Fire Country Season 1 Episode 21 Review: Backfire
Denis Kimathi
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There comes a time when you must make a stand no matter how hard the options are.
Many characters decided what they wanted on Fire Country Season 1 Episode 21 while a fire raged in a nearby winery.
Loyalties were tested, and convictions were overturned.
Being the Fire Country Season 1 penultimate episode, we expected a lot of development from the characters as the storyline for the second season materializes.
Bode's immediate concern was ensuring he was paroled, but other hanging issues kept pulling him back to his former life.
Caring for others is great, but sometimes you can put yourself on the line too much.
Everyone was almost sure that Bode would be paroled, which raised fears in other inmates who did not have that possibility. There was nothing Bode could have said to calm them down apart from imploring them not to make a decision they would regret.
He was also concerned with the threat Sleeper made before he was taken away, and it was smart that Bode did not take that lightly.
Being a drug dealer, Sleeper was well-connected and wouldn't need to do much to get to him. All they had to do was wait and see what he came up with.
They did not have to wait long because his drug test returned positive, and there was no way Bode had been using.
Sleeper was written all over it, but there was no way to prove it. That's what made Sleeper so scary. He was smart and fought his battles by getting into his enemy's head.
Bode was quite lucky. He had multiple people looking out for his future so that he had options after getting out. Not many people have that, and he should appreciate it more.
On the one hand, his parents were excited to have him join Cal Fire. Never has Vince been so enthusiastic about anything Bode-related. He was finally getting the son he'd wanted all these years.
Sharon was much more skeptical because, after all, Cal Fire is not their family vacation destination, and many cogs in the system had to turn before Bode was even considered for a position.
Elsewhere, Manny had been looking into joining Nozzle, and everything had been going well until the people close to him learned that he might be leaving.
They genuinely looked disappointed in him, but did they expect him to spend the rest of his life in Three Rock?
Nozzle was an excellent opportunity for him, and when he turned it down, it was disappointing too. He let other people's feelings about it dictate his choice and projected that onto Faye to make it look like it was her fault.
Manny: Faye, I realized I'm not Nozzle material
Faye: Come on, you accepted our offer.
Manny: I did. It comes with too high of a price.
I'm skeptical of the ultra-rich like the next person, but there was no way Faye or her people were responsible for the fire becoming bigger. They could only control so much, and the wind was not under their control.
Even Cal Fire had done the same thing during the Drake County fire, and they were lucky theirs didn't spread beyond the cutting line.
Sharon was the voice of reason despite her initial reaction to the news.
She understood how good of an opportunity Nozzle would be for her son.
Sharon: Cal Fire's in charge, but this is private property that the owners hired Nozzle to protect. And if Bode and Manny got to work for them...
Vince: Manny can do what he wants but Bode ...
Sharon: Bode is a 30-year-old man who has to make his own decisions.
Would it have been better if he was close to her so she could keep an eye on him? Yes. But he was a thirty-year-old man.
Freddy received some heartbreaking news about his release but handled it like a champ.
[to Eve] Don't beat yourself up. You did everything you could. It's the system that failed. It always is.
Freddy
Because of how excited Eve had been about it, he was almost sure that he would be getting out and had even prepared how to tell Cookie.
All that hope dashed within seconds was soul-crushing.
One thing that makes the law effective is the simple concept of innocent until proven guilty. It should extend to cases where new evidence shows that the suspect might be innocent even after being proven guilty.
They are so quick to take someone's freedom away, but where is that energy when returning it?
It was tragic enough that Freddy had spent years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, but now he would spend two more years even when he has a case for his innocence. It is infuriating to think that someone's life is wasted away for nothing.
I'm not sure there is anything they can give him to make up for the priceless moments he was robbed.
Meanwhile, Gabriela met up with an ex-boyfriend, but old feelings arose at least in one party.
A chance encounter with a lovelorn man cleared up something for her. She had been procrastinating happiness for a long time instead of seizing the moment.
She chose Bode but also chose herself, which was a powerful lesson.
I put off happiness. It was always gonna be when I get my gold medal. And now it's when you get out. I would be happy when we get together.
Gabriela
It became like a dream when running in the rain and having sex in the dark, and you know what? You go, girl!
"Backfire" cleared some things up, which is great heading for the season finale but also left something to ponder before Fire Country Season 1 Episode 22.
The direction, editing, and music, especially during that Bodiela scene, set the mood just right. Max Theriot's first Fire Country directorial episode was a success.
What do you think?
Did Bode use drugs, or is this Sleeper's way of exacting revenge? Do you think he will be paroled?
What is happening between Sharon and Luke?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
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.
