I was so looking forward to having Jared Padalecki back on my TV screen tonight. As a long time Supernatural fan (and a fan of the show’s actors), I felt similarly excited to have Jensen Ackles back on Tracker this season, so this is the icing on the cake – having both of them back, and on two of my favorite shows no less!
Much like Tracker, Fire Country did not disappoint! Jared’s introduction was perfect, with a Tom Petty song playing on the juke box and Camden Casey in shorts and flip flops and a Dodgers jersey. And Jared Padalecki finally with his long hair beautifully unencumbered by tons of hair gel (I’m looking at you, Walker people – I loved Cordell but why so much hair gel??)
Camden seems pretty unflappable – willing to wear a Dodgers jersey even if he’s gonna get shit for it, which he shrugs off when James points it out.
He’s paying attention to everything going on though. When some not-very-nice guys who are trying to avenge Diego come in looking for trouble (after having torn down all the flyers that Sharon posted to invite people to Smokey’s grand opening), Bode at first jumps up to defend his family.
Gabriela and Jake point out that he’s still a cadet and thus vulnerable and should not be getting into bar fights, which prompts Camden to slowly rise from his seat.
Camden (casually removing his flipflops and standing to his full height, barefoot and in shorts and yet somehow very imposing): Well, I’m not.
He hits the bad dude in the face with one of his flip flops (priceless!) and then there’s a spectacular fight scene, choreographed to be so smooth it’s impressive, and culminating with Camden throwing salt (and pepper) in the bad dudes’ faces.
Supernatural shout out? Salt is so useful, whether you’re fighting ghosts or garden variety jerks.
Camden sends them on their way with an “Alright, boys” telling them to take their trouble somewhere else.
I was fortunate enough to be on the Supernatural set once when Jared had to learn a fight scene, and he invited me to come watch as he worked with the stunt coordinator. I couldn’t believe how quickly he learned the complicated routines, which apparently was the case with this fight scene too.
That’s quite an introduction! Bode steps up to thank him and learns that this is in fact his new boss.
Camden Casey butts heads with plenty of people, though.
Sharon isn’t a fan, wanting Bode to play it safe and get through his probation and training before he starts taking big risks. Neither is Jake, who feels Camden is putting Bode into more dangerous situations than he’s ready for. Especially as they all try to put out a fire on a plane that emergency landed nearby, in a rush to evacuate its passengers before they’re overcome by fire or smoke.
Camden sends Bode up on top of the plane to do just that, over Jake’s protests.
Camden (practically growling): It’s my job to make a firefighter out of him—my way!
Damn. Is it hot in here?
There’s a priceless scene where Camden prevails so Bode is standing on top of the plane with his fire hose, and another where he hands a young mother her baby as he helps her get on the slide to get out.
All those extras who had to evacuate got to slide right into Jared Padalecki’s arms, so I’m thinking they’re counting their blessings still.
Camden is smart enough to put those images on social media, and Bode the hero goes viral – which made me laugh because as soon as I saw them I thought wow, can these images be more stereotypical “hero”?
Camden is a very different influence on Bode (yes, Supernatural fandom, I did say influence…) He encourages Bode to not follow the rules, to go on his instincts – exactly what everyone else keeps telling him not to do. He likes what he saw in Bode, saying that his family and friends see him as he was, but with fresh eyes, he sees Bode for who he is now.
In a moment of vulnerability and an intense conversation, Camden tells Bode that he didn’t do that once, ignoring his gut and following orders, and his entire battalion was killed. His guilt is palpable – nine firefighters died, he says, but he often thinks it should have been ten.
Ouch.
Jared did an amazing job with those emotional scenes, totally captivating and making us all instantly want to know so much more about Camden Casey and his troubled past. Max did too, as Bode struggles to take in both the tragic story and the unfamiliar encouragement.
Camden tells Bode, “you’ve got a wolf inside, you gotta feed it. And don’t ever put it in a cage,” he advises, encouraging Bode to let the wolf out.
He’s pretty damn convincing. And we have no doubt that Camden has a wolf inside too – one that seems pretty well contained but has definitely been there for a long time.
Camden and Jake continue to butt heads when a fire breaks out – in the fire house because this is Fire Country and the worst possible thing will always happen 100% of the time – but they manage to listen to each other and figure out what to do. (It’s a fire that can’t be extinguished apparently, thanks to the chemicals in the old films in some guy’s luggage).
Camden: If we can’t put it out, let’s take it out.
Pretty brilliant, actually. Luckily the flaming luggage was already on a handy dandy pallet so they could wheel it outside.
There was some press coverage of this episode in advance of Padalecki’s guest star run, so we also got some great behind the scenes content. The cast said it was great having Jared join the family, adding that he made a fun set even more fun. Padalecki and Max Thieriot have been friends for quite a while, and were very excited to finally get to work together.
As a fan of the show already, let me also add that there was also a lot going on with most of our favorite characters.
The grand opening of Smokey’s, in typical Fire Country fashion, does not go smoothly. First the aforementioned bad guys tear down all the flyers so no one shows up. Then a plane has to emergency land nearby (because of course it does) and where are all those displaced passengers gonna sleep? You guessed it. Round up the sleeping bags and break out the top shelf liquor as they all crowd into Smokey’s. All for free, as Vince laments. There’s friction between Sharon and Vince about it, but that’s part of what I love about their relationship. It’s REAL. They bicker, but they also communicate and come back together and fight for each other. (Sharon is still convinced there’s something wrong with her despite blood work coming back okay, which I am SURE she’s right about. Anyone who’s ever been told “calm down and don’t worry” when you know something is wrong can relate. Listen to her!)
The Bode and Gabriela whatever-it-is continues, and it doesn’t seem healthy for anyone really.
Gabriela is in a dark place – her dad rightly calls it out as a reaction to feeling shame (over cancelling the wedding and going into debt to pay those expenses back and having to live in the trailer parked in the fire department as a result). She almost seems to be using Bode, who sincerely has deep feelings for her. It’s painful to watch. Also, did she really think no one was going to eventually figure out she was living there (and hooking up with Bode there)? It’s literally IN the fire house! Her dad Manny is trying hard to reach out to her, but so far she’s too disappointed and angry at him to let him in.
The other story line just beginning to play out is Eve reconnecting with her family, who she’s been estranged from. The best part about that? We get Jeff Pierre (from Walker) back on our screens as her brother to join the Fire Country fun!
The last scene brought most of our favorites together at Smokey’s, and we got to hear James sing – with Vince! Leven can really carry a tune, as can Billy Burke, and it was a beautiful musical choice.
One that was so captivating, did Bode miss Gabriela texting him back? I think so. She texted ‘how about you come over here’ but so far he hasn’t looked down to see it.
And Camden reaches out to Jake and makes him a promise.
Camden: You gotta let him be free to run into the fire – and don’t worry, he’s not gonna burn. I promise you, Cap. I’ve got him.
I hope Camden knows what he’s doing!
Thank you, Fire Country, for long-haired Jared in a plaid flannel shirt. It warmed my heart.
So what did you think of the episode, and of Camden Casey? Padalecki will guest star in three episodes (with some buzz about a possible spinoff) so he’ll be back for next week’s episode, when we hopefully get to know him better!
