Fire Country Season 4 Episode 2 Review: Not a Stray

Fire Country Season 4 Episode 2, “Not a Stray,” paints a picture of what fans can expect from Battalion Chief Richards this season.

After an emotional season premiere featuring the farewells of two beloved main cast members, it’s time to focus on the path ahead. That includes a complete revamp of Station 42 and a reintroduction to the basics of firefighting 101.

Plus, the fight to keep Three Rock alive takes an unfortunate turn, leaving Eve hopeless about her next steps.

Keeping the Team Alive

Sharon wasn’t downplaying her anger and hatred toward Richards, and for good reason. One of his first interactions with the crew is setting them up for a fake call, then criticizing their firefighting skills. It’s his first, of which I’m sure will be many, pop quiz for the crew, and they’ve failed.

As Richards states, being able to list off a handful of rules and following them are two entirely different things. Station 42 has no issues voicing said rules, but they fail to follow through in the heat of the moment.

Unfortunately, the traits and system of beliefs that have made fans fall head over heels for these characters are now under direct fire. And what’s worse is that Bode and Jake only prove Richards right by disobeying his orders and failing to ensure a complete, mandatory evacuation of the encampment in the woods.

However, being a firefighter isn’t as simple as putting out fires; it’s about navigating the situation, preventing casualties, and getting the fire knocked out before it causes massive destruction.

The Zabel Ridge fire decimated structures and destroyed the lives of many. So, when faced with the opportunity to help the civilians escape with their belongings rather than run and leave everything behind, Station 42 makes the morally correct choice.

It’s a delicate line to tread because, yes, enforcing a mandatory evacuation does help protect the civilians. But in the long run, it also completely rips their lives apart once more. Rebuilding after losing everything is hard enough, let alone having to restart so soon after.

In specific scenarios, different approaches are called for, and in this outing, Jake makes what he believes is the best call. At least the civilians had the opportunity to save some of their belongings.

One of the most infuriating moments of “Not a Stray” is Richards’ gall to stand back and observe, even as the fire grows rapidly out of control. Had he helped his crew, he would’ve been able to deliberate with them on how best to save these people, without ruining their lives again.

Richards makes it abundantly clear that the obstacle this season will be the station’s ability to grapple with his outlook on firefighting.

Since he mentions that he knows what they’re going through because he experienced the same trauma, I want to believe that he’s looking out for them. That said, it’s too early to gauge if he could be pulling anything vindictive after the past he and Vince shared.

Temptations Continue Growing

Living a life with addiction is never an easy one to manage. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been sober. The battle against those temptations is a never-ending fight.

We’ve seen Bode down this route before. Fighting to maintain his sobriety has been one of the driving goals behind his turning his life around. He’s been sober since season 2, but all the signs are pointing to us seeing that streak broken this season.

Maintaining sobriety might be easier the longer you’ve been working at it, but it doesn’t mean it’s impossible to relapse. Unfortunately, that’s the predicament we’re finding Bode approaching.

He’s already having a difficult time with Vince’s death and Gabriela’s departure. Richards’ demeaning behavior, on top of it all, is likely to be the final straw that pushes Bode over the edge. If not, it’s going to lead to new levels of temptation at the very least.

Thankfully, Bode spits out the painkiller he attempts to swallow at the last second, avoiding relapse. But his actions are too close for comfort.

Audrey: Well, you just hurled your ex at me to keep me away. Which is straight out of the Bode Leone playbook for when something is wrong. Yeah, me and Gabs? We compared notes. When you’re ready to talk about what’s really going on, call me.

With Audrey officially back in Edgewater and free of all charges, the number of people in Bode’s corner has gone up. And unlike everyone else around him, Audrey is the only one who can see through his pain.

It takes barely a full day of her being back at the station before realizing that Bode is lying about being okay. The connection these two share is one I hope we get to explore deeper this season.

Hopefully, it also means Bode will be able to open up about his struggles rather than continue to battle them alone.

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As a whole, “Not a Stray” is a solid episode that effectively pushes the plot forward and introduces new challenges for Station 42 to tackle.

Stray Thoughts:

• Manny and Eve continue to be one of my favorite duos.
• Three Rock may be on Zillow for $1 million, but I have faith this isn’t the last we’ve seen of the show’s staple location. Even with it burning to the ground, there’s no way the series will allow Eve to give up on finding a way to resurrect the prison program that’s become so near and dear to her heart.
• After losing his father, the last thing Bode needs is tension with his mother. I hope that both he and Sharon can take a moment soon to come together and try to understand each other’s thought processes.

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What did you think of this episode of Fire Country? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!

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

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