Chief Richard Brett’s arrival on the Fire Country Season 4 premiere ruffled some feathers, but it wasn’t until the next episode that we got to see his purpose.
He made it clear on Fire Country Season 4 Episode 2 that he’s not here to make friends but to prevent people from dying needlessly.
His arrival is initially met with resistance, but Sharon and Audrey see the bigger picture and appreciate what he’s trying to do.
Since the show first premiered, Fire Country has had a Bode problem. He makes everything worse by centering the narrative on himself, which has caused conflicts on multiple occasions.
Every time he tags along during a rescue, one always wonders what he’ll do to distract everyone else from the task at hand.
If anything were to sink this show, it would be Bode’s behavior. They needed to fix this problem a long time ago, but better late than never.
Finally, Someone Says It Out Loud on Fire Country
Chief Richards has exposed some of the problems ailing Station 142, but if we’re being honest, he’s yet to tackle the biggest problem: Bode.
Spoilers for Fire Country Season 4 Episode 3, “The Tiny Ways We Start to Heal,” tease the beginning of finding a solution to this problem when the new chief does what everyone else has been afraid to say.
Meanwhile, the station responds to an emergency that spirals into a bigger affair, and in the aftermath of Vince’s death, Sharon finds comfort from an unlikely place.
The episode’s major emergency takes the team to a ziplining accident where illegal fireworks have started a wildfire.
Chief Richards is ready to lead the charge, as seen in the episode images, where he leads the team in the rescue.
But somewhere between the firehouse and the field, Brett notices a huge problem in this station, and everyone has decided to ignore it.
The promo for the installment shows his continued efforts to make everyone a better firefighter as he supervises drills and rescues.
Yet, “the station has a problem: Bode Leone,” he tells someone who appears to be Jake. It will be interesting to see how Jake reacts to this accusation. Will he say, “Finally, someone sees it,” or try to defend Bode?
Elsewhere on the episode, Bode delivers one of his misguided rants. “Firefighters risk their lives every single day. We know we can die on the job – we prepare for it,” he says. He’s not factually incorrect, but coming from Bode, one knows he thinks that gives him the right to do stupid things.
The question now becomes: will Richards confront Bode directly, and if so, what’s Bode’s reaction going to be?
Fire Country Season 4 Episode 2 ended with Bode making the right choice for himself (maybe for the first time) by destroying the pills.
Will this new development trigger him to use the second batch from his cousin? Bode never does well with criticism, and being singled out as the station’s problem will not be pleasant.
Sharon Struggles With Letting Go, But Finds an Unlikely Ally
As unpleasantness continues, Sharon deals with something I’d never wish on my worst enemy.
When someone dies, the next few days feel like hell for their loved ones. The following weeks bring unimaginable pain, and the months after are not the easiest.
However, it gets progressively easier to cope with the situation. That’s until something happens that reminds them of the loss.
The time comes for Sharon to say goodbye to Vince’s belongings, but the affair proves harder than she initially anticipated.
However, she receives support from an unlikely place when Vince’s ex, Renee, offers her a shoulder to lean on.
Renee’s appearance on Fire Country Season 3 Episode 13, “My Team,” flipped the script when, instead of developing bad blood with Sharon, they bonded over their shared history with Vince.
This go-round is under terrible circumstances, but since there is an established rapport between the two, it’ll help Sharon move forward with this chapter of her life.
If anyone knows Vince as much as Sharon does, it’s Renee.
The character’s return also hints at a secondary arc that was left unresolved in Fire Country Season 3: the Oxalta case.
Despite throwing everything they had at it, the company was too strong and managed to muzzle Renee and Violet.
We may be seeing this storyline revisited, but it won’t be easy this time either. Without Three Rock, the case becomes harder to make since there are no easily accessible victims.
These spoilers tease a balanced episode as the show continues to use its new secret weapon, Richards, for good. It delivers on raw desire for viewers to see a change in the show and its main character.
The episode is poised to lean into the emotional fallout of Vince’s death by diving into the lifelong process of grief.
Finally, the thrilling rescues continue, with an emergency we haven’t seen before.
Renee’s return is the cherry on top as we begin to seek answers to forgotten mysteries.
