The firefighting nature of Fire Country ensured its protagonists dealt with death-defying saves, with some of them involving ridiculous developments for how danger reached Station 42’s firefighters and Three Rock’s inmate firefighters. Handling various types of emergencies, from forest fires to lighting storms and even rescues in nature, Fire Country seasons 1 and 2 provided multiple changes of scenery for the action, even as the inmate camp’s firefighters often had only the help of hand tools to Cal Fire. However, the different settings also made unbelievable recoveries possible, made ridiculous by the characters’ behavior or the chain of events.

While some ridiculous moments only happened in very specific circumstances made worse by the characters’ past, the absurdness of other developments was established by repetitive behaviors put in place by Fire Country’s characters. Among them, a recurrent one was how most patients who needed rescuing often behaved irresponsibly, in ways that went entirely against the first responders’ efforts. However, another ridiculous constant in Fire Country seasons 1 and 2 was Bode’s tendency to defy orders, behaving heroically, but also putting himself unnecessarily in danger, in ways that should have sent him back to jail if Manny followed the protocol completely.

9 Delivery Truck Crashing Into The Station 42 Cal Fire Firehouse

Fire Country Season 1, Episode 10

Jules Latimer as Eve Edwards, W. Tré Davis as Freddy Mills and Max Thieriot as Bode Leone in Fire Country season 1 episode 10

Fire Country season 1’s 22 episodes made it easy for the firefighting drama to present various absurd moments. One of the least consequential, which didn’t impact any character in the long run, was the box truck crash of Fire Country season 1, episode 10. Indeed, the Station 42 firefighters being at the firehouse with small business owners and Eve being there with the inmate firefighters for another training created the perfect setup for chaos once the exhausted delivery driver crashed the truck against the entrance of Station 42.

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What made the occurrence particularly ridiculous wasn’t just the emergency going precisely to the firefighters, but especially how what was supposed to be a relatively calm day partially destroyed the station – as the crash created a fire in the room with the small business owners – and risked Charlie’s life. While the inmate firefighter was eventually freed from the rig blocking his leg and survived, letting his story end positively with his release, the chain of events was unbelievably intense despite the stakes not being high from the beginning.

8 Civilians Refuse To Leave The Scene, Endangering Themselves & The Firefighters

Fire Country Season 1, Episode 12 & Season 2, Episode 3

Michael O'Neill as Harlan in Fire Country season 1 episode 12

A major Fire Country controversy relied upon its many different unrealistic developments. Among those, how patients and potential victims made things incredibly more difficult for the firefighters created a new set of ridiculousness, especially as such a problem presented itself time and time again. Vince Leone established in Fire Country’s series premiere how the people of Edgewater refused to leave their homes even when fire threatened them. This took center stage in Fire Country season 1, episode 12, when Harlan stopped the firefighters from rescuing his wife at first.

The episode eventually saw Jake and Gabriela – and everyone on the rig – in grave danger of being burned alive by the forest fire.

Similarly, Fire Country season 2, episode 3 brought things to the extremes once the decision not to evacuate that a community in the forest continued to uphold endangered themselves, and Station 42’s firefighters. Indeed, the episode eventually saw Jake and Gabriela – and everyone on the rig – in grave danger of being burned alive by the forest fire, which took over every path out of the forest, and proved how the ridiculous requests of those needing saving almost cost everybody’s lives because of how much they delayed the rescue.

7 Forest Fires Being Put Out In A Short Period

Fire Country Season 1, Episode 16 & Season 2, Episode 9

Diane Farr as Sharon Leone and Max Thieriot as Bode Leone in Fire Country season 2
Custom Image by Antonella Gugliersi.

Forest fires often return in Fire Country, but the speed with which they are sorted out is far from reality. While that could be said of many rescues in the firefighting drama, forest fires are often used to make moments more dramatic, before stopping being impactful as the episode ends. This could already be seen in Fire Country season 1’s premiere, but it became more evident in Fire Country season 1, episode 16, whose forest fire only lasted one episode.

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Similarly, the major campaign fire of Fire Country season 2 that threatened an area close to Edgewater was resolved in two episodes. While its threat hovered on Edgewater residents in Fire Country season 2, episode 8 at the Firefighters’ Ball, it became Station 42 and Three Rock’s reality in season 2, episode 9. That campaign fire made it possible for Bode to heroically save his father, leading to his earning the extraordinary conduct credit that freed him from the fire camp at last, making the relatively easily solved forest fire nothing more than a convenient device for a story’s resolution.

6 Diego, Cara & Bode Attempt Reaching The Hospital Through A Firenado

Fire Country Season 2, Episode 5

Sabina Gadecki as Cara in Fire Country season 2 episode 5-5

While Fire Country season 1 included a great variety of ridiculous moments, season 2 contained one that had great repercussions for all main characters of the firefighting drama. After Bode’s bravado reunited two brothers and almost snuffed him out in an explosion, he urgently needed the hospital. The great presence of firefighters and other first responders at the chemical plant fire made it possible for Cara and Diego to be the ones responsible for Bode’s transfer to the hospital.

This heightened the stakes as Bode had just told Gabriela he loved her and spent days asking Cara to present him to Genevieve, making them the least convenient group with whom to be stuck in an aid car together. Adding to that season 2’s firenado made the whole premise even more ridiculous, and heartbreakingly so after it brought to Cara’s shocking death in Fire Country season 2, affecting all Edgewater residents, but especially Cara’s family, Jake and Genevieve.

5 A Simple Reforestation Job Turns Into Tragedy, Killing 1 & Severely Hurting Another

Fire Country Season 1, Episode 15

Fiona Rene as Rebecca Lee in Fire Country season 1, episode 15-1

One of Fire Country season 1’s most tragic moments was kickstarted by a call that was never supposed to be dangerous. Indeed, Eve became more and more involved with inmate firefighters at Three Rock midway into season 1, prompting her to include them in an important reforestation project in the mountains. The relative ease of the project went all down the drain once they realized the tree had already been partially cut, leading to Eve ending up trapped by a felled tree and even more disturbing developments.

If the call going south so quickly sounded already quite illogical, it only became tragically so when saving Eve brought to the death of an inmate firefighter. Bode and Freddy had spent the episode convincing the other inmates to help Eve, and as they all worked together, her boot was still stuck. This prompted Rebecca to free her, and while she did so, Rebecca also paid the price by being trapped under the felled tree that shifted, dying as the inmate firefighters couldn’t bring her to safety in time.

4 Bode's Unruliness That Makes Him The Hero But Should Have Sent Him Back To Jail

Fire Country Season 1, Episode 5 & Season 2, Episode 4

Max Thieriot as Bode Leone in Fire Country season 1 episode 5

One of Fire Country’s tenets had always been Bode’s tendency to defy orders to save people. A version of this happens in every other Fire Country episode, and it’s even established early on in the pilot episode when he leaves the other inmates and Manny to go save Eve and Jake. Then and there, Manny told him he would have sent him back to jail for that, something that was only stopped by Sharon. However, after that moment gave him a new chance at Three Rock, Bode continued with his heroic saves.

Fire Country season 1, episode 5 contained its fair share of mindboggling behavior from victims and inmate firefighters alike, but Bode’s decision to stay behind to save the horse went against any recommendation from his superior officer and other firefighters. While his actions instigated Vince’s first opening toward him, they were repeatedly discouraged. Similarly, going through with saving one of the brothers in the chemical plant fire of Fire Country season 2 needlessly put Bode in danger, kickstarting a mayhem of heroic and dangerous actions once Cole went in after the explosion to bring Bode to safety.

3 Gabriela Jumping Off A Bridge To Save Bode Only For Both To Risk Their Lives

Fire Country Season 1, Episode 9

Stephanie Arcila as Gabriela Perez in Fire Country season 1 episode 9

One specific call in Fire Country season 1, episodes 8 and 9 caused some of the firefighting drama’s most ridiculous developments. The bridge crash involving two teenagers was particularly rough on Bode and Vince, as they both relived their difficult past of losing Riley the same way while having to be on the call to try and save Yara and Sam. However, someone else who behaved absurdly and entirely out of character was Gabriela.

That their hike back to civilization brought them to meet the hit-and-run driver and treat her, only for both her and Gabriela’s lives to be threatened was the cherry on top of the moments’ ridiculousness.

Seeing Bode sacrificing himself and going in the dangling car in Vince’s place was shocking for everyone, but especially so for Gabriela, who had already developed feelings for him. While Gabriela’s diving past might have made her the most likely to survive such a dive, she did so disregarding orders and protocol, just because she wanted to find Bode and save him. That their hike back to civilization brought them to meet the hit-and-run driver and treat her, only for both her and Gabriela’s lives to be threatened was the cherry on top of the moments’ ridiculousness.

2 A Train Crashes Into A Busload Of Kids Near Three Rock

Fire Country Season 1, Episode 18

Kane Brown's Robin in Fire Country

Another massive, unbelievable tragedy the inmate firefighters stumbled upon was Fire Country season 1, episode 18’s train crash into a busload of prom-going teenagers. The call involving kids left everyone rattled, and Bode wasn’t the only one trying to do whatever he could to help them. Between firefighters helping as they could and private firefighting companies saving the day, everyone cooperated, even Sharon and her best friend Lily by reaching the train driver.

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The nature of the incident already bordered on the unbelievable, but the mysterious Robin dropping by to help only to ask Freddy and Bode to keep his money safe made the call even more ridiculous. While the call ended in the best way possible with the help of Faye and her private firefighting company, it had various grey areas that remained unexplained, even after the end of the call.

1 Bode & Vince's Heart-To-Heart Amid A Car Dangling Off A Bridge

Fire Country Season 1, Episode 8

Fire Country’s most absurd moment nonetheless happened during the harrowing call of season 1, episodes 8 and 9. Indeed, the firefighting drama’s first episodes established clearly how the reason for Vince’s anger at Bode had to do with Riley dying in his car after it crashed years before. Vince’s anger and Bode’s guilt separated them for years, and only Bode being forced to return to Edgewater prompted the mending of their relationship. However, Sam and Yara’s car dangling from a bridge brought the worst out of Vince and Bode.

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Fire Country season 3 premieres on Friday, October 18, 2024, at 9 pm ET on CBS.

Fire Country season 1, episode 8 included the most unbelievable development in the firefighting drama, one that saw Bode and Vince having a heart-to-heart as a car dangled from a bridge, with Bode correcting his father when he called the victim Riley, mistaking him for his dead daughter. Vince’s distress should have made him realize he couldn’t remain there, but he did, and even wanted to put himself in danger to save Sam. Only Bode jumping in the car before him stopped Vince from entering the vehicle, possibly creating an even bigger tragedy in Fire Country season 1, episode 8.

Fire Country TV Poster
Fire Country
Release Date
October 7, 2022

Fire Country is an action-drama series created for CBS that follows Bode Donavan, a man in the middle of a five-year stint in prison looking to redeem himself. Given a unique chance to do so, Bode signs on to a unique prison-release program where he'll have the rest of his sentence commuted if he works with firefighters in Northern California. What starts as a chance at redemption becomes a confrontation with his past when Bode is assigned to his hometown - where his life went down the wrong path.

Network
CBS
Cast
Max Thieriot, Kevin Alejandro, Jordan Calloway, Stephanie Arcila, Diane Farr, Billy Burke, Jules Latimer
Showrunner
Max Thieriot, Tony Phelan, Joan Rater
Writers
Max Thieriot, Tony Phelan, Joan Rater
Seasons
3