This post contains spoilers from Long Bright River episode 5 from this point forward.
After the realization in the previous episode that Simon could be the connective tissue of the murders as a consistent figure at the youth center, Long Bright River episode 5 opens with Mickey understanding what Paula said about the perp. Mickey and Truman agree that Simon is a predator, but there's still questions about if he could be capable of being a serial killer. Truman worries this has turned personal for Mickey.
Truman stops by the youth center for an application for afternoon help and asks the officer is Simon still works there. He hasn't worked at this particular youth center in a while, but there are over two dozen in the city. Mickey learns that another sex worker, Emily Morris, was found with a possible connection to the others. This time, it wasn't an insulin overdose but a gunshot. She's still alive, but Mickey seems relieved it's not either Kacey or Paula.
During the meeting with Detective Danjarat, Mickey asks a few too many questions, and Ahearn pulls her into his office. He asks why she visited the Yoon family. He doesn't care that she was following orders from Danjarat. He wants her to stop playing detective, but giving him the ID on the surveillance video gets Ahearn's attention. Under the threat of suspension, Mickey gives up Paula's name as the source.
Ahearn grants Danjarat's request to allow Mickey to speak with Emily at the hospital, since she wouldn't speak to anyone else. She lets Emily know she's from the neighborhood and shares Kacey's name. When asked who shot her, if it was a cop, and if she attended the youth center, Emily tells Mickey to get out. She wonders if Simon visited her in the hospital. Mickey's still determinded to dig deeper even after Ahearn warned her to stand down.
Kacey's first overdose and following Simon
Mickey stops by Paula's parents' house and chats with her mother to ask about Paula and Kacey. Paula's mother hasn't seen either and expresses her pride about where Mickey ended up. She teases her that everyone thought she'd never come back, which jumps into a flashback to April 2010 when Mickey spent her one year at Penn.
Kacey surprises her at school, and Simon isn't happy about Mickey always choosing her. Kacey overhears Mickey telling Simon she feels sorry for her. Later that night in 2010, a girl overdoses on alcohol and pills in the music room, and it's Kacey. The paramedics are able to save her life this time, but at 14 years old, it's a stark reality for Mickey about what's going on with her little sister.
Checking up on the crime scene where Emily was found, Mickey and Truman compare notes and decide to trail Simon now that they have a potential motive. In the evening, Mickey and Truman have dinner with Aura and Joe, who shares what he found on the holding firm but there's not much yet. Again, Aura pushes Mickey about getting together with Truman. There seem to be sparks! She asks Aura about Simon, and she admits that she was always intimidated by him.
While Thomas and G-Pop have a great night dancing to oldies together, Mickey and Truman stakeout Simon's work. She asks Truman if he considered taking the detective exam. He never wanted to be a detective, but he's now even questioning whether he wants to return as a cop given the corruption in the system. Mickey has considered detective, but being a patrol has manageable hours and allows her to keep an eye on Kacey.
The next flashback jumps to December 2015 after Kacey returns home from jail. She insists that she's going to be better. During this time, Mickey was studying for the detective exam, which comes as a surprise to Kacey. She wonders why Mickey isn't doing music and if being a cop is what Simon wants. When Simon returns home, he isn't warm to Kacey, instead asking about the terms of her parole.
Mickey (allegedly) already caught the killer
In present day, the stakeout gets interesting when Simon leaves work. They follow his blue Mustang to a dive bar. He's outside smoking before he enters the bar. While they wait for his next move, they talk about Truman's gambling and Mickey's love for music. Just as they're having a romantic moment of connection, Simon leaves the bar. As they follow him, a flashback to an argument between Kacey and Simon fills her head.
Kacey asks him where he goes at night and starts to hit him. Simon pushes her back and she throws a glass at him. When Simon kicks her out, Mickey says nothing. It's a moment Mickey seems to regret, a moment where she was forced to choose between Simon and Kacey and made the wrong decision.
They track Simon to Dock's building that burned, and they spot Simon chasing after a woman. Mickey and Truman follow him on foot and catch him forcing the woman to perform oral sex on him. That's exactly what Paula said the cop would do. He doesn't kill the woman, and they track him to his house. Truman suggests getting him for solicitation, but Mickey knows deep down he's done worse.
The next night, Mickey and Truman meet at Duke's with Mike DiPaolo (Matthew Sean Blumm), who's been working with Danjarat, about the next steps. She explains the situation to DiPaolo, but before she can finish, he tells her that they "caught the guy" and he's behind bars. He says it's Sean Kelly, Colleen's husband, who Mickey arrested. DNA links him to multiple victims. DiPaolo warns Mickey that her looking into this from the Simon angle looks personal and she should let it go.
When they return home from the bar, Mickey panics when she realizes Thomas' babysitter, Bethany, isn't there anymore. Bethany and Thomas aren't in the apartment, and as Mickey and Truman check the security footage, they hear a noise. It's Mrs. Mahon, who delivers the relieving news that Thomas is at her place sleeping because Bethany had to leave. Mickey thanks Truman for being there for her, and they kiss!
Watch Long Bright River only on Peacock.