We pick up right where we left off last season; the building was collapsing with Vince, Sharon, and Vince’s father, Walter, still trapped inside. They find Sharon and Walter first, and when they said they found Vince I had this small bit of hope but I knew. Man, I was really hoping this would be a fake out (even though the sneak peek trailer confirmed the direction they were going in) but Vince Leone is gone. The look on Bode’s face when Manny broke the news to him nearly broke me. It’s like he and his family were finally coming together. Bode was out of prison, on probation, and headed in the right direction by joining Station 42– now this?
My goodness and that funeral? Bode’s eulogy for Vince was so fitting; Bode doing something he wasn’t supposed to and Vince showing him how to do it the right way. That stubbornness of his never left him but Vince, though most times frustrated, always tried to show him how to do things the right way and keep him on the straight path. I don’t know how they’ll get past this loss– Vince, to me, was the heart of Station 42.
“Goodbye for Now” – FIRE COUNTRY, Pictured: Jules Latimer as Eve Edwards, Max Thieriot as Bode Leone, Jordan Calloway as Jake Crawford, Stephanie Arcila as Gabriela Perez, and Kevin Alejandro as Manny Perez. Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/CBS © 2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
One thing I didn’t like was how Jake was immediately gunning to take Vince’s spot. I’m sorry, weren’t you on your way out, Jake? In all fairness, yes, Jake would be the obvious choice, he was captain after all, but something about this feels wrong to me. Bode of course overhears Jake’s idea on this and goes off. His reaction was valid – there’s a time and place for this and that moment wasn’t it. However, Bode was wrong here. Even though Station 42 is his legacy, he still has work to do to get up to that level.
Sharon puts an end to it; she suspends active duty for Station 42.
Two months later Station 42 is still out of service. Sharon is not doing okay. Manny said he has to put the food in her face to make her eat. She doesn’t want to hear anything about Station 42. Luke stopped by and cooked for Sharon, and normally I’d be like “oh that’s sweet” I can’t forget how he tried to make a move on Sharon, so him being there is sus to me. To make matters worse, he invites Walter over. This sets Sharon off, because she believes he’s the reason Vince is gone. She tells Walter she was the highest ranking officer there and Vince was her responsibility – he shouldn’t have taken her out. What broke me was that she said it should’ve been her instead of Vince.
“Goodbye for Now” – FIRE COUNTRY, Pictured: Jules Latimer as Eve Edwards and Max Thieriot as Bode Leone. Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/CBS © 2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Luke stops by again to apologize for bringing Walter around. While there, Luke’s radio goes off and Sharon hears that Station 42 is at an incident. While waiting for Cal Fire to stop by to reprimand her for something that I don’t believe is her fault (no matter what she believes), she should’ve focused on what Station 42 needed: their Division Chief to step up.
At the incident, Bode learns that this is Gabriella’s last shift with Station 42 (too many people have left this man at this point and I can’t take it anymore). They later meet to talk about it, which I appreciate Gabriella for. She tells Bode about her plans and why she’s leaving and honestly, it’s a great opportunity for her. This is where she messed up though; why would she tell Bode she loves him when she’s leaving? Girl, come on now. If I’m being honest, I don’t care for Audrey, never did and never will. I wanted Gabriella and Bode to be endgame, so what I’m willing to accept is that this truly is a ‘goodbye for now’ with them.
“Goodbye for Now” – FIRE COUNTRY, Pictured: Stephanie Arcila as Gabriela Perez and Kevin Alejandro as Manny Perez. Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/CBS © 2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Whenever this man has a redeeming moment he turns around and ruins it– yes, I’m talking about Luke Leone. When Sharon told him that she was expecting Cal Fire to show up at her door, why would he then take it upon himself to reach out to them? This now rushes folks at Cal Fire to fill the open Battalion position at Station 42 and they fill the position. Of course it’s with the man Sharon can’t stand (and who Vince also couldn’t stand), Brett Richards.
I enjoyed this episode but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about the new direction of the show. No Vince? No Three Rock? No Gabriella? Too much of what I loved about the show is gone, but you know what? I’m choosing to trust the vision.
EPISODE RATING: 8/10
What’d you think of the season premiere of Fire Country? Share your thoughts below or connect with me on X/Twitter @chenfordhugs