I never thought it would come to this but, after watching tonight’s new episode of Fire Country, I must admit I am on Brett Richard’s side on this one. Station 42 needs to tighten up.
Brett is trying with them – we can all admit that right? There’s been resistance from everyone at Station 42 the minute he arrived and I feel as though that’s been clouding their judgement of why he’s there. He runs into Bode while on a jog and all he did was try to have a talk with him and connect with him and Bode’s response was basically “this isn’t going to go the way you think it is” and says he runs alone.
This has always been Bode’s mindset and it’s what frustrates me most about him. He doesn’t think of the bigger picture and he doesn’t think about how what he does affects everyone else around him. This is what Brett has been brought in to fix, so he says. He notices things that most people don’t. How does he plan on doing this – by testing Station 42. His first test was to time their response to a call. Second test, the basics of fire fighting. They follow along and prove that they know the basics, but what he’s really testing for is if they could follow the basics.
What gave me chills and let me know this man meant business was when he asked Bode to recite order ten: “fight fire aggressively” which Brett says they’re really good at. But that second part “having provided for safety first” is the reason he is there and Vince isn’t. My jaw dropped. Not only because he said this to Bode but Sharon was also right there. I promise I wanted to hate him, but he had a point there. Knowing the basics is what will keep them alive. If they don’t meet or exceed his expectations then they’d be dismissed.
“Not a Stray” – FIRE COUNTRY, Pictured: Leven Rambin as Audrey James, Max Thieriot as Bode Leone, and Jordan Calloway as Jake Crawford. Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/CBS © 2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Collectively, the team debriefs about what Brett just said. Bode says they should talk to his mom and get rid of him. Jake says they should prove to him that they can follow the basic rules and prove him wrong. Manny comes in and says that they should do both – prove that they could follow the basics and then get rid of him. Everyone agrees on Manny’s point.
A call comes in and it’s their moment to prove Brett wrong, can they do it? Of course not! I mean seriously, the first call they go on and they take all the risks. I want to blame Bode for even suggesting it, but Jake is the captain and should’ve been a better leader. When they get to the call, they notice an encampment close to the fire area; Bode, Audrey, and Jake are tasked to check it out. Now, what Jake should’ve done here is what he said earlier– prove to the new Battalion Chief that you can follow the basic rules. He does call in but when Brett quizzes him on what should be done, he answers correctly but doesn’t act correctly. When Janice, a woman living in the encampment, says a truck has been blocking them from leaving with their cars (which some of them live in), Bode convinces Jake to make an exception: help move the truck which would give everyone time to grab their belongings.
“Not a Stray” – FIRE COUNTRY, Pictured: Tara Wilson as Janice and Leven Rambin as Audrey James. Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/CBS © 2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
That was mistake number one. Mistake number two was not communicating effectively with Brett to let him know what was going on. The scene became chaotic and quickly. Sharon got approval to move people from the encampment to the empty Three Rock lot and when she gets there she sees that things are not moving the way they should be. She’s frustrated with the team but goes alone with it. That was mistake number three. Mistake four was after Brett realized that they didn’t listen and the fire was getting out of control, he ordered everyone to leave, but Bode, wanting to save Janice’s dog, ran into danger once again, taking a huge risk. (Honestly, I would’ve cried if something happened to that dog so I’m glad Tiberius was saved)
Back at the Station, Brett was less than pleased with how the call went down. He pointed out everything that went wrong and Bode decides this is the moment to interrupt and say that no one died. Bode, not the time or place or point. Now Brett was extremely harsh when he said this but it needed to be said: “This station’s very loose relationship […] with the rules is what killed your dad”. I had to pause – I was like he did not just say that to him. But then after I calmed down a bit and pressed play I got it. When he said “I am here to keep you alive because I don’t trust you to do it” I agreed with him. Instead of listening and processing what Brett said, Bode went to his mom to try to get rid of him. She didn’t give him the answer he was looking for though. She sided with Brett and basically said with him here she knows that Bode will stay alive. I hope Bode finally decides to stop taking unnecessary risks.
“Not a Stray” – FIRE COUNTRY, Pictured: Shawn Hatosy as Brett Richards and Diane Farr as Sharon Leone. Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/CBS © 2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
I will say – last week I didn’t care for Audrey (I think I called her Aubrey, oops!) and I was nervous about what’s going on with Three Rock but I’ve changed my mind. Aubrey is trying her best with Bode and he’s the one trying to push her away. I do appreciate her for that. She doesn’t sugarcoat with Bode and I respect that. As far as Three Rock goes, I really hope this isn’t the end.
What’d you think of tonight’s new episode of Fire Country? Share your thoughts below or connect with me on X/Twitter @chenfordhugs
