It was another thrilling hour on Fire Country Season 1 Episode 21 as Station 42 and Three Rock responded to a fire in a winery that ignited fires of their own in the characters' lives.

Our Fire Country Fanatics Jasmine, Dale, and Denis discuss the episode's greatest moments, including Bode's decision to join Cal Fire after he was paroled, Freddy's misfortune, and that cliffhanger.

They also grade the emergency.

Bode decided to join Cal Fire once he was paroled. What do you think about that?

Jasmine: It was the only choice. He’s been working his whole life to this point. It went from this thing he resisted to realizing it’s his goal and home, so this feels right and natural.

It’s also more his speed. I cannot envision him working at Nozzle. I also don’t feel like he’d get away with as much either, and he'd be expendable in their eyes.

Dale: I feel it was the right choice for him. It’s the family business. He’d be working with competent people, most of whom he knows.

And, as this episode proved, working for Nozzle isn’t all it was cracked up to be.

Denis: It felt like he was coerced or cornered into making the decision. He doesn't have many options, and he made the one that'd make his parents happy. Maybe he's such a good firefighter because he isn't close to them.

Who knows what feelings this change might induce?

Freddy might not be getting out. React!

Jasmine: As much as I hate this development for him, it’s about as realistic as it gets.

It was a miracle that there was sufficient evidence to potentially get his case overturned in the first place, so it feels on brand that the wheels of justice are slow due to backlog, and he’ll still be stuck waiting out his sentence.

I thought he handled it incredibly well, and I was thrilled that he wasn’t irrationally angry at Eve. As he said, the system failed, as it so often does.

Dale: It’s a shame Eve unintentionally got Freddy’s hopes up. However, it’s not her fault that the court system is so backed up. A firefighter couldn’t be expected to know that.

There’s not enough time left this season for a lawyer to sweep in and save Freddy, not with Bode needing a good attorney. Freddy may have to settle for suing for wrongful conviction after he gets out in a couple of years.

Denis: I was fuming. My mind kept going back to the fact that he was innocent all along, and if they were quick enough to declare him guilty on insufficient evidence, his freedom should be prioritized.

Why does Bode, who was guilty as charged, get to leave before Freddy? If anything, the parole board should be dissolved and replaced by a false convictions board.

How would you rate the winery fire on a scale of 1-10?

Jasmine: It was simple enough until Nozzle’s incompetence kicked it up to around an eight. Gosh, they were the worst. I appreciated the element of this family who didn’t even own the land but had their legacy with it, fighting so hard to save it. I got in my feelings about that a bit.

But the fire certainly revealed the bad side of Nozzle, and we needed that so Manny and Bode weren’t tempted by the flashy shine of the private sector. It reminded me of that private EMS service on 9-1-1: Lone Star. It looks great on the surface but is far from it when you dig deeper.

Dale: Well, it started around a three until Nozzle “helped” out. Suddenly there were electrical fires and explosions.

That raging fire also revealed to Manny and Bode what their dream job could be and made both think twice about joining the private sector.

Denis: A seven because the fires seemed more realistic than in the early episodes. Guess CBS finally gave them the proper budget after the show became a hit.

Bode tested positive for drugs. What do you think that's about?

Jasmine: Obviously, it’s Sleeper’s revenge. We’ve seen the man get away with a lot and chummed it with guards or whatever. I'm guessing he switched the urine samples. I can’t say I didn’t see that coming.

It feels like the perfect hiccup to drag out Bode’s parole situation just as his parents were allowing themselves to envision him there with them. What is bugging me, however, is the implication that Manny may believe it.

It wouldn’t even make logical sense for Bode to fight the drug thing and snitch only to test dirty, and Manny already knows that Bode was getting threatened and harassed.

Dale: My guess is somebody switched the urine samples. Sleeper must have found a way to do that to get revenge on Bode for snitching on his Three Rock drug operation.

But how to prove the samples were switched is the question. So much for Bode getting paroled this season.

Denis: I think it all has to do with Sleeper. It's obvious, and Fire Country has a habit of rolling with the obvious.

50 years! Can you imagine that?

Jasmine: Love is powerful with ebbs and flows, timeless and limitless. I can believe that this man has carried a torch for this woman since high school.

It’s just so heartbreaking that they came that close to reuniting, and then he died. Boo, hiss!

Dale: It’s not inconceivable that love, or at least infatuation, could last that long. We’ve all thought back to the one that got away in our youth.

However, considering the age of the people involved, it was realistic that one of them didn’t survive until the reunion. It was sad, but it was believable.

Denis: I feel like fifty years is a long time to be apart from someone and claim to have the same feelings as when you first met. At that stage in life, maybe he was chasing youth. But it was evident that they felt or once felt something for each other.

What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline from the episode, and why?

Jasmine: Listen, Sharon was damn near ready to square up with Faye and had me ready to pop some popcorn. I love me some Sharon, and I know she can throw down if she has to. Vince being proud of her for going off made me giggle.

I also loved how excited he was about the prospect of Bode joining the house and him setting up his locker next to his. He’s such a dad.

Oh, and the psych-out prison escape with the guys actually saving the family instead was great.

Dale: That would have to be Manny breaking up with Faye.

He was naïve to think she wouldn’t be hurt when he rejected her job and her life’s work. How could he possibly think they could continue their relationship after that?

Denis: I loved how objective Sharon was. While everyone went on their anti-Nozzle crusade, she looked at the situation critically and concluded that they weren't the worst people.

Since it's a show about Cal Fire, they were biased toward that side, but I feel like in real life, a private company would do a better job than a public one.

Anything else, good or bad, you would like to point out about the episode?

Dale: I thought Gabriela would break it off with Bode and take the cleaner alternative of Kyle, who was throwing himself at her.

Instead, she raced to Bode, and they consummated their relationship. Now, to add to Bode’s troubles, does anybody want to bet that Gaby will get pregnant?

Jasmine: Dale, I kept thinking about her getting pregnant during that entire love scene. They feel rife for a pregnancy plot. And it’s the kind of angst and drama that this show would bring for this couple.

Max Thieriot is a multitalent. I thought he did an excellent job directing this episode. I'm also living for the episode’s playlist.

Denis: I didn't even think of the potential pregnancy; it makes so much sense.

I loved the realization Gabriela had about her life. I related to that on some level, as I'm guilty of postponing happiness. I think I've said this before in a round table, but nothing gets me like when a character has a self-awareness moment.

The music in the episode was so good as it featured original songs written for the show. It made the love-making scene softer because that was HBO-level stuff on network TV at 9 p.m. Well, close to 10 p.m., but still.

•••••

Your turn now. What did you think? Let us know in the comments section, and you may watch Fire Country online to catch up before Fire Country Season 1 Episode 22 airs this Friday.

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.