Fire Country Season 3 recently hit its mid-season finale with the latest episode, "Promise Me." Thus far, Fire Country Season 3 has delivered too much too soon. As a result, the show is losing its previous focus on firefighting in the fictional town of Edgewater. Additionally, the show is spreading itself too thin with its abundance of new characters, subplots, and increasingly overbearing romantic melodrama. Fire Country works best when it focuses on the firefighting aspect. With that in mind, it's a good time to examine Season 3's overall performance up to this point.
'Fire Country' Is Losing Sight of What Brought It to the Dance
Image via CBS
At its heart, Fire Country is a show about the firefighters of Edgewater. The greatest parts of Fire Country are the firefighting sequences, and the show truly shines when it leans on the action-adventure elements over the dramatic elements. The series works best when Division 1501 or the Three Rock inmate firefighters put aside their differences or past issues for the greater good. Fire Country is a show about people of various backgrounds coming together to help others, which is best exemplified by the Three Rock firefighters. When confined at the Three Rock Conservation Camp, Bode Leone (Max Thieriot) and the other inmates work to put the demons of their past behind them and improve their lives. Freddy Mills (W. Tre Davis) in Season 1 and Cole Rodman (Tye White) in Season 2 also demonstrate how the series excels when it showcases the heroics of the firefighters and convicted criminals seeking atonement for their past crimes through firefighting.
To some extent, the format of Season 3 has changed. Bode has been released from prison, and he is now a recruit in Cal Fire's 1501st division. The Three Rock arc for Bode was redemptive for the character, as he sought to make amends for his past mistakes and become a better person. That resolution occurred at the end of Season 2 when Bode received his parole. While it’s interesting to see Bode progress in his journey, the series has moved a bit too far away from the thrills and excitement of firefighting in favor of personal drama.
'Fire Country' Has Been Leaning Too Much on Romantic Melodrama
The romantic melodrama problem with Fire Country technically started in Season 2 with the love triangle featuring Bode, Gabriela Perez (Stephanie Arcila), and Diego Moreno (Rafael de la Fuente). Even with Gabriela breaking up with Diego early in Season 3, the issues with the romantic subplots in Fire Country have grown far worse. Currently, the writers can't make up their minds about how they want to handle Bode and Gabriela. Since the season began, the incessant parade of "Will they? Won’t They?" scenes involving Bode and Gabriela have become tiresome. Gabriela's been in a downward spiral since breaking up with Diego, but she can't make a firm decision about her feelings for Bode. Additionally, Gabriela’s drunken fling with Jake Crawford (Jordan Calloway) in Season 3, Episode 7, "False Alarm," was also maddening.
At this point, Bode potentially sparking up a romance with Audrey James (Leven Rambin) would be a preferable choice. Although the writers seem determined to keep Bode and Gabriela as the show's perpetual endgame pairing, Bode and Audrey are a breath of fresh air by comparison. The characters constantly acting so hung up about their relationship status hurts the show. It's difficult to like Jake and Gabriela when they let their recent drunken fling affect their work in the field, and it was the same with Bode and Gabriela.
'Fire Country' Season 3 Has Been Adding Too Many Unnecessary Subplots
Fire Country adding too many ongoing subplots takes away from the suspense of the firefighters, which has been another problem with Season 3. The process of Sharon (Diane Farr) and Vince Leone (Billy Burke) buying Smokey's has added little to the show's overall quality. Early in Season 3, Sharon, with no experience running or managing a bar and grill, decided to buy Smokey's on a whim. Yes, Smokey's was a great hangout place for Edgewater's firefighting community, yet the subplot has hindered the intrigue of how Sharon regained her old position as Division Chief of 1501. Her brother-in-law, Luke Leone (Michael Trucco), was the interim holder of that position, and Sharon implied that she would fight Luke to get her old job back in Season 2. Instead, that whole subplot was quietly resolved. The Leones becoming Smokey's new owners has not brought much to the table other than weighing down the rest of the show, depicting the couple running a business in addition to their hectic careers as firefighters.
Furthermore, Season 3 has introduced new recurring characters such as Audrey, Captain Camden Casey (Jared Padalecki), and the family of Eve Edwards (Jules Latimer). Those characters require additional screen time and development, along with other ongoing subplots, including what is happening with Jake and Genevieve (Alix West Lefler), Eve's family drama, and Eve and Sharon trying to expand their Fire Education program. Also, Manny Perez (Kevin Alejandro) has narratively taken over Bode's place in Three Rock to ensure the inmate firefighting camp receives continued representation in the series. This has resulted in a top-heavy Fire Country Season 3 with surplus subplots. The series could use some streamlining when it returns later next year.
'Fire Country' Season 3 Could Stand To Streamline Its Plot When It Returns
Image via CBS
Fire Country concluded its midseason on a major cliffhanger, with 1501 and Three Rock dealing with a wildfire on the farm of Eve's estranged family. Several main cast members, specifically Bode, Audrey, and Gabriela, remain in certain peril by the end of the episode. When Fire Country Season 3 returns from its midseason, it would be appropriate for the writers to re-focus by increasing the firefighting action and including fewer romances and subplots. Captain Casey's time on the show looks to be over for the time being, though his multi-episode arc might set up a potential spin-off series. Hopefully, the writers can figure out a stronger balance between those aspects for the spring half. The show will be back with new episodes later in January 2025.
New episodes of Fire Country debut on Friday nights on CBS. All the episodes are available to stream now on Paramount+ in the U.S.
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