unwavering friendship on mutual love and respect for the other. Not just because Cassidy has to respect Mickey on the job as her Sheriff. Yes, it’s absolutely a part of their dynamic. But not entirely as their bond means more to each other than the titles they have.
Cassidy has grown to be an important part of Mickey’s life and the same vice versa. They’ve taught each other lessons that have stuck with them. If Mickey hadn’t stayed when Cassidy was pushing her away in the flashback, they wouldn’t have had this friendship. Choosing to trust someone who offered her a hand to get out of a hard place gave Cassidy this. A friendship where if one was in trouble, the other would breaking doors and come looking for them.
So, while Cassidy knew with certainty that Mickey was coming for her, she still needed to stall and find a way to last in Ellis Monroe’s basement. She wasn’t able to just worry about herself or wait for help to arrive. As she had to save both herself and a young girl named Jane who had been held captive by Monroe for two years. This was her opportunity to be a safe space for someone else like how Mickey was for her and she took it.
Getting Answers
‘The Lost Girls of Edgewater County’ felt like an important episode to show the depths of Cassidy and Mickey’s friendship. Aside from that, it was a big episode for Cassidy to get closure about her sister Zoey. While chained to a bed in the killer Ellis Monroe’s basement, Cassidy realized she wasn’t alone rather quickly. After making small introductions to a terrified Jane who sat opposite her, she was drawn to a list of names scratched into the wall.
It was heartbreaking to see Cassidy brush her fingers along the names of victims she wasn’t be able to rescue. We’ve seen her spend weeks going over their case files and going into the woods to try and find their remains. But nothing has shattered us more than seeing Zoey’s name at the bottom of the list. We’ll even go further to say it was the saddest moment of the show so far.
Admittingly, we can’t stop thinking about Michele Weaver’s performance here. The sight of her sobbing and breaking apart as Cassidy realized what it meant to see Zoey on the list had us in tears. Because it struck us deep as viewers as we put the pieces together. Cassidy’s sister was once living in the same cell she was. And that was haunting and painful to imagine. Unfortunately, being that Zoey was first on the list, it meant that she was long gone. And it broke us to see Cassidy come to terms with that. Because she couldn’t even allow herself to finally and properly grieve. She cried, and then immediately turned back to Jane to come up with a plan to escape.
MORE: Did you miss the Sheriff Country and Fire Country crossover? Watch then read our Season 1, Episode 13 review HERE!
Jane Was the Closure Cassidy Needed
Lastly, Zoey couldn’t be saved and that was the hard truth in ‘The Lost Girls of Edgewater County.’ Once that sunk in, Cassidy gave her all to save Jane from Monroe. Relentless, she was going to succeed if that was the last thing she ever did. It didn’t matter whether she was beaten or bruised by Monroe. Just as long as he was focused on her while Jane got tools for their escape. She was selfless in putting another life above her own, but we expected this of Cassidy. Especially when her heart is what drives her every choice and action. And we love her for being so willing to make that sacrifice.
Truthfully, this probably isn’t the first time Cassidy has had to remind herself to be strong despite feeling afraid. Her job is too stressful not to do so, and she did almost crack when Monroe tried taunting her about Zoey. Which was an awful few minutes to watch as she stood her ground. But this was the first time on screen where she could meet someone who reminded her of her past self. Saving Jane would give her the opportunity to atone for guilt over not doing more to search for her sister.
Personally, we think she has nothing to make up for. She was only a child when her sister went missing. And it was evident that Monroe only kept his victims alive for less than two years based on how many girls he was able to take over time. She wouldn’t have been able to do anything to save her. As much as we wished, along with Cassidy, that she could’ve had the reunion with Zoey that Jane had with her loved ones, life isn’t fair.
Sometimes, it’s cruel to people that don’t deserve it. But there does come a time where the clouds will clear, and the darkness will turn to light. Cassidy has closed the case on these missing girls who can finally be put to rest in Sheriff Country Season 1, Episode 15 ‘The Lost Girls of Edgewater County.’ And we’re satisfied with the ending because it means Cassidy, along with her mother, could drive off into the sunset together with Zoey looking over them. She gave Jane back the long life she deserved to live in memory of her sister, and we think that’s beautiful.
Sheriff Country airs on Fridays at 8 pm EST on CBS.
