Fire Country Season 1 Episode 9 Review: No Good Deed
Denis Kimathi
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Well, that sure was something.
We learned of Bode's fate on Fire Country Season 1, Episode 9. After someone died, an investigation was launched into Cal Fire and Little Rock affairs, and we had some newfound respect for Jake.
The episode boasted a great story, strong performances, and direction.
It was directed by Sarah Wayne Callies, who you might know from Prison Break, The Walking Dead, or Letterkenny.
The episode did a slight time jump of one week, thus keeping us in the dark about how it all went down, revealing little pieces of information at a time.
Jake emerged as the best character in this hour.
It was easy to hate him due to his little outbursts and the fact that he is written as a rival to the lead, who we are supposed to like, but his behavior in made us see him in a different light.
Jake: Bode's always been a lose cannon. I should have had him sent back to prison when I had the chance.
Investigator: How would you have done that?
Jake: It doesn't matter now. I didn't report him back then and I'm not gonna do it now.
As a matter of fact, I think he gets hated over nothing. Bode blames him for Riley's death, but was he really responsible for it? Would it be your fault if you broke up with someone and they ended up in a grisly road accident, thus losing their life?
I move not.
Bode transfers the energy he receives from his dad to the closest person he can, and that's Jake. Jake, being the good guy he is, takes it with little to no quarreling.
How he managed to stay composed as his world unraveled as he watched baffles me. He got a hint of something happening between Bode and Gabriella as soon as she jumped after Bode. And even then, he kept his cool and did his job.
Even after Bode's lawyer lady basically confirmed that something was going on, he didn't let up.
The investigator sure did know how to shake things up. From the get-go, one could see that she was a no-nonsense woman.
She even got Eve in her feelings. She asked all the right questions, and for a minute, there, I was on her team.
But then she lost me.
Clubs or establishments are not usually a good thing. They always tend to protect themselves at the expense of innocent people. They demand blind loyalty from their members.
When we learned that there would be an investigation into the events of that bridge rescue, my reaction was, "it's about time." Teasers that were released showed a good time with the investigator,
She, however, decided not to do her job and protect the establishment, which, in this case, was the firehouse.
While this turn of events did make for a comfort watch, the morality of it all comes into question.
When someone in power abuses said power to protect a few individuals, it is the greatest corruption.
We expected the investigator to expose all the little secrets that have been hidden between these people. It would have made for an explosive episode. Instead, she came in and fed out of the palms of their hands.
Everyone here ought to be charged with something, in my opinion.
From Sharon to Manny to Vince and the investigator. There is a gross misuse of power.
And the thing about the abuse of power is that it doesn't end in one instance. How else do bad cops thrive in departments? Because someone decides to protect the club instead of the victims.
How has the Catholic Church gotten away with a staggering amount of child molestation cases? Because someone seeks to protect the establishment, and the establishment always seeks to protect itself.
See where I'm going with this?
The lack of professionalism shown during the rescue should not have gone unreprimanded, but it did. Will someone learn a lesson from this?
The investigator -- whose name is not worth remembering after seeing her play -- was ready to pin all these things on Bode and let him go down for it despite how he tried his best to do what was right. In a bid to protect the club, innocent individuals suffer.
The only good thing that came out of this was Eve's write-up being stricken down. She showed true integrity when everything started going awry.
If someone hadn't died and a lawsuit was staring the department in the face, would they have bothered to investigate that rescue? Would Eve have ended up being reprimanded for doing what was right?
I know it's not all so black and white. Sometimes someone needs to bend the rules a little to get the job done, but that should be the exception, not the rule.
For example, I fully support Manny starting the fire earlier than scheduled because it saved lives. Was the fact that the motivation was to save his daughter relevant? Probably not. He would have done that to save anyone's life.
Eve: Gabriella, what are you doing?
Manny: No! No! No! That's my daughter. No!
Away from that investigation mess, things became more serious between Bode and Gabriella.
Nothing like nearly freezing to death makes the bond between two people deeper. There's nothing like saving each other's lives and having that to hold over each other's heads. Even Meg, despite being in severe pain, clocked their body language and what it might be trying to communicate.
It will be interesting to see how all this plays out in the coming episodes.
We didn't get to see the aftermath of Luke's actions because Sharon was preoccupied with the investigation, but we're looking forward to that.
Isn't it funny how things happen? A driver causes an accident and flees the scene only to get in another accident that kills her. Maybe she would have lived if she had stayed on the scene.
Overall, I wasn't impressed by how this installment played out. Every major thing that would make for an interesting twist later was resolved and wrapped in a little package without much fanfare.
But this being TV, writers can bring back a person or a storyline at any time.
What did you think of it? Will Gabriella and Jake break up now?
Should the investigator have done that?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Catch new episodes of Fire Country on Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.
You can always watch Fire Country online to catch up on what you might have missed.
Denis Kimathi was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on X.
