Fire Country Season 5 Episode 4 Review: The Volunteers Prove Their Worthiness

The VFD faces yet another high-risk scenario on Fire Country Season 5 Episode 4, “Winners and Losers.”

After a harrowing situation where the VFD ensured the rescue of Bode and a little girl, they’re ready to keep proving that they have what it takes. And they do, by taking the pack test, but things take an interesting turn halfway through their efforts.

Meanwhile, Sharon works with Wes to use the money she found after the mobile home campfire strategically. Without tipping anyone off, she wants to use the cash to help fund Station 42, but her actions are likely to come back to bite her in the end.

Jake finds himself in a sticky situation as well when a doorbell camera recording of him choosing which houses to save in the mobile home fire goes viral online. It puts Eve in a compromising position, forcing her to fix her earlier falsification of documents about the repair of Three Rocks’ truck, as the Cal Fire legal team gets involved.

Overall, “Winners and Losers” does an impeccable job of laying the groundwork for the issues that are bound to arise later from sketchy decision-making.

A Chaotic Duo

Sharon has had her fair share of poor decisions, but her latest seems to be one of the worst we’ve seen. Although I initially thought the money she found could be a bribe from those trying to build the data center, we now know it could instead be connected to a drug lab.

Using Wes and his knowledge to help launder the money, Sharon plans to use the cash for an anonymous donation to help Station 42. It’s a plan bound to end badly.

Working with Wes to capitalize on stolen funds is one thing, but actively pulling one over on a potential drug cartel while keeping the secret from her sheriff sister is another.

Wes has the natural-born personality of someone who defies the law and those in charge, and even he knows Sharon’s idea isn’t necessarily a good one. It comes with the potential for fatalities for those involved if the wrong people get wind of the situation.

Right now, it doesn’t feel like Sharon understands the severity of her actions. With Station 42’s need for help so dire, it’s as if all her logical thinking has flown right out the window.

Will the money help in the short term? Yes. But in the bigger picture, this decision will create more issues for Edgewater’s first responders.

Teaching Life Lessons

To be completely candid, I wasn’t a huge fan of Angel’s character at first, but as we get further into the season, I’m beginning to enjoy his addition.

Not only does his involvement play a role in Eve’s character progression, but he’s also helping peel back the layers of Manny’s past.

We’re in Season 5, and this is the first that we’re hearing of a brother and nephew on Manny’s side of the family. It’s evident that there is a lot to unpack, as he explains to Angel that, to survive, he had to get him and Gabriella away from their family situation.

Although it was the best move for him and Gabriella at the time, we now know that his actions inadvertently led to the dissolution of the family he left behind. Over the years, that action fueled the growing anger in Angel’s soul.

Though brief, the heartfelt discussion between Angel and Manny about their family’s inner workings is a highlight of the outing. When the season began, Manny was blowing a gasket over the mere mention of Angel, and now they can have a somewhat productive conversation.

Back to Eve. For a character who has opposed the idea of having children due to the nature of her job, so much so that it ruined her relationship last season, it’s nice to see her in a setting where she’s forced to mature in a different emotional fashion.

Eve: I think Angel did the wrong thing for the right reason, and I’m not gonna punish him. I don’t know, maybe it’s time for him to see someone other than your brother try to protect him. That’s what I’m trying to do.

While she may never want kids of her own, her work with the teens in Three Rock shows her ability to connect with youth in need.

Based on what we’ve learned about Angel’s upbringing, it’s safe to say that he never had any support from anyone but his father, and that’s been a defining factor in who he is today.

With her actions already having an impact and leading Angel to turn over his burner phone to her, there’s no telling where his behavior and attitude will be by the end of the season.

The Perfect Training Moment

The life of a first responder isn’t easy, and the VFD crew gets another first-hand look at that on “Winners and Losers.” With pressure mounting from higher-ups at Cal Fire, Bode and the team embark on the pack test: a three-mile hike in 45 minutes while wearing 45lbs of gear.

However, they soon face a different kind of test when they find a man in need of help after his tractor fell on top of him.

Firefighters who went through training are prepared for life-threatening situations, but as volunteers, this was their first experience. And I must say, they did a great job.

Despite the man succumbing to his injuries, they worked tirelessly with the tools at their disposal and stayed calm in the face of death. They can also proudly say that they were able to let him have one last goodbye with his wife.

The entire scenario is a perfect learning opportunity for the volunteers, as there will be times when they’ll be the ones sitting beside someone in their dying moments. And in the end, they still inadvertently completed the pack test, meaning they get to keep working alongside Station 42.

Fire Country needed something new and refreshing after last season, and the additions of CJ and the volunteers take the cake. I’m genuinely looking forward to watching how the team evolves over the season and the impact they’ll have in the grand scheme of things.

Other Thoughts:

• It’s pleasant to see Chloe briefly during this outing to establish that she and Bode are still in a relationship. A large part of me feared that the show would try to make CJ his new love interest. Nobody needs that, even if Chloe doesn’t stick around for the whole season.
• I hope we keep getting these crossovers between Fire Country and Sheriff Country, even if it is just Wes showing up for like five minutes. The world-building the franchise is doing is riveting, and I can’t wait to see how it keeps growing. 

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

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