When the series is running at its peak, Sheriff Country is a superb procedural, as evidenced by its previous episodes. However, in Episode 6, it feels like a peculiar transitional episode marked by Skye's conspicuous and sudden absence – she's off backpacking, apparently – and much ado about Boone's pending departure, which ultimately amounts to nothing.
Let me be clear, none of this is necessarily bad – there are still some lovely character moments, and the A-plot focusing on Wes is solidly handled by an excellent W. Earl Brown. But for perhaps the first time in "Exit Interview", the show feels like just a procedural instead of a truly exceptional one.
After the last-minute reveal in the previous episode that Boone is secretly married, we're given a whole thing involving his very cagey relationship with his wife, Nora, that feels inauthentic since it's collapsed into a single episode. There wasn't any prior build-up; it feels like there won't be much focus on it afterwards, and since his resignation is contingent on this dynamic, there's no tension surrounding his departure. We know he isn't going to leave since all this stuff is too hasty to matter.
The "twist" regarding Boone's marriage is novel, if nothing else. His "wife" is only really his wife on paper, the widow of his former partner whom he has been financially and emotionally supporting. This goes some way towards explaining the secrecy, but it's hardly an adequate reason for why it wasn't even obliquely mentioned until this point. And at the end of "Exit Interview", Boone decides not to leave, but without any explanation. I hope this is returned to in subsequent episodes, or it's going to feel really weird (also: Why is Mickey crying about this guy? Is there more to their relationship than there seems to be?).
This is the kind of subplot that makes you feel like you've missed a few episodes, and to be fair, everything involving Cassie and Travis is the same. They're still on the rocks after the whole Skye debacle, and that's fine, but Travis's ill-advised efforts to try and win her over – by ambushing her in court representing a guy she's given a ticket to – backfire pretty considerably. But the thing is, if Travis and Cassie break up, which they do here, albeit amicably, then I'm not sure what purpose either of them really has in the show. Travis has been hanging on by a thread, pulled into the orbit of Skye's accusation, but without his relationship with Cassie, he's mostly just a hanger-on, and his relationship with Mickey is just too civil to feel like it has legs (unless some kind of spark rekindles between them, but that seems a stretch).
In the sixth episode of Sheriff Country, much of the narrative focuses on a gripping A-plot where Wes's longtime friend falls victim to a murder perpetrated by another longtime friend over a seemingly trivial dispute. Yet, this storyline is more than just a simple crime story; it serves as a bridge between the civilized parts of Edgewater and the riskier, more remote territories that Wes helped transform into a thriving sub-community. His struggles to adapt to his new surroundings and leave his past behind are beautifully portrayed, and this subplot is a natural extension of his character development.
Additionally, the episode delves into a more serialized plot as the cartels encroach on the territory, accompanied by a mysterious third party leaving threatening messages everywhere. The mystery remains unsolved by the end of the episode, adding an air of intrigue. W. Earl Brown brilliantly brings this character to life, imbuing him with a rich texture and depth. It's refreshing to see him as a fundamental part of the cast rather than just a supporting player, and I'm eager to see what more he and the show have in store for us as we continue on this exciting journey.
