Critic’s Rating: 2.5 / 5.0
2.5
That was surprisingly chill!
It’s unlike Fire Country not to make drastic narrative decisions in the finale.
As a result, Fire Country Season 4 Episode 20 “Try Not to Drown” is the calmest everything has ever been, considering the flooding, of course.
(CBS/Screenshot)
Part of the calmness comes from knowing how the Danny storyline would play out, and part of it is that there are happy endings.
Bode, Our Lord and Savior
In this show, everything bends around Bode: his feelings, desires, impulses, e.t.c.
Even when he seems to be doing the right thing, there is always a hidden motivation, and in this instance, it’s to make a major impression on Danny.
(CBS/Screenshot)
The man has made it clear that the only way he’ll ever forgive Bode is if Bode surrenders himself to the police for breaking into Danny’s house ten years earlier.
That would mean the town’s hero would no longer be available to save everyone, and we can’t have that.
I know you’ve all figured out the script because the comments from Fire Country Season 4 Episode 19 review correctly predicted that he would save Danny and be forgiven; we were all waiting for confirmation.
And like clockwork, they badge into his space, become a total nuisance with their issues, and save Danny.
In case anyone needed a reminder, Jake is getting married.
I don’t want you forgetting that, or I’ll send him to scream it to your face. So the goal becomes not just to survive the night, but to pull off some heroics to change Danny’s mind.
(CBS/Screenshot)
And then comes the emotional manipulation and the self-pity disguised as advice.
In what universe is the man responsible for all your current problems become your therapist? It would be justified for Danny to drown them both in that house.
Not right, but justified.
Bode slithers his way into Danny’s heart by referencing the family, saving Danny from being trapped by furniture, and moving him to a tree when the house goes underwater.
And just like that, a decade of pain and anger washes away, and so does Bode’s impending ride to prison.
Boo!
(CBS/Screenshot)
I Pronounce You Mr. & Mrs. Crawford
Jake makes it back to his bride, and all the conflicts they had about Malcolm go unaddressed, swept under the rug. Part of me thinks the show is laying groundwork for their future marital issues, then I realize I don’t care.
I don’t care about Jake and Violet, and I haven’t cared since we were told they were dating. That’s why my feelings about their wedding are neutral.
Now, here’s a tangent: I love weddings. Real, fictional, I love them all.
Sometimes I fight the urge to crash a wedding because the vibe at weddings is as close to peace as the world can be.
I’m saying this to put into context how big a deal it is that I don’t feel anything about Jake’s wedding.
(CBS/Screenshot)
I don’t dislike Jake or Violet as characters; the show just hasn’t done enough to make me invested in their story.
To the contrary, all the flags are red. Jake has a history of getting too attached to people too quickly, to the extent that he becomes insufferable. It has happened here, too, where he can’t wait to tell — or scream — to everyone about his wedding.
Their conflict in Fire Country Season 4 Episode 18 over Malcolm was not resolved, so when it inevitably returns, the foundation will already be shaky.
I see a divorce in several months, but I don’t really care.
Still, a wedding is nice. It’s joyous and relaxing when both parties want to do it, and a helicopter won’t crash into the venue.
So I’m relaxed for that entire duration, but I become concerned with how the episode concludes.
(CBS/Screenshot)
The Beginning of the End?
Fire Country is struggling right now.
The writing has become predictable, the characters are making everyone furious, and fire seems nowhere to be found in Edgewater and the surrounding towns.
When I said the jig is up for this show, it wasn’t me being dramatic. There is nothing more left to say.
Three Rock looks like a summer camp for teens and doesn’t carry the same intrigue as in the early seasons.
The boys are being exploited by being forced to do jobs done by professional adults, and there are no guarantees about their freedom. They don’t even seem motivated to leave because, unlike Cole or Freddie, who had people depending on them, these boys don’t have external pressures.
(CBS/Screenshot)
Even the emergency this hour, while ambitious, doesn’t hit the same way.
If invested in Danny’s survival to confirm whether he’ll forgive Bode, the potential of him drowning becomes thrilling to watch.
But when it comes to Roberta and Manny, that arc is as interesting as Netflix’s medical procedural Pulse. Or the current status of Grey’s Anatomy.
Roberta has not been around long enough for anyone to care if she survives the surgery beyond the normal feeling of “I hope she doesn’t die.”
With the reduced episode count for next season, Fire Country would be wise to craft a really great ending to what was once a good story.
This hour felt like an ending they had anticipated, but you don’t always get a second chance in this business.
(CBS/Screenshot)
Gut Check
“Try Not to Drown” is a season finale, although it is not to the level of typical Fire Country finales. It’s chaotic and measured in equal parts.
Intrusive Thoughts
- Chloe is in love with Bode now? What has it been? Two weeks?
- So there was no helicopter for Roberta, but there’s one for Sharon to run after Bode again? Okay.
- Kinda wanted that dam wall to come down in its entirety.
(CBS/Screenshot)
- It was so odd seeing Bode let Jake have the hero moment with the kayak and boat. Then he saved Danny, and it made sense.
- He saved Jake’s wedding, too. What a guy!
Over to you, Fire Country fanatics. What did you think of the finale? Will you tune in to the next season? I know I’ll only do it if it’s the final one.
Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.
Say something in the comments, share if you’re moved to, and keep reading. Independent voices need readers like you.
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