Fire Country Season 2 ended on a positive note, with our favorite bad boy out of prison and back in society. What's next for Bode without firefighting?
Meanwhile, our favorite redeemed bad guy, Manny, is back in cuffs after years on the straight and narrow. It will be a long wait for Fire Country Season 3 to find out if he's going back to prison or free.
We started with a Bode-Gabriela breakup to start the season and a wedding of Gabriela-Diego to close the season out.
We saw a wedding, but did we witness a marriage? Bode still loves Gabs, and we're sure she loves him. So, did she marry wrong-guy Diego? The only "I do" we actually heard was from Manny.
Maybe there's hope for Bodela when Fire Country Season 3 returns. Here's our breakdown of Fire Country Season 2.
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Best Character
Bode Leone
Bode is a character we hate to love. He has a hero complex larger than the planet, and he's so busy seeking redemption for his past that he's willing to risk his future.
Throughout the second season, we saw Bode repeatedly ignore official orders from his superiors -- often his family and friends -- to do what he thought was best.
While it always worked out in his favor, there were times when his actions were more selfish than safe.
But we also saw a lot of personal growth from him throughout the shortened ten-episode season. Each episode was heavy, with a lot -- often too much --going on to finish everything in minimal time.
It was interesting to see Bode's paternal side emerge. It showed in his rescues and in his handling of problems, including the death of his ex -- Cara.
Although his constant dopiness over Gabriela got old pretty fast. He forced her to move on and then got mad when she found someone else. Thankfully he did the right thing and didn't break up Gab's relationship with Diego.
Whether it self-destructed on its own has yet to be seen.
Worst Character
Luke Leone
Luke Leone showed his snake ways in Fire Country Season 1 when he made advances towards his sister-in-law, Sharon.
The tension from that situation still lingered, upping Luke's jerk factor for Fire Country Season 2. We already didn't like him before he became the focus of our suspicions for who was behind Three Rock's closing.
You would think he'd be more accepting of the camp since his nephew is there, but he isn't one for family loyalty.
Fire Country Season 2 Episode 10 ended with Manny Perez in handcuffs for assaulting Luke during the Firefighter's Ball in Fire Country Season 2 Episode 8.
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Luke claimed he wasn't the one who pressed charges. Do we believe him, or will we see further developments in this storyline when Fire Country Season 3 premieres?
And where will Luke go now that Sharon is taking back her role as CalFire Division Chief? Or will we see drama as the two fight for the position?
Best Storyline
Fire Country suffered the same struggles with a shortened season as most other series returning from the writer's strike. There was too much going on in each episode.
We struggled to keep up with the season's plot arcs while juggling rushed character developments and underwhelming episodic storylines.
Having the camp fall under threat of closure was a great series-long plot line to tie each episode together. After the first few episodes, things started to flow well from one episode to the next.
Along with the ongoing series plot, the best episodic storyline was the Lazarus Campaign fire.
Fire Country used the storyline of a massive month-long wildfire to show why it's unique among first-response shows like Chicago Fire, Station 19, or 9-1-1.
The giant beast tested the inmates and the firefighters, giving them time to show their skills and be heroes. And it led to an early prison release for Bode.
Worst Storyline
There were many weak storylines in Fire Country's second season, enough to make one wonder if the series would recover from so many started and then abandoned storylines.
We suffered through several poor storylines, often from a sense of family or relationship drama rather than an emergency scenario.
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The worst storyline was Sharon's absence from her life -- and marriage -- after her kidney surgery. Truly, all of Sharon's character behaviors were pretty bad.
It didn't make a lot of sense to see her being so daring and nonchalant with her life after almost dying and now having a second chance at life.
And to come home with some guy who seems overly familiar to her was a kick in the embers. Even after the season ended, we still don't know what occurred between her and fellow campaign firefighter Liam.
Best Episode
The delay in production for Fire Country (and other shows) meant that fans only got ten episodes as a full season rather than the 20-plus episodes of Season 1.
Statistically, it should be easier to pick the best episode when there are fewer choices. But the shortened list meant that most episodes simultaneously had too much going on.
It wasn't until mid-season that things started to mesh together into an enjoyable watch. The season finale was relatively uneventful, making Fire Country Season 2 Episode 9 the best.
Throwing Three Rock into a campaign fire that lasted over a month was the perfect way to give viewers something new from a show that is already blazing a trail for firefighting shows.
Seeing what it's like for firefighters who don't get to put out a fire and go home was an interesting experience.
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The firefighters were in their element against a fire that was their best match yet.
Bode and Gabriela finally had their moment, and Bode got to experience fighting fires as a family affair. Perhaps most importantly, Bode and Sharon learned about Vince's health issues.
Worst Episode
The first few episodes of Fire Country Season 2 dragged on, with any of them vying for the worst storyline.
Ultimately, the weak storyline, uncharacteristic characters, and overpacked action of Fire Country Season 2 Episode 3 crashed and burned the hardest.
From the overdone plot of a hippy commune hidden in the woods with unruly patrons who didn't want to abandon their homes to Vince's jealous act that lands him behind bars- like son, like father.
The addition of a random guy Sharon met during her time at a campaign fire might have been a worthy part of the story.
If more had happened with it.
As it is, once Sharon and Vince make up after their encounter with Liam, the drone operator, things go back to normal, and he's never seen again.
Why focus so much on a situation that does nothing to advance the story or change the future?
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The only saving grace for the episode was Sharon's badassery as she drove the fire truck full of people to safety, with Gabriela and Jake on top of the truck, wrapped up in aluminum foil.
And Vince's assistance with words of wisdom showed the power of their union.
Coolest Emergency
Of the limited emergencies presented for Fire Country Season 2, the coolest was the extensive and grueling Lazarus State Park campaign fire.
To experience a wildfire fought by thousands of firefighters with little result was a unique twist on a show that has done it all.
And to see the massive fire nearly befall experienced firefighters like Vince -- it was the rush of adrenaline we'd missed all season.
It was the perfect opportunity for Bode and Jake to team up and play heroes to Vince's failed heroic attempt.
Underwhelmed Emergency
The pacing throughout Fire Country Season 2 was all over the place.
It's an understandable situation, given the limited number of episodes, the rushed timeframe for writing and filming, and the challenge of reducing a regular season to ten episodes.
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That said, some episodes had too much action, while others did not have enough to move the story forward.
Fire Country Season 2 Episode 8 played a crucial part in the second season in its entirety. Not only did we discover that the villain who shut down Three Rock was Luke.
But we also met Gabriela's mom, who was quite a character and saw Manny's downfall from grace as he gave Luke the swift sucker punch he deserved.
However, his act of justified assault led to the only source of fire action for the episode while being slightly comedic.
What type of fire station -- and firefighter -- sets the fire house on fire? But the flames were easily extinguished, the patron quickly saved and treated, and everything went uneventfully.
Storylines That Didn't Make Sense
Several storylines in the ten-episode second season left fans wondering if the first season's success was a fluke.
For instance, the whole Liam-Sharon-Vince love triangle. Why create such a big scene between the married couple and a random stranger if it won't play more of a role in future episodes?
That same sentiment could apply to the single time we met Sheriff Deputy Mickey Fox, Sharon's sister. Her appearance on the show was to test viewers' reactions so she could get her own show.
The spinoff is a go, but we still don't know much about the main character. In Fire Country Season 2 Episode 6, it looked like Mickey and Sharon put their past behind them to have a fresh start as a family.
Yet, she didn't return to lend support in all the family events after meeting Fox.
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And speaking of missing family members, did meeting Gabriela's mom really help the story?
Would we have been just as okay without her, or did she really give us insight we couldn't have gotten any other way?
Finally, the whole Bode paternity thing was completely odd. We spent the entire season thinking he might be a dad -- even when he wasn't biologically -- only to have Jake claim Gene.
The season ended with the bomb drop of a strange guy returning to Edgewater, claiming he might be the unknown baby daddy.
Fire Country Season 2 Final Grade
Overall, we'll have to give this season a C and hope that once the writers have more time to prepare and a longer period to tell their stories, the series will reignite our passion for Fire Country all over again.
What do you think of how Fire Country ended the season? And what are your predictions for Fire Country Season 3?