Fire Country Season 4 Episode 17 Microwaves Old Storylines

Critic’s Rating: 3 / 5.0

3

This episode confirms that Fire Country wants to pretend it has successfully resolved the Tyler-Chloe situation.

We are now moving on to other things

Or more accurately, revisiting the past with some of the arcs that eventually fall victim to Bodeism.

I love it when a show revisits past storylines because they carry more weight than something new that will be introduced and explored for several episodes before another arc sidetracks the writers.

This might be why Fire Country Season 4 Episode 17, “Sometimes the Chaos Wins,” feels like a much deeper hour of the show after Cole and Roberta return, with their emotional arcs in full swing.

But first, it wouldn’t be an episode of Fire Country if we weren’t subjected to Bode’s heroics while everyone cheers him on like he’s found the cure for cancer.

All that happened was a decent editor who stringed together clips from an otherwise routine rescue to make Bode look like a superhero.

So, the latest narrative the show is running with is that Bode is a viral sensation, and he will save everyone.

His uncle should be given a guitar to accompany his constant odes, since he’s now taken over from Jake as Bode’s cheerleader.

If you ignore the Bodeism of it all, this is a solid hour.

Who are we kidding? Bodeisms are the lifeblood of this show, and so when Cole arrives at Three Rock, we get a dose of it.

What Has Been Going on in Cole’s Life

The last time we saw the character, he was on his way to becoming the father he never was after being incarcerated.

He realized how much he’d missed when his son came out while feeling helpless because he couldn’t help.

Surprisingly, Fire Country toys with exploring the other side of the redemption mantra because not everyone has a mother, father, uncle, cousin, childhood best friend, lover, e.t.c in Cal Fire.

If you’re not special like Bode, life has a way of dealing you different cards.

Cole is struggling, but he tries to put on a brave face until Bode once again wins something, and it sets him off.

I was sideying the challenge because we know what happens when Bode is involved in anything: he must win, or the sun won’t set.

However, they escalate the storyline after the win to explore the challenges after the fire camp.

And while that’s good, does everything have to tie back to Bode? Seriously.

This could have been an impactful storyline on its own, without using it to prop up Bode’s heroics.

Cole is the one going through the moment, but somehow Bode gets the credit for the win when this is all over.

It’s a less overt case of Bodeisms, but it underscores the fundamental problem that has plagued this show since its inception and has worsened over the years.

Cole’s struggles are used to support Bode’s desire to get a special REMS team created for him so that he can become a team leader.

Groan.

Every character’s story is usually hijacked to feed the monster that is Bodeism.

But that’s the reality in Edgewater, where sharing DNA with someone can take you farther than your skills.

Raise your hands if you remember what happened to Jake’s brother, Malcolm?

He survived the accident that nearly killed him, and now he’s looking to return to firefighting. However, the poor guy can shave seventeen seconds from his fitness test.

So he does the next logical thing: move to his brother’s firehouse — half-brother’s firehouse.

Don’t you just love it when someone you met a week ago is blackmailing you emotionally into getting him a job he’s not yet qualified for?

But Jake doesn’t know any better because he’s seen nepotism play out in this town his entire life. Bode’s entire career is built on favors and disregard for protocols.

Why wouldn’t he want his brother in the firehouse to make himself feel better? Let’s all forget that Malcolm is unfit for the job and could put everyone in danger.

It’s worth repeating that Fire Country sold itself to us as a redemption story, but four seasons in, it has become a nepotism horror story.

So Jake makes an impassioned speech that would make me slap some sense into him, but Sharon falls for it.

Speaking of speeches, Roberta returns with one of her own.

Manny’s Life Takes Soapy Turn

Look, am I glad that Manny is getting a separate storyline that makes him more bearable to watch? Sure. But a love triangle? I’m not sure.

His thing with Camille is the kind of storyline where I reply to messages on my phone as I wait for it to pass.

It’s sappy and soapy while moving too fast. One minute they’ve just met, the next they are on a date, and now, they’re boyfriend and girlfriend. Cute — truly.

Let’s just leave it at that.

However, Roberta returns with an emotional plea after learning that she has a life-threatening condition and wants to get back together with Manny.

This is a no-brainer.

If Manny has feelings for her despite their chaotic marriage, Camille doesn’t stand a chance after the three minutes we’ve known her.

Roberta and Manny have a history you can see in their daughter, Gabriela.

And the fact that she’s ailing lends credibility to her assertion that she wants Manny and is willing to embarrass herself like that.

So, for this one, Roberta wins. Sorry, Camille.

Gut Check

“Sometimes the Chaos Wins” is a much more grounded episode of the show. It’s not great since I can’t forget the mess that concluded Fire Country Season 4 Episode 15, but at least there is no Tyler and Chloe in it.

For a show with fire in its title, one would think that they’d make an effort to ensure every emergency ends in a fire, but no.

A dying marriage is the antithesis of a growing fire.

Intrusive Thoughts

• The people in the back can’t hear that you have a fiancée, Jake.

• Shame on the 300k people who watched that sizzle reel.

• This new Three Rock is just a summer camp for boys with some exploitation for physical labor.

• If Malcolm had asked Bode for a job, he’d be in fitting turnouts by day’s end.

• What an insult by Jake to assume Bode can’t handle a mere pole by himself.

Over to you, Fire Country fanatics. What did you think of this trip to the past? Sharon and Alexei, yay or nay? 

And Bode’s new confession? What do you see happening? If this show’s logic holds, the guy whose house he broke into must forgive him, or the station will set his house on fire and refuse to put it out.

Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.

Say something in the comments, share if you’re moved to, and keep reading. Independent voices need readers like you.