Fire Country Season 4 Episode 16 Review: The Jig Is Up for This Show’s Trickery

Critic’s Rating: 2 / 5.0

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It wasn’t visible easily, but now one cannot deny that Fire Country has a neat trick.

The show introduces an exciting arc, throws everything into it to hook viewers, and for the next however many episodes, develops it in the most ridiculous manner known to man.

We’ve seen it every season with Bode’s admission to having drugs, returning to Three Rock, trying to join Cal Fire, Brett Richards, and, more recently, the Zabel Ridge fire.

It usually starts with a really aware arc, but then the writing twists itself to accommodate Bode’s heroism.

Fire Country Season 4 Episode 16, “Not Worth the Risk,” is the start of a fresh cycle as Bode sets his sights on becoming a REMs team leader.

The hour starts off very aware as Luke brings up the objections I featured in my review of Fire Country Season 4 Episode 15, “Making Things Go Boom.”

Bode is simply not equipped to lead anyone because he’s not mature enough to see beyond his own ego.

He puts people in danger more than he saves them.

As a firefighter, he’s too green to jump from an engine to leading an elite team. And as a person, his history does not support this move.

But I’ve been fooled before by this show seeming to make sense, only for them to pull the rug from under me and give it to Bode.

It’s subtle this hour, but the trick is still there.

You can spot it the moment they put a body cam on him and send him on a rescue mission so that the footage can be reviewed later.

It’s a neat trick — and a pretty flimsy one.

Anyone can be on their best behavior on the one day they are being evaluated.

And as it has been proven time and again, body cams can’t capture everything the way humans experience them.

The angles can distort reality, and the body cams can fail or be turned off. In fact, Bode turns his off, and he’s able to secure his hero moment.

I’ve wondered why I fell for this show’s story over and over again, even when it had frustrated me since Season 1.

Fire Country has been running this trick for seasons. The jig is up. I see through all the soft resets the characters undergo this hour as it gears up for Season 5.

Eve continues babysitting her Three Rock children while moving on from Francine.

Almost immediately, a new love interest is hinted at.

No processing, no fallout — just a clean exit. It’s lazy writing that avoids the messy, uncomfortable storylines.

And perhaps Eve’s reset is much better than Jake‘s, who is now engaged.

If there ever was a development that came out of nowhere, it’s Jake and Violet’s relationship. One moment she’s representing some corporation, and the next she’s getting married to Jake.

They could get married today, divorce tomorrow, and no one would care.

The writers have done them a huge disservice by having the relationship play out in the background.

The worst part is that we will probably be subjected to their relationship, even though we couldn’t care less.

Let the writers stay on brand and have the wedding and the marriage play out in the background like the rest of the relationship has.

No one is left behind as Sharon also gets a reset.

She’s been mourning Vince for months, and now the show toys with the idea of her dating again, but doesn’t follow through.

I’m glad they leave it at that, because I’m not sure this season is the right time for Sharon to start dating.

Vince’s body is not even cold, and maybe I’ll be lucky to avoid this show next season and miss Bode’s tantrum about it.

Finally, Manny and the doctor are still going strong, but trouble arrives in paradise in the form of Roberta. Look, I also don’t care about Manny and Camille beyond her ability to make him tolerable.

But if we’re going to choose sides, I will choose Roberta because that’s Gabriela’s mother, and she brings the good kind of trouble.

We still haven’t been updated about Gabriela, and maybe she has news.

Gut Check

“Not Worth the Risk” feels familiar because the script follows the same pattern: ignore every illogical action from the past episodes and start afresh.

It’s less disappointing for this reason, but the veil is off, and I now see this show for what it is.

There’s no coming back from that.

Intrusive Thoughts

• Whoever decided the cold should be colorgraded like that needs to be fired. Fire Country has many flaws, but color is not one of them.

• The mudslide scene was straight out of a horror movie. I’d pass out before whatever comes next finds me.

• Jake and Violet: groan. We don’t know, and we don’t care about you.

• Sharon and Mr. Tall & Deep Voice were so tropey, but I dig it. It’s harmless and comforting.

• Bode and Chloe together is a jump scare. As long as Vince is dead and her son was directly responsible for the circumstances, it’ll forever remain a jump scare.

• Zane and Tex’s enemies-to-lovers fanfic would shame Heated Rivalry, but Fire Country is not kindling that fire.

Over to you, Fire Country fanatics.

Based on your response to the previous episode, it seems we’re on the same page about the show’s quality, but I’m curious to know what you think about the reset.

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.