Fire Country Season 2 Episode 3 Review: See You Next Apocalypse

Fire Country Season 2 Episode 3, “See You Next Apocalypse,” focuses on repairing the fragile relationships between our main characters.

The episode leaves nothing out, tackling the strained relationship between Vince and Sharon, Eve and Manny’s friendship fallout, and even showcases a brief but sentimental moment between Bode and Gabriela. It does this while also providing us with the season’s most exciting, fast-paced episode so far.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Picking up where we left off on “Like Breathing Again,” we cut to Vince and Liam sharing a prison cell with one another after their impromptu fight scene at the bar.

Vince is under the guise that he won’t see Liam again once he departs the cell, but as we all know, nobody ever comes out of the woodwork to cause trouble for just one day.

When a mountain fire’s path threatens nearby residents, Sharon, Gabriela, and Jake must make their way up the mountain for civilian evacuations. With outside support from other stations, Vince finds himself face-to-face with Liam again, who turns out to be the drone operator meant to keep everyone on the fire truck safe.

As the episode progresses, we see the typical back-and-forth banter between two men who don’t like one another, but they’re forced to interact heavily thanks to one common interest: Sharon.

This interaction allows the characters to become more acquainted with one another, feel each other out, as well as test the waters to see who works best in a high-stakes situation.

When Vince prompts Liam to calm Sharon down in her life-or-death rescue mission to get thirteen people to safety, it only further proves how strong they are together.

After Liam’s weak attempts at getting Sharon to reign in her anxiety and providing poor communication with directions, all Vince has to do is get on the radio, and all her worries essentially melt away.

I think it’s safe to say that most fans love these characters the most when they’re connecting in this fashion and working hard to save the lives of those around them.

Liam: See you next apocalypse?
Sharon: I don’t think so. Take care of yourself, Liam.

Thankfully, the series is aware of what does and doesn’t intrigue the audience and swiftly brings the Sharon and Liam storyline to a hopefully permanent close by the end of the episode.

Working Through the Pain

The tension between Manny and Eve has gradually been building since the start of the season, with Manny under the impression Eve was plotting to swoop in and steal his job.

Beginning “See You Next Apocalypse” with an already heavily-strained friendship and no communication, Manny’s reactions to Eve increase tenfold after overhearing a comment about how she inherited a dumpster fire.

While I’m never a fan of leaders fighting in front of those below them, it feels like the issue between the two could’ve only been solved in the manner provided. Forcing them to air their frustrations out in front of the entire Three Rock crew not only shows them how hard Eve has been fighting and advocating for their well-being, but it also forces the two to work in close quarters.

Through Umar’s unfortunate fall and interactions with the pair, they can see that they both offer different qualities to the position. Still, in the end, they are both there to do the same thing: save lives and help rehabilitate the inmates.

Manny’s apology is wholesome, and it’s easy to tell that he’s put some thought into how he’s been treating Eve. We should see the two working together more to combat the everyday struggles of their jobs rather than butting heads and making already tense situations potentially volatile.

I’m Not Yours

After the daring rescue that saved Gabriela and Jake from burning alive atop the fire truck, Gabriela makes a quick visit to Bode at Three Rock. In what appears to initially be a cordial visit with a potential thank you for Bode’s part in her survival, Gabriela scolds him for looking at her in a semi-loving way instead.

To an extent, it makes sense where Gabriela is coming from, but all of that goes out the window the moment Bode insinuates that he also has a new partner.

Bode is obviously talking about Genevieve in his rebuttal to Gabriela’s comments, but she doesn’t know that fact, making her reaction to what he’s saying much more upsetting. She takes it upon herself to visit Bode at Three Rock and tell him he can no longer look at her in the manner he used to because she’s getting married, but her entire attitude sours immediately after hearing he might be talking to someone else.

I’ve never understood this double-standard way of thinking, and I hope to see the series address this in future episodes. Understandably, we need the cliffhanger between the two to keep the dramatic elements at play. Still, it feels like it’s only included to potentially tease a rekindled relationship between the two in the future.

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“See You Next Apocalypse” is the first episode of the season where Fire Country has kept viewers on their toes. We obviously won’t be seeing the series kill off any main character anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t see them horrifically wounded from the fire, and that suspense was present throughout the hour. That added sense of urgency made it that much more exciting of an episode.

We need a good amount of fast-paced, energetic episodes such as this one throughout the season.

Stray Thoughts:

• While I could care less about Diego and Gabriela’s wedding, Manny and her tasting sample wedding cakes is a much-needed light-hearted moment. I could watch Kevin Alejandro do Yoda impressions all day long.
• Stephanie Arcila is doing some impressive medical stunts this season, no matter how gross they might be, and it is highly entertaining.

What did you think of this episode of Fire Country? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Fire Country airs Fridays at 9/8c on CBS.

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