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The episode overall gets a ...but the grade the ending gets is: Leave it to this show and its extremely talented group of actors- spearheaded by the soap opera vet Shemar Moore- to make a scene that, in worse hands, could have been tacky, cheesy and overwrought and made it something that is truly joyous, special and magical. Plus Hondo joking "I still haven't gotten an answer yet" was a nice touch. If that scene didn't move you and leave you misty-eyed...I'm not sure you have a soul. Anyway... As for the episode itself, it was serviceable enough. Street making a joke in the line fire was a great moment, and I'm glad the show didn't go with the obvious and make the DEA guys bad guys like I thought they would. We also had the entire (main) cast in this one! I don't understand why Tan wasn't in the previous episode, but at least, for the finale, we got the whole gang. I also thought, despite the show playing well-worn beats, they rang far truer in this episode because we're at the season finale and (most) of the usual rules of plot armour get thrown out the window in this case. Watching this, I do have to wonder if there were two versions of this episode filmed, with one version being the one we got and the other version to be used if this was going to be the series finale. The amount of times that it was implied that Hondo was going to be a goner makes me wonder if that was going to the plan in case we didn't get a S7. Which I'm glad we got and I hope that the show won't think to off, well, anyone next season even if it is the final batch of episodes because I believe this show deserves a happy ending. The characters have been through so much (especially Luca, in peril for two straight finales now) that they deserve it. The only real issue I have with this episode was Marcos, because his heel turn was pretty disappointing. I understand why he did it but it doesn't make it easier to take, because he was much more interesting as the character that stood in between the frontiers of law and gave a rarely seen human element to criminal activity that this show likes to ignore. Here's hoping that Marcos comes back around to that in S7, so that Luca's unbridled faith in the good nature of every person doesn't go for naught. I'm also hoping that in S7 Zoe will get to meet Thomas and we can have that happy reunion. Man, was Zoe ever magical being doubled-over in happiness and giddiness when Deacon delivered her the good news...I can only imagine how she will be when she sees her son for the first time. If Anna Enger Richt can bring more that side of Zoe to light, she just may win my heart after all. On to the final 13 episodes...I can't wait.

I'm glad my nickname caught on (with additional credit to you, Mrs. Sow, for adding "Great" to it because it just fits). So, here's The Great Broode Sue ("Broode" being not just a play on the name of "Bode" but also being a reference to "brooding", which is all Bode seems to be able to do). Ready to be Photoshopped into any scene you'd like- even if it makes absolutely no sense, since the character makes no sense:

I guess when you're the great Broode Sue, people can be convinced of anything...

It's especially egregious this week because you would think Eve would know better than to deliver emotionally deflating news to someone when there is a task at hand. You need them to be focused, and delivering bad news is a sure way to break that focus. Perhaps the show should think about having two incidents in one episode, so that the characters can resolve one and then go back to the station/camp and discuss whatever plot relevant drama they need to discuss. Then again, maybe they'd run out of ideas too quickly that way.

Maybe it's not the way we thought it would get there, but was there any doubt that Sleeper would find a way to destroy Bode's chances for parole? (Yes...I know the show has not outright said that Bode's positive drug test was due to Sleeper...but, c'mon...what else could it possibly be?) ...and so this trainwreck of a show continues. Perhaps I should have seen it coming when Freddy was told that he wouldn't get his conviction cleared that quickly. Perhaps I should have seen it coming when Bode repeated Sleeper's last words to him ("This isn't over") as if the writer of this episode lazily cut and paste the line from the previous episode into this one. Perhaps I should have also seen this coming when Faye broke up with Manny. Or, maybe I should have also seen it coming when Gabriella finally said "it's time" and found a way to have sex with Bode because "I can't wait anymore!" ...but that doesn't undo how terrible and stupid the show is with its storylines. I have complained, time and again, that the writers on this show contrive their stories far too much to fit the narratives they want to tell, instead of letting the characters and events organically guide them. Bode's positive drug test is just the latest example of that. Perhaps there's hope that, with this development happening in the penultimate episode of the season we're still going to see Bode getting released and paroled for S2. Since we know that Bode will get his name cleared of the drug test. What's more likely is that Bode gets cleared of the drug test and then the prison will have to make a decision about whether or not to bring Bode back to Three Rock. The episode fades to black, creating a faux cliffhanger because we all know this series wouldn't be a series if Bode isn't at Three Rock. Meaning- probably at least before the end of the second episode of S2, because I'll never underestimate Hollywood's attempts to be "clever"- Bode eventually gets back to Three Rock where we can spend S2 doing what we did in S1. Rinse, repeat...snooze.

From one "S.O.S." ("Save Our S.W.A.T.") to another "S.O.S." ("Same Old S.W.A.T.") I mean, I didn't see Shorty getting...well there's a pun there in his demise but I won't use it out of respect. I also didn't see that the main bad guy would also be eliminated tonight, so credit to the show for that. However, the show still seemed to play their tired beats. Lots of feints, lots of misdirects, lots of "you know this won't work because it's too early in the episode for it to work". ...and, though I don't know for certain, I'm sure DEA guy Mack Boyle (played by Academy Award winner Timothy Hutton) is somehow involved in this cartel and is likely a bad guy all along. For sure, what I do know about Boyle and the DEA is that they still played the old cliché of "outside agency coming in to the police department and acting like jerks", because they really were. So we'll see how that resolves itself next week, especially considering now that we know this show will come back for a Season Seven. I just hope it's not the end of Marcus Guzman, because Marcus is probably one of this show's most interesting characters (if not the most interesting characters) and I want him to have one last (hopefully ultimately happy) go-around next season. As for the show's other storylines...I'm glad that Deacon and Sanchez found a way to work together. I was worried the show was about to undo all the goodwill they showed Sanchez the last time we saw him (where Hondo realized that, you know what, Sanchez isn't actually a piece of dirt), so it was good that Deacon saw some humanity and found a way to make things work with him. It's this kind of character work that the show has been missing the past few years, and while Sanchez started from pretty much the bottom of the barrel, the growth of his character and the humanness he has gone through has been a joy to watch. Then there's Hicks...I was hopeful that Mumford could have come back to surprise Hicks just like Hicks did to Mumford back in S2 but it was still a nice way to honour him that's true to the character. Too bad he's not sharing his scotch, though...but then again, maybe I wouldn't either in his shoes, so there.

Whoops. That's my mistake...I should have put it in the other list. It also hasn't been on that long either (two seasons). Of course, that post is somewhat moot because S.W.A.T. came back, though I stand by it in an overall sense in the TV landscape.

OK, now I understand. Thanks. I think you could be right. I lean more towards either Sony or CBS called the other's bluff and they blinked. I always felt the cancellation was petty and pedantic, because, let's face it- S.W.A.T. is not the kind of show that typically gets cancelled. It's also not CBS' usual forte to cancel its old shows- they usually give them a truncated final run (see CSI, Criminal Minds, The Mentalist, Mom, Two and a Half Men, Madam Secretary, etc.). So when S.W.A.T. got cancelled, something didn't add up. We'll probably never know what really happened until the show is long gone but it wouldn't surprise me if it deviated from the official narrative.

Smooth plots? I don't quite understand what you mean there. I wasn't comfortable reading reports that suggested that CBS was pitting its two shows with Black leads against each other. I'm not sure I buy it. If CBS was really deciding between S.W.A.T. and East New York, then East New York should have been renewed when S.W.A.T. was originally cancelled. Instead, ENY was still on the bubble despite CBS' original decision. Which tells me that, no matter what, ENY was doomed. As for S.W.A.T., it's very possible that its original cancellation was a negotiation tactic by one or the other, with the fan backlash anticipated by the side pulling the gambit. We may never know. Ultimately, what troubles me a bit more is that the economics of TV these days feels like what viewers want mean less and less than before, and that's not a good trend. I mean, we'll probably never see the day where the top-viewed shows get canned, but the flipside are that fans of the shows that do well but aren't high profile hits (like S.W.A.T.) may start to feel their actions don't mean anything. Which means fans may sour on TV even more if they don't feel like their fandom is worth it. I don't know what the best course of action is from here but I think it would do well for the networks to lessen the politics and start being more transparent and honest with their viewers.

Hence my point- the scene was there to sell another scene in the episode, in another example of the many on this show where the writers get the characters to do the things they need them to do instead of depicting them realistically and organically. When it comes to Freddy, I'm not sure even institutionalized inadequacies is a good enough explanation for why he's in jail. He was convicted of robbing a jewelry store- I find it hard to believe (though with the caveat that I may have missed an explanation somewhere), even without an alibi, that the prosecutor had enough to find Freddy guilty. That jewelry store should have cameras, and they should work- given what they sell and how much it's worth, I can't imagine the owner would accept a faulty camera. Failing that, let's say the owner or whomever was working when the store was robbed pointed the finger at Freddy as the culprit. I must then ask, "how?" Does Freddy have an unknown twin or something? Even if the robber was wearing a mask, how could the prosecutor say the robber was Freddy? The onus is on the prosecution to provide definitive proof- they cannot convict on the absence of evidence. Even the worst defence lawyers would have an easy time proving innocence beyond a reasonable doubt- since the robber's identity is concealed, there's no way you could say the robber was anyone, let alone Freddy. His lack of an alibi would actually be moot, in such a case. The only way Freddy's conviction becomes plausible is if the stolen jewels were found at his house, and Freddy's defence is that they were planted. Then Freddy's alibi- or lack of it- would come into play. As it stands now, Freddy's conviction is implausible. The prosecution has no evidence that he was even at the store when it was robbed, and there's no way any prosecutor would win a conviction based on that, let alone get a plea deal out of him. Even if "the system" is rigged and even if Freddy was someone people would think would commit the crime. There's not a prosecutor on this planet that would risk presenting such a faulty case to a judge. Not even a prosecutor with an axe to grind against Freddy, because a judge or a jury would throw out that case (unless the judge is in on the scheme and that's implausible). So, if the show wants me to buy Freddy's wrongful conviction, they have some explaining to do.

Wow. I had a feeling both sides were being pedantic and this just proves it. I get that the show was getting expensive, but I also felt that both the studio and the network could have sucked up a year or so of losses just to give the fans some proper closure, which is the right move. A final season of 13 episodes suits me just fine.

Maybe it's different where I am but I've hugged my co-workers before (consensually, of course), both female and male. So I have no problem with that. The issue is more that the hugs appeared out of nowhere, and where only there in an attempt to sell a plot point. The writer needed a visual for how distant Jake had become to Sharon and Vince, so the writer decided in this episode that Sharon would give Eve and Jake "good luck hugs" (even though Sharon never did that before in the series) just so Jake can reject her and Sharon can have some angst for a few moments. It wasn't just a visual for how far the relationship had fallen- it was also meant, for the writer, to make the final hugs that Jake did give Sharon and Vince that much more of an impact. The writer seemed to think that for that final scene between Vince and Jake to work, Jake needed to visually reject Vince and Sharon so that when he finally (re-)accepts them, it would apparently ring far truer. That's not my explanation- that's my (presumed) explanation from the writer. My explanation is that it's yet another example of the show shoehorning the characters into the narratives they want to tell, because there was no reason for the hug subplot. When Bode and Jake made up with a hug, the show didn't need to have several scenes where the two of them were visibly cold to each other before they finally embraced- the scene with the embrace was enough. Same thing with the Vince and Jake hug at the end- that was all that's needed, because we knew for a while that Jake was mad at his parental figures through his previous words and actions. The attempted hugs in this episode felt out of place because we'd never seen the characters do that before and weren't necessary to sell the plot. Fire Country has already been renewed. It's been known since last fall, actually. For what it's worth W. Tre Davis- who plays Freddy- posted about the renewal on his Instagram page, which leads me to think he'll at least return for the second season. My guess is that Bode gets out on parole and spends next season helping Freddy get out, so that in S3 they both become volunteer firefighters who help out at Three Rock, maybe where they can now mentor someone else on track to get out. Or, they might make Freddy getting out of jail a multi-year arc, of which the now paroled Bode helps him in his quest. Yeah, it might be weird for Bode to return to Three Rock so quickly after getting paroled, but the show could explain it by saying his experience makes him to help others at Three Rock (especially his new best friend from the camp), plus Bode probably can't legally join Cal Fire as a parolee, so volunteering at Three Rock is his only way to stay connected to Cal Fire (and stay in the series). I could probably go all day with the faults of the incarceration system and of a justice system that tries to rationalize what is a heavily emotional process. I just think, at its core, there are a lot of people within the system who do the best they can navigate it and do the best possible job that they can, but, while most are well-meaning and do a decent enough job, there will always be the inevitable case that falls through the cracks or cases whose dynamics change when new (or overlooked) evidence comes to light. When it comes to Freddy, it sounds like his case was a convoluted mess. I don't remember all the details, but my understanding is that he was only convicted because he couldn't provide an adequate defence, which rested on his alibi, and because of that, his counsel told him to take a plea agreement. Freddy, it seemed, was only nailed to the crime because he was "the most likely one to do it". Which makes me think that the prosecutor's case too was incredibly weak, and I have to wonder how this didn't end up at trial in the first place. I'm no lawyer but even I know you can't convict someone because they're "the most likely person to have done it"- you need physical evidence. Heck, you need evidence just to make an arrest. You can't just go on a hunch. So I look at Freddy's case and think there's a heck of a lot the show isn't telling me because a lot of stuff just doesn't make sense. I also have to wonder how Eve can look into Freddy's case, which makes the decision to kill off Rebecca even dumber in retrospect. I mean, I'm sure Eve is smart but she's no lawyer or even a private investigator- she can't procure evidence whenever she wants. Sure, Rebecca didn't have the ability to do a proper investigation either, but, since she was once a lawyer, she was more believable as someone who could handle Freddy's case than Eve is.

First of all, according to The Neighborhood's official pitch, the series' lead is Max Greenfield, FKA Schmidt in New Girl and very much a white guy. Cedric The Entertainer, who is an executive producer, is the series' No. 2 guy, playing the next door neighbour to Greenfield's character. Now, perhaps since the first season Cedric has morphed into a practical co-lead with Greenfield, but I'd say, technically, Cedric is really the No. 2 guy in The Neighborhood. Honestly, though, whether or not Cedric is a lead feels pedantic. Fact is, there are very few lead actors and actresses in Hollywood who are people of colour. Just off the top of my head I can think of this show, Magnum, P.I., Station 19, the new version of The Wonder Years, 9-1-1, The Rookie: Feds, East New York and, possibly, The Neighborhood. Maybe there are two or three others I have missed but you get the idea. Of those eight shows, here's what's happened to each of them: S.W.A.T.: Cancelled after six seasons, despite being in the top 20 within the crucial advertiser demographic (18-49 year-olds) and being one of the few shows that picked up viewers from last season. Magnum, P.I.: Cancelled after four seasons in May 2022 under very similar circumstances to S.W.A.T. (it was still a top 25 show, but CBS could not agree on a licensing fee). It would be later rescued by NBC, who has technically renewed it for two more seasons (though they'll act as two halves of the fifth season). The Wonder Years: Though it received a second season order, that second season is scheduled to premiere on June 14, 2023 (it may be pushed to the fall of 2023 depending on the writer's strike). Though Elementary lasted two seasons as a summer show and attitudes are slowly changing on the subject, the summer season still tends to be the season where networks place the shows they are not particularly high on, kind of like "dump months" in the movie release season. So The Wonder Years being a summer show is an indicator of what ABC really thinks about it. 9-1-1: FOX cancelled the series just a week ago after six seasons, only for ABC to pick it up for a seventh season later that day. The Rookie: Feds: No word yet on whether or not it will be back for season 2. There are questions about its fate given that ABC has renewed all the shows on The Rookie: Feds' night (Tuesday) and has brought in 9-1-1 and Dancing With The Stars. It's a real toss-up at this stage. East New York: Its status is also up in the air. You would think this would be a lock for S2 given that its ratings are better than other shows that have been renewed but so was S.W.A.T. so who knows. The Neighborhood: Renewed by CBS in January for a sixth season. Debatable it belongs on this list. Station 19: Renewed by ABC in April. That's eight shows with a POC lead, and, out of those seven shows, three have already been cancelled by their original network (though two of them were saved by another), one has been shoved to the summer, two shows' status is still up in the air and two have been renewed (though there will be a debate on whether one of those shows belongs on this list). I know The TV Grim Reaper likes to get snarky and say that there's only one reason why TV executives make the decisions they do (something coloured green in the U.S. that rhymes with "honey"), but I can't help but wonder if there are racial and other social elements at play here. The fact that both S.W.A.T. and Magnum, P.I. were both cancelled despite being top tier TV shows leaves me asking questions about what else is in play here. To further this point, FOX cancelled Call Me Kat after three seasons, even though most shows that get a third season get a fourth (since a fourth season usually leaves the network with enough episodes for stripped syndication). Now, Kat ended with 53 episodes, so FOX may have thought a fourth season (giving the show potentially 75 episodes) still wouldn't make syndication worth it, but the Grim Reaper was sure it would come back. ...and yet, here's a series starring Mayam Bialik, a woman who (in Hollywood's eyes) is on the wrong side of 45 (she is 47), having her series cancelled. The gears in my brain are really starting to turn now. Look. I know a lot of this is circumstantial. I don't know what really went on in the executives' minds because I am not them. I also tend to give people the benefit of the doubt, and, let's face it, I'm sure the vast majority of TV execs aren't consciously making decisions based on things like gender and race- they are after the bottom line in the monetary sense, ultimately. However, that pursuit of the bottom line means that execs are typically less likely to take risks, and that means that prevailing attitudes- that the driver of TV audiences are heterosexual, vaguely Christian men like me- will subconsciously enter an executive's way of thinking. Without getting into the debates, we saw this play out when Bud Light had to stop its association with Dylan Mulvaney. So, if you're an exec and you had to make a choice between renewing a series with a black male lead like S.W.A.T. or other aging series with white male leads like Blue Bloods or NCIS: Hawai'i, which would you pick? "Playing it safe" means going with the latter, even if you would like to prop up the former. Which means that, while it's provocative and likely risky move on his part, I'm not sure Shemar Moore is entirely wrong in wondering if race is playing a factor here. Without knowing for sure what the economics for CBS' shows are like, it's hard to know if there really was an insurmountable gap between studio and network preventing a renewal, or if that gap was so small that the studio and the network should have swallowed their pride and at least figure things out for a shortened seventh season, if not more. Remember, Moore is a producer on this show. He probably knows more about the inner workings than we do. So I'm not going to outright dismiss his rant as just a bunch of hot air- he may be truly on to something. Something truly unfortunate but, until things are different, they are what they are.

Well, it's not uncommon for networks to cancel shows at the last minute, but those are mostly first-year or second-year shows where the writing's been on the wall for quite some time. A long running series (4 seasons plus) usually at least gets one last year or half year to finish everything up. So I don't know why we couldn't have had at least a ten episode final season to give the show a proper send-off (likely with the wedding of Hondo and Nichelle). Fine, there are a lot of things about TV show economics I don't know about, but I can't help but think S.W.A.T. was cancelled because the studios were being pedantic. I'm sure CBS and Sony could have taken the small hit needed just to wrap the series up.

I did too...I just think Bode might have avoided most, if not all, the hassles if he had told Manny, in private, about his issues with Sleeper the minute Sleeper showed up. Maybe I'm wrong about this because that may just be "breaking the code" too, but I do think there were ways Bode could have handled the problem discreetly and without it having to snowball as it did.

Well, I suppose I should give the show credit for "doing the right thing", where Bode casts aside the politics of prison to finally go to Captain Perez and extinguish his Sleeper problem. Which I fear isn't actually over, but at least the writers made the right story choice for a change. Then- and perhaps I'll get some, uh, heat for this- we had wonderful emotional scenes from Gabriella and Sharon, plus Billy Burke and Michael Trucco actually got a chance to really get into their acting chops and deliver some great interactions with each other. Spurred by the superbly feisty Jeffrey Fahey, as Vince's dad. Burke also shone on his own, really playing the beat well of a dad who had struggled to come to terms with the fact that he failed, and it's OK for him to fail and let his own kids fail. I mean, perhaps the scene where Vince and Jake make up was a bit rushed...but, Jordan Calloway and Burke sure sold that scene. All, of course, culminating in the poignant scene of Sleeper's much-needed arrest and exit. As well as the knowledge that Freddy may actually get his day in court. All this says is that, if we had more of those scenes and not the pablum that this show often offers us we might have had a real series. Not one that's just really...there. The cast all have natural chemistry with each other- something most TV shows never get close to- and, if they had a real chance to express that camaraderie and let that camaraderie guide those stories, we'd have a much different show. Instead, while the interactions felt more organic in this episode than in others, we still have writers who force things too much as well as resting on tired cliches to get their narratives through. I mean, to wit- when the clock struck 9:45 and Jake came up with the idea of blowing the wall down in the abandoned mine, was there any doubt that his "hunch" was going to work? Plus, how tired is the choice to not just have kids in peril, but also having a kid with a serious medical condition where that kid really needs to get out of trouble...or else! Come on, Hollywood...you're not going to fool me with that drama. Oh, there was Bode punching Sleeper...yeah, Bode did the right thing later, but how many times does Bode get a pass for punching people? I sure would love to have a free ride to punch whomever I want, since Bode seems to have that ability. Did Max Thieriot come into this series with a need to punch as many people as he can or something? I guess on to the final two episodes of the season, which may just be the last two episodes of Fire Country I see, since S.W.A.T. has been (sadly) cancelled. I already don't think of this show as one that I'll go out of my way to watch (which I did with S.W.A.T., even in its declining years), so without the draw to lead me to this show next season I may not bother with it. We'll see.

I write this review with an immense sense of loss. Just before this episode aired, CBS announced that S.W.A.T. will not be returning for a seventh season, meaning these last three episodes will be the series' last. Disappointed is a good word for how I feel. Heck, maybe it doesn't go far enough, because- for this show's many, many, many, faults- I still felt it had something left in the tank, enough for at least one last go around. However, after thinking about it, in many ways, perhaps this is the right move after all. S6 felt like the show was merely coasting, playing it way too safe and too close to the vest and, while it still produced watchable television, it wasn't producing the kind of TV that left an impact, let alone be something that was appointment-level viewing. I'm not sure I really cared about what was happening in an episode ever since Episode 100, "The Fugitive", but only because that story centred around Hondo and character stories are not this show's typical bread and butter. That leaves the Cases of the Week, and the last time I felt I really cared about them was when we dealt with The Emancipators and Cinque at the end of S2. Sure, there may have been other moments of magic and some wonderfully written episodes and scenes...but, since the end of S2, really, the show's writers never truly challenged themselves and it shows. Such as in this episode where the great Taye Diggs makes an appearance. Diggs and Shemar Moore played well off each other and acted their metaphorical pants off, but was there really anything about the plight of Danny Wright that really stood out? Aside from the swerves- not too unpredictable ones at that- at the end where it turned out the abusive boyfriend hadn't kidnapped Wright's daughter and she wasn't actually missing, it sure played out like your usual "missing daughter" case. Heck, when Wright went to "get some air" I knew right away what he was doing...and I had a feeling, right away, that he might turn out to be wrong. Because- let's face it- just like how Law & Order: Special Victims Unit can't resist playing to Saint Olivia Benson's ego, S.W.A.T. can never miss an opportunity to let Saint Hondo shine and bask in all of his glory. Which is a big symptom of S.W.A.T.'s malaise. I mean, I get it- on Criminal Minds, Derek Morgan's supposed prowess at winning fights, chasing down villains and, overall, being a badass was more implied than actually shown, so Moore needed to make up for lost time. Plus, Hondo is the main protagonist and the "hero of the story", so it makes sense that you want your hero to stand tall at the end of the struggle, whatever that may be. However, that can only last for so long. By the time we've reach S6, the writers should realize that it would be OK for Hondo to need help to overcome his struggle, and not just because his teammates are covering for him because Hicks benched him. Hondo doesn't always have to have the final shot or know the best words to take down a bad guy- sometimes he would need his teammates to do that job and have his back on the field, because, otherwise, why have a team if Hondo could do everything by himself? The writers needed to realize- as does, perhaps, Moore- that Hondo isn't less of a badass because he sometimes fails. Heck, he can become even more of a badass if every now and then he did fail because it makes him relatable. Plus, it makes his rogue tendencies that much more of a character fault because it actually has an impact in the narrative. So while I can't disagree with the story choice to have Wright get an earful from Hondo, it still felt like more of the same from this show, because- unless it's Hicks, and, even then- the show will never have a scene where Hondo is on the receiving end of such a tongue lashing. All this and no word on the Case...well, would it surprise you if I said I didn't care about it? Ho hum...we have another group of bad guys terrorizing the block- this time, grandparents and their jewelry vaults- and the SWAT team has to find a way to stop them before more people get killed. Yawn. Rinse...repeat. I mean, I wasn't even surprised that the lone grandmother was the one who survived at the end. Because Hollywood knows they can spare a few grown men, but a woman? Not a chance. Yeah, perhaps some in the audience would hate to see dear old Aunt Patty bite the dust...but it's again another piece of the predictableness of this show and their need to "play things safe". Fine, don't show Patty getting shot...but would it have been too much to ask for at least one of the other two off-screen murder victims to have also been a grandmother? No reason why they both had to be grandfathers. Oh well. On to the last two episodes (*sniff*). I just hope this show goes out with a bang, and not in the literal sense. I think that's the least I can ask for after the disappointment of today.

From the Futon Critic:

Disappointed would be an understatement. I mean, I'm not sure the show had much left creatively but it was still a watchable show. It sure had more life than many other shows that Hollywood thinks are viable. Maybe getting to S8 or beyond would be too much...but I would have at least hoped we would have gotten a S7, no matter how truncated, to give the series a proper sendoff. I'll miss this show immensely.

I remember just after the season concluded Paget Brewster said that "filming will resume in a few months". Well, it's been (by my estimate) "a few months" since then and I have not heard anything. I'm personally anticipating another fall release date and another ten episode run from Thanksgiving to Valentine's Day, like this past season. We'll see what actually happens.

My preferred track for S1 would have seen the slow burn of Bode doing what he can to repair the relationships he had in Edgewater, as well as Edgewater having to come to grips with "one of their own" in Three Rock. Parole should have been a topic in S2, once Bode is on better ground with his friends and his family, whom he supposedly abandoned before going to jail. Which is another storyline this show has just suddenly dropped. I would like to agree with you, but there are two points to consider. Quite possibly the decision to downplay the prison aspect of the series is a designed move so that when Bode is thrust back into actual prison, it becomes that much more of a shock. Which I'm not sure would have been necessary, but...this is Hollywood, and they know no bounds for where they'll go in an effort to be "clever". The chance to up the "angst factor" and create potential Emmy-bait by driving Bode to prison and thus the "depths of despair" will be too great for the writers to ignore. Max Thieriot is one of the series' co-creators and an executive producer, so I doubt he'll pass the opportunity for a chance to win an Emmy, no matter how contrived or ill-guided such a move would be. Looking at IMDB, I believe the inmate who overdosed is named Troy, though you are still right about this and I agree completely. Effectively, anyone not named Bode or Freddy are effectively nameless and treated as such. They're either extras or they're referred to in generic terms, like "the old guy" was.

What I mean is that Bode's story feels like the cliched Hollywood "bait and switch" storyline- set the character up for a positive storyline development, build towards it and then, just when you're about to get there, pull the rug out from underneath them. My guess for the storyline- if I'm giving the writers the benefit of the doubt- is that the original plan called for Bode to get parole at the season's end only for something to change at the last second, hence the obvious (and lazy) bait-and-switch. My further guess is the change that caused this swerve is the series' renewal for S2, out of the writers' (erroneous) belief that Bode needs to be in jail for this series to work. Which I don't agree with. The hook with this series should be Three Rock and how it navigates its role within Cal Fire and in Edgewater as a whole. Whether or not Bode is incarcerated doesn't- and shouldn't- change that dynamic. Heck, I'll go one step further and say that Bode getting parole- and then becoming a volunteer at Three Rock, where he can then mentor Freddy and the other convicts- would open up several rich narrative opportunities and new dynamics to explore. The series could then finally stop playing games with "Bodriella" and allow them to have an actual relationship for a change, plus it would be a significant step for Bode to eventually assume Manny's role, which I believe should be the series' real endgame. It would also allow Bode to really start picking up the pieces in his life, having to face the challenge of adjusting to freedom after being in prison for so long. We could see him begin to slowly mend the rift he has with his family, especially with his father, as well as Bode starting to come around and accept Edgewater as his home. That's just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many other stories that could be mined if Bode takes that actual next step and gains parole. Unfortunately, the show doesn't seem to realize that. They think what they really have to do is this lazy bait-and-switch storyline that they think is "hard-hitting" and will get them Emmy nominations, when all it will do is incur millions of eye rolls within the audience. Because what would the storyline of Bode screwing up his chance at parole and getting thrown back to regular prison do? All it does is give us a series reset, because that will mean Bode starts S2 in jail, where he'll reapply for the fire camp. Maybe this time, to stretch the storyline out, he'll be accepted to a different fire camp, but he'll end up missing Three Rock so much that he applies to go back, which is eventually granted. So after two or three episodes...maybe four...we'll have Bode back in Three Rock, where S2 becomes a repeat of S1 as Bode will have to- again- work his way back to everyone's good graces so that he can re-apply for parole by the end of the second season. Bode will feel like Gotham's Penguin, whose only storyline saw him constantly rise and fall, which got tiring very quickly. In Oswald Cobblepott's case, it was a symptom of the writers being completely bereft of ideas for the character. In Bode's case, it will be about the writers' continued insistence of shoehorning the characters into the stories they want to tell, instead of letting the characters organically drive and create the stories for them. Here, the writers are so dead-set on Bode being in jail that they can't seem to realize how rich the alternatives could be, nor do they realize the series' integrity wouldn't be irreparably damaged if Bode isn't in jail. It's this decision that is hamstringing the development of this show.

Let me just start with a note about the game of Casting Musical Chairs this show has been running this season. Yes, it's likely a result of cost-cutting, since the studio likely forced the producers to ensure to cut the amount of episodes the main cast appears in because this means they have to pay those actors less given they are appearing less. So it's something that I have come to accept about this season- and, if we get a next season, that one too and any subsequent season after that. Which means I usually won't spill too much ink (or should that be "create too many pixels"?) about it since cast absences are largely beyond the writers' control. Even then, though, the writers still need to deal with it or else the credibility of their show suffers. Fine, with all due respect to Rochelle Aytes, the absence of Nichelle doesn't hurt too much. However, Jay Harrington- Sargent Deacon- was also not present, and you would think the absence of an experienced team member like Deacon would have an impact on how well the team can conduct its raids. Just like you would think the absence of Luca- who drives Black Betty- should have a similar effect when he's not present. Or any other member of the team, because tactics- usually- are drawn up with the team composed with a specific amount of bodies available. ...and certain bodies too. You can't use the same tactics if some of the personnel is missing, especially with delicate operations like SWAT. Yet all season, characters go missing and the team never misses a beat. In fact, the team's operations are so seamless, you wonder why the LAPD hired all those SWAT regulars in the first place. In real life, if SWAT members are unavailable, the team would have to alter their tactics and their operations to compensate. They might not still miss a beat, but they'd have to actually put in some effort to make sure they don't. Which is something the writers could easily account for in their writing, and they should have. They could have began the season with Hicks talking about budget cuts, which would explain why some SWAT members might not appear all the time because the LAPD is reducing their hours. There could have also been a few lines about tactical and operational tweaks to compensate for SWAT members who are not present. Surely who drives Black Betty would be up there in terms of necessary operational adjustments. The producers could have also used the guest cast to create one-time members of SWAT that could have filled in when regulars are not present. Lastly- and most importantly- the show could have crafted a few stories about SWAT needing to compensate for team members not being available. For starters, how someone else drives Black Betty might be fun to explore. Especially if there's a scene in the next episode where Luca hugs Betty, glad to have her back and promises to make up for "whatever that idiot did to you". Or something like that. Secondly, it's a usual tactic for Hondo to split the team in two and have Deacon lead one half of the squad and Hondo leads the other half. An episode of how the team deals with altering that dynamic when Deacon is unavailable would be fun. I mention all this before talking about the episode specifically because, watching this episode, it feels like the show is far too deep in its formulaic rut and the writers need to start doing things to freshen things up. Putting twists in that formula would be a great way to start. It's not that, necessarily, the episode was terrible. I just feel like I could written this episode in my sleep with the amount of predictability it had. Most notably, look at the clock. "It's 8:15. Of course no one will be talking and the team will hit roadblocks...because we need to pad out the hour." "Oh, it's only 8:30? Guess those kids the team found will not be the kids they're looking for". "It's 8:45...of course Powell's crazy idea is going to work, because the episode needs it to work because of the time." Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera... I could also mention the show falling into the cliche of female characters developing their mean streak because they got raped and /or domestically abused since, as realistic as that may be, Hollywood goes down that well too many times. It's beyond predictable at this stage. I suppose the one silver lining is that we did have a case where the criminals actually had a reasonable rationale for what they were doing and one that was somewhat sympathetic, one where the SWAT team wondered if the criminals were really so bad after all. Still, it came within a predictable mess of an episode, one where all the beats they played I've seen them get played a million times before- and a million times better before. ...but hey, at least Luca has a new roommate in Tan, and Street has a place with Christina Alonso, who I miss oh so, so, so, so much. On to the next show, which will be in two weeks.

Have we hit the "point of no return"? Or is there enough within the rut of a series to salvage it for a future run? With three episodes left, I'll probably stick around for the end of the season before making a firm decision to abandon ship...but, episodes like this make me wonder if I've reached the point where my patience has finally run out. Consider this- the whole "Sleeper" storyline is a mess. Fine, Freddy and Bode can't exactly tell Captain Manny Perez about their strung out colleague, who likely was given some drugs by Sleeper. ...but, Bode can still totally tell Manny, in private if he has to, about his past with Sleeper and his suspicions, upon which Manny might look sympathetically the next time he sees a strung out inmate and maybe not send that inmate back to regular prison. (Yes, "reality" would totally say that a drug using inmate would be booted off the camp, no questions asked...but when has this show ever adhered to reality in its story choices?) That's not the worst part about Sleeper. No, the main problem with Sleeper is that he totally one-dimensional. He is only there to give Bode and the inmate camp trouble, and he will- sadly and likely- succeed in that regard. The inevitable beats in this storyline will see Sleeper eventually found out, but not before he leaves a path of destruction that will likely see Bode land back in regular prison, where he'll spend S2.E1 and maybe S2.E2 working his way back to Three Rock. Because we're in Season One and these writers will likely conclude that without Bode at Three Rock, there's no series, even though there totally could be. It's so mind-numbingly predictable that it's downright infuriating at this stage. I have always said that this show's biggest problem is the fact that the writers try too hard to shoehorn the characters and the situations they give them to fit the storylines that they want to tell, instead of letting those storylines develop naturally from what the characters give them. Sleeper seems to be the most egregious example of that. Let's be honest with ourselves- Fire Country has hit us over the head with just how close Bode is to getting out of prison and getting parole. It would be not just a moment of victory for him but also his family and also his friends and his potential girlfriend. Which only means, naturally, that Hollywood- in its frequent quest to appear "edgy" and "clever"- will deny us, the audience, of that heartwarming conclusion and instead deliver us a resolution that piles on the pain for Bode, where Max Thieriot will get to display his best efforts at crying and being angry, out of the cliched misconception that "true art is angsty" and can never be happy. ...and Sleeper will be the vehicle that gets us there. I suppose one could argue that Bode is already headed towards getting sent back to prison anyway, Sleeper or no Sleeper, because of the amount of times he's acted so stupid and recklessly because the plot needed him to do that. You would figure that one of these times Manny would lose his patience- as would the audience- about the amount of passes Bode gets and thus demote him back to regular prison. Otherwise, why would Bode be so stupid so often? Yet, it never had to be this way. This could have been a far different series, one that could have intriguing character growth and a wonderful message. Because the show could have decided- like the second episode alluded to- that this is the story of Bode's redemption, and the redemption of everyone at Three Rock, most notably Freddy. Three Rock could have been initially set up as a place Edgewater normally thumbed its nose at, with the prisoners treated as second class citizens (as they probably would be in reality). They would have had an uneasy co-existence in this role, with maybe only Manny who believed in his inmates. Then Bode, the son of the legendary Cal Fire Leones, becomes a part of Three Rock and throws this co-existence into disarray. Where once the town was comfortable "othering" Three Rock, they're no longer comfortable doing so, now that a part of the Edgewater family has come back to the town. The tension and the storylines that come with it writes itself, especially when there's the backdrop of Bode trying to atone for his transgressions. Here, Sleeper might not be so bad an addition to the story, because he could be a side of the "old Bode" that puts pressure on Bode to regress, which he struggles to overcome. Instead, what we've got is a series where apparently Bode being a convict is no big deal and everyone is this big happy family that's ready for Bode's inevitable release back into the wider fold of this effervescent milieu, only for Sleeper to come in and pull the metaphorical rug from underneath everyone. Because...the story needs him to do that. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Sleeper will surprise me...but my hopes are not up. "Watch Your Step" indeed, show.

I guess the question about Fire Country being an ensemble is whether or not there are enough storylines to sustain a series. I'm not as well-versed in fire/rescue shows as I am with police procedurals, so I genuinely wonder if there are enough scenarios within a rural fire/rescue landscape to make a series out of it. Of course, a series is only as good as its characters so perhaps Fire Country is better served expanding on and developing its other characters (including the parental Leones so they can be more than just Bode's parents), so there can be fresh storylines when the novelty of the procedural elements wears off. Honestly, what drew me to this show was the prospect- laid wonderfully by Manny in his speech at the end of the second episode- of Bode having to confront his past and all of his mistakes. Even the official tagline for this show on CBS' press releases say that "bad choices do not make a bad man". I would like to ask where any of that has been this season. The potential was there for a slow burn where Bode rebuilds the bridges in the town where he burned them, with his surrogate father, Manny, and his surrogate family, the inmates at the prison camp, helping him along the way. Instead, they fast-tracked Bode's redemption and gloss over (if not ignore entirely) his faults and failures, just to keep the character heroic. It's that decision that ultimately hamstrings the ultimate narrative.