Fire Country Season 4 Episode 2 Finally Stops Coddling Mediocrity

Critic’s Rating: 4.8 / 5.0

4.8

I stand with Battalion Chief Brett Richards!

Sometimes it takes an outsider to take a look at a situation with fresh, unbiased eyes and diagnose the problem.

Station 142 had been so far up its own you-know-what that they never stopped to think of their role in Vince’s death.

Everyone wants to be angry and moody, but that can only last so long. Chief Brett’s first item on the agenda when he arrives is to pull everyone out of their slump and sharpen their firefighter instincts – or dig them up from wherever they got buried.

Fire Country Season 4 Episode 2, “Not a Stray,” plays out just as someone would expect — which is not a bad thing in this case.

Every change is met with resistance, and Station 142 mounts its own resistance when CFD does not massage their egos and promote one of them.

But after the events of this episode, it’s clear that the station needed a shakeup.

In these kinds of stories, where coworkers are closely related or form strong bonds, a lot can get swept under the rug.

To avoid offending delicate sensibilities, everyone learns to adjust to others’ shortcomings.

A father does not want to damage his relationship with his son further; a mother does not want to lose her son again; a friend hopes to repair a broken relationship; a lover seeks to keep a good thing going, and so on.

However, some small things that, if nipped in the bud early, could be fixed, become significant problems. A lot of them coalesce into something ugly and hard to penetrate.

There’s a New Chief in Town

But when the stakes are this high, there is no time to massage egos. Chief Richards does not massage egos, and for that I applaud him.

And he doesn’t do this to show off his power. He’s not desperate to be feared; he’s been through this exact situation, so he knows what he’s talking about.

Fire Country could not have found a better actor to bring the character to life than Shawn Hatosy. One can see some traces of Pope from Animal Kingdom and Dr. Abbot from The Pitt.

The stern face and slow walk convey a strong ‘Cross me and I’ll end you,’ while the soft demeanor and measured line delivery convey ‘I care.’

He takes the team back to basics, and they think: the cajones on this guy to treat us like probies.

This shows a fundamental problem with Station 142, where everyone is so comfortable that they’ve grown arrogant. Some are so stuck up their own you-know-what that they think the station is their family business. Yes, I’m talking about Bode.

The only person with any semblance of sense is Audrey, also an outsider relative to everyone else.

She subtly calls them out for being crybabies and throwing a tantrum because someone dares to stand up to them.

You Failed, And You Failed, and You Failed — Everyone Failed!

The hour does a great job of showing just what Chief Richards is talking about.

It takes them to the field, and what transpires is a clusterf*ck of epic proportions. Bode is taking out his feelings on Jake; Sharon hopes that Brett is wrong; and then dangerous sappiness.

When people are in direct line of a fire that is growing by the minute, there is no time to stand around and reminisce over a past that is never coming back.

Have these people never heard that it can always get worse? For what seems like eternity, the first responders keep bargaining with people they should be saving.

And lucky for them, everything ends well. However, that’s not a guaranteed outcome. Look at what happened at Bella Vista in Fire Country Season 4 Episode 1!

Our Bode, the Rebel Without a Cause

In the ideal world, I would avoid discussing Bode because it’s always the same story with him.

He does something stupid but chastises everyone for calling him out. This episode is not short on moments where Bode’s Bravado jumps out, but at this rate, I’ve grown indifferent to them.

But I’m a fair person, and I give credit where it’s due. I was surprised when he didn’t take that pill despite being in significant emotional turmoil after being told he was wrong.

Imagine hearing that someone else is right and you are wrong! The horror!

For someone who’s always bent on ruining everything good in his life, it’s surprising that he made the right decision.

However, if you watched the Sheriff Country series premiere, he took some pills from his cousin, pills we don’t know what he did with. Maybe he’s not so clean after all.

Making Wishes Come True

One of the items in my Fire Country Season 4 wishlist was that we’d get Bode’s antidote with Vince gone, and we have that in Chief Richards.

Even if he fails at everything else, I want to see him rail against Bode’s major issues that Camden tried to encourage.

The other item concerns Three Rock’s future. The show seems to have said goodbye to the camp, but I’m unsure if that’s for good.

However, it is the right decision because the camp had an expiration date, which was two seasons ago.

Man, do I love seeing Eve and Manny as regular firefighters. All the stress of the inmate camp has washed away, and they look energized. Maybe it wasn’t a good thing for them after all.

Also, they need to be trimmed down to size.

I keep gaining new respect for Sharon. It takes a lot to admit you’re wrong, even with emotions running that high. She knows the station needs a firm hand, and she’s not going to do it — not with all the history she has with these people.

Fire Country might have dropped the ball with Vince’s death, but it’s using this monumental event to keep the story moving forward. “Not a Stray” teases a season with purpose, and I’m sat.

9-1-1 could take a hint and stop treading water with the 118. Bring someone new to diagnose these people.

Imagine Buck’s face when someone calls him out for being stubborn and annoying instead of treating him like a Golden Retriever.

Over to you, Fire Country Fanatics. What did you think? Is Brett good for the show? Do you want him to stick around?

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