Fire Country Season 4 Episode 19 Review: Rain Check for Tomorrow

Fire Country Season 4 Episode 19, “Rain Check for Tomorrow,” is an adventurous penultimate outing, setting up a thrilling season finale.

Bode confronts the issues from his past with Danny, despite the urges from those around him. Manny and Camille have their sights on Roberta and her recovery from her aneurysm.

Meanwhile, tensions stir amongst Three Rock as Eve focuses on her actions with Eleanor, and Hartman struggles with jealousy after Ace graduates from the program.

Elsewhere, Malcolm finds his first shift with Station 42 challenging, as he makes mistake after mistake. His actions come after Jake blows his top in front of Violet, defending Malcolm’s readiness for the job and potentially putting his marriage in trouble.

A Boring, Played Out Narrative

At this point in the series, it’s exhausting to have constant threats to Bode’s freedom be so prevalent. We’ve spent enough time on his past, his addiction, and his spending his days behind bars.

After his official freedom from parole on Fire Country Season 4 Episode 6, “Your Voice in My Head,” it felt like Bode’s character arc was moving in a fresh, new direction. We’ve seen that played out through his actions with Chloe, Tyler, Landon, and Station 42 as a whole, cementing his value as a free man.

One of the greatest attributes of his growth is his fervor to do the right thing, but this time, it’s going too far. As much as I love Mike O’Malley and am looking forward to what he brings to the season finale, this route for Bode is tired and played out.

That’s not to say that Bode is a character unworthy of punishment or facing the consequences of his actions, but there needs to be another path taken. It can’t be where every time he messes up, prison is the automatic threat.

The smartest move the series could make is redeeming Bode for his past actions toward Danny in the finale, by having him save Danny’s life during the Pineville flood.

Hopefully, we can see the two squash the ten-year beef, reach an agreement, and still have Mike O’Malley stick around for a stint in season five. It’ll feel like such a waste if he only appears in two outings.

Working With Family is Hard

Jake’s character arc this season and his pursuit to uncover the truth behind his family and reunite have been fun to explore.

Not only does it provide further depth to his character, but it also helps deliver new, intense familial moments.

Aside from fighting the fires of Edgewater, Fire Country is a show that, at its heart, is all about family. And with new family members always comes new tensions.

We see that on full display as Jake uses his power to secure a job for Malcolm at Station 42. However, Jake’s perseverance in helping Malcolm bypass protocols could come back to bite him in the ass, potentially ruining his relationship with Violet.

By storming off in the middle of his conversation with Violet after she brings up how her team was hesitant to hire Malcolm, he essentially proves to her that he’s capable of being just like her ex.

It’s an unfortunate development in their relationship that is likely to be on full display in the finale, as the chances of the wedding happening now are in limbo.

Malcolm is still recovering and clearly not ready to return to the field. There’s no denying that sentiment after his string of mistakes during his first day with Station 42.

At first, Jake does the right thing by scolding Malcolm and challenging him to course-correct his actions. And yet, when everything is done, he still finds a way to praise Malcolm for the absolute bare minimum.

Disaster with him is only one call away. All it will take is one instance without Jake being there to keep an eye on him for Malcolm to make a deadly mistake. He’s not fit for duty, and despite the clear nepotism that’s been played in favor of others in the past, he needs to be removed from Station 42.

I mean, c’mon, he couldn’t even put out a small fire correctly without Jake having to interject. He’s bound to get someone killed.

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As I said at the beginning, “Rain Check for Tomorrow” is an informative outing that perfectly sets up a chaotic finale. However, it is also missing something.

Where it feels the show faltered for this outing was showing the impending flood in the promo video. Rather than using that as a teaser for fans, the tension between Jake and Malcolm or Bode’s situation with Danny Marks would have been much better alternatives.

Using the impending flood of Pineville and the dam breaking as a cliffhanger is smart, but it should have been introduced in the last five or so minutes, rather than the last thirty seconds.

Stray Thoughts:

• I hate how Tyler is front-and-center for a good portion of this season, only for him to essentially disappear after a slap on the wrist for starting the Zable Ridge fire, even if it was an accident.
• As much as I love it when the series focuses on Eve and gives us that much-deserved screentime, it doesn’t feel like the writers know what to do with her character.
• If we’re going to continue dealing with Roberta interjecting and being a factor in the middle of Manny and Camille’s relationship moving forward, we’d better get a guest appearance from Gabriela. It feels so disrespectful to write Stephanie Arcila off, only to bring her mother into the series full-time.

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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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