Morena Baccarin Talks Mickey & Manny’s Bad Timing and Her Mom (Exclusive)

The latest Sheriff Country and Fire Country crossover is deeply personal for Mickey (Morena Baccarin), who ends up having to rely on Manny (Kevin Alejandro) … after they once had a date from hell that neither has forgotten. Plus, their strong personalities put them in opposition with one another, until they need each other to survive. TV Insider spoke with Baccarin about the two-part event and more. Warning: Spoilers for the Sheriff Country & Fire Country crossover ahead!

Amidst a windstorm and massive fire in a neighboring town, Edgewater must deal with three inmates (and the guard helping them) who escape and take those at the Meat Up hostage — including Mickey’s daughter Skye (Amanda Arcuri), Eve (Jules Latimer), and Tex (Elias Kacavas). What makes it worse is that one of the inmates blames Mickey for her incarceration, and despite attempts to keep Skye’s relation from her, she finds out and so the women want to keep her with them when they flee into Deadwater. Mickey, instead, offers herself up as the hostage, and Manny goes with them, the only one who can drive the engine that the inmates requested to make it through the fire. Bode (Max Thieriot), Boone (Matt Lauria), Jake (Jordan Calloway), Eve, and Hank (Ian Quinlan) then work together to try to manufacture a rescue, but in the end, it’s Mickey and Manny who save themselves and each other.

As for Mickey and Manny’s history, Sharon (Diane Farr) bid on him during a bachelor auction years ago and set them up. The night did not go well; Manny bragged about his daughter making the Olympics, and what she didn’t share (and so he thought her problem with him was he’s an ex-con) was that was the day that Mickey had been looking at rehab places for Skye and felt like she failed her kid. But after their time together as hostages, Mickey is now the one to bid ($500) on Manny during the auction. Both admit they felt vulnerable and embarrassed during that one date. He was trying to impress her, he explains, and while she didn’t see it then, she tells him she does now.

Below, Morena Baccarin breaks down the crossover, Mickey’s key relationships, and more. Plus, she teases her husband Ben McKenzie‘s return later this season.

Mickey is right in the middle of everything in this crossover, and it feels like a lot of it is about her trusting those around us. She has to trust Boone to lead in her place and also find a way to help her. Manny to be a partner in the field with that date from hell hanging over him. Even in some ways, she’s trusting the inmates, especially Crystal, that they won’t kill her, and also, when she sends Skye back in with them. So how was all of that for her?

Morena Baccarin: Yeah, I think it’s one of those rare moments where Mickey’s not in control, and I think she has a tough time with that, but it’s also where you learn a lot. I think it was really great to see everybody else also just rise to the occasion. And then Manny and Mickey pairing was a surprise, I think, for everybody how fun that was.

That was great. Now I need more of those two together, to be honest.

I know, it was great.

Darren Goldstein/CBS

What made them the right partners for each other on this one?

Well, I think that they are both really savvy, and they were able to use the best of their own abilities. Mickey was able to keep the inmates talking, and once Manny understood what her game plan was, he was able to use his abilities, especially given he’s an ex-con, and be able to get them to trust him and keep them talking in that regard. So everybody really had to work together. And specifically for these two, even though they’re coming from opposite ends of the spectrum, they found a way to make each of their capabilities work together.

And then Mickey even got in on the action and had to fight for her life.

That’s right. Chained to a fire engine. [Laughs] It was great. I have to say those cups really hurt. There’s really no way to make that comfortable. I had some bruises on my wrist. It was fun though. It was really, I think, a great way to raise the stakes, to put a cop chain to a fire engine. There’s not much more I can do. So it was a fun rehearsal to try to figure out what were the things she could use to her advantage.

Mickey’s personal life is complicated enough with the Boone of it, and Manny’s with Camille (Natalie Zea), but I have to admit, there’s something about the two of them at the end of this crossover. Is it maybe more the “what could have been” or the “what if” and settling into being friends, or does it feel like there could be more? Because these two episodes showed they’d be fun together.

Yeah, they would. I mean, I guess you never know. Let the show run long enough, right? I know for Mickey, she had a lot of preconceived notions of who he was, and she had already made her decisions, and I think it was a nice moment where she realized people can surprise you. And I think they surprised each other by working so well together and respecting each other in the end. This misunderstanding they had had where he thought she was judging him and she just felt really guilty because her kid was heading to rehab while his kid was doing so well, it was just one of those moments in life, bad timing. So who knows what could happen?

What I like about that is that you can understand both perspectives for that. That was done really well.

Yeah.

Going back to the Boone of it, because we had that moment in the premiere. How does Mickey feel about him? Is she ready for what their relationship would have to be, considering all the history, what he means to her, romance aside? That’s not going to be a casual thing if they went there.

No, I know. I think it’s really complicated, and I really like how we’re playing it out on the show because it’s not simple, and they work together, and she’s his boss. There’s that added layer of complication, but they also have such a meaningful and deep friendship and relationship, and they have each other’s backs, and they’ve seen each other go through so much. It’s like that friendship that you’re like, do we ruin this? You know what I mean? It’s just really tough. I think her feelings for him are not simple, and they are impossible to process given their circumstance. So I think we’re going to continue to unravel the layers without knowing where we’re going with it. But I just have a feeling that it’s a long play.

Especially because Mickey’s going through enough with her parents right now. Mickey and Wes’ (W. Earl Brown) relationship is always going to be so complicated. How is she feeling about it at this point?

Yeah, I think she still hasn’t totally forgiven him for what he’s done, but he’s obviously working hard to gain her trust again. I think that those two are sort of forever fated to be at odds with each other, but they’re finding this weird acceptance of each other. There’s some great stuff coming up in the later episodes where I think Mickey finally gives him a chance to be there for her.

I liked her relief at seeing him in last week’s episode when she was just able to be a daughter in that moment.

Yes, with a little bit of anger underneath. [Laughs] But yeah, I think she’s really getting it from all sides, and they’re very complicated relationships all around in the personal realm.

There’s, of course, Mickey and her mom (Rachel Ticotin), and they left things on that heartbreaking note at the end of last week’s episode. Does Mickey feel like she can have any sort of relationship with her?

I think at the moment, no. I think it’s really hard to say goodbye to somebody… She’s got an idea of who her mom was, and it’s turned out to be a completely fictitious person. So I think right now, given everything that she’s going through and everything that’s going on, it’s really hard to just switch gears and try to accept her as who she is. So I think Mickey has opted to just put a wall up in that portion of it.

Ben McKenzie is coming back, and I love that casting. When I spoke with Matt Lopez about the premiere, he told me that Wade is connected to the season-long mystery and he is a trusted member of Mickey’s inner circle, but his character description does tease that he has secrets. So what can you say about what’s coming up there and just what Wade means to Mickey and how she might react if there’s anything questionable about him?

Yeah, so they’ve known each other since the academy, but he’s Skye’s godfather, and he’s got deep connection to the family. I actually don’t know exactly where it’s all going, but he ends up being involved in a storyline that really throws Mickey off. She really does not see this one coming, and so it becomes another complicated relationship for her, but I don’t know where we plan to go entirely with the story. I’m excited he’s coming back for, I think, two more, maybe three, and we’re just starting to get those scripts now, so I’m not sure where it’s going yet.

Yeah, you two are so great on screen together.

Thank you. It’s fun to be in a show that our kids can watch for a change.

Darren Goldstein/CBS

How would Mickey feel about this flirtation between Skye and Tex?

I think it’d be fun for her. I mean, I think she definitely is wary of, obviously, he’s in jail, but I think her daughter is somebody that, at this point, they’ve come to reconcile and understand — Mickey’s really understanding that Skye is stronger, is her own person, is getting better, and particularly after the crossover, I think once she realizes that she’s a really strong young woman, I think it would be not the easiest thing for Mickey to accept, but I think she trusts Skye at this point.

What I’ve really enjoyed is watching Mickey and Sharon’s relationship develop over these years because they’ve certainly had their ups and downs, but they’re great when they’re there for each other. I loved Sharon’s reaction to meeting Santos, coming to her sister’s defense.

Yes. It’s very cute.

How much has it meant to Mickey to have Sharon by her side as she’s dealt with all of this and the fact that they are in a good place during this?

Yeah, I mean, I think it’s been a really steady rock for her. She doesn’t have many people like that in her life. And even though they can fight and have disagreements about things, I think she’s the one person other than Travis who is really there for her.

Sheriff Country, Fridays, 8/7c, CBS

Fire Country, Fridays, 9/8c, CBS