S01.E04: Work, Don't Worry

[jewel21]

Quote

The crew engages in a search and rescue mission after a building collapses and Division Chief Sharon is forced to make a gut-wrenching decision.

Airdate: 10/28/2022

[possibilities]

You know, I think people have a right to break up with you. If you react by falling apart and trying to roll out of a moving vehicle, that's on you.

So I don't think Jake's a horrible human being for dating Riley and then breaking up with her. He might be a player, he might have tried it and realized they weren't a match, and he was probably not the ideal human being, but they were teens, right?

So I don't really get how he's being so thoroughly hated over the break up and Riley's death.

I say this even though I don't even like him! He comes across as a totally self-absorbed asshole, to be honest. He hears Vince is about to drown and he's all "bummer, I wish I could help" until Vince gives him a pep talk.  Did they even tell dispatch about the flooding? Ye Gods. How did he make it this far as a firefighter?

He seems to do nothing other than clench his jaw, both in his work and personal life. But I honestly don't get why he's being reviled for Riley's heartbreak to this degree. Even if he was a jerk to her, she was nuts to try rolling out of the vehicle. And maybe he never felt like it was a great time to tell the parents they had dated. When she died, that's the last thing they care about. And it was a secret before that because Riley wanted to keep it that way until/unless it was serious.

None of this is really his or Bode's fault, as far as I can tell.

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Bode saves the day twice this week! Forklift and Freddy. And two awesome women are liking him a lot. For a minute I thought I was watching MacGruber (with the belt buckle fix). 

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I like Ayden and Eve, but I do think they should wait til the trauma reaction wears off. As Ayden said to Eve last week: call me on a day you didn't almost die.

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Manny's being a jerk about his daughter. I guess we had to make him less likable.

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I wonder if they're going to ask Bode to donate a kidney to his mother.

Edited October 29, 2022 by possibilities

[Danielg342]

That's a shocking ending...if this were the season finale. Way too early for that kind of drama.

...and that's some kiss between Eve and Ayden. You could see it coming from a mile away based on the events of the episode but at least the actresses sold it well.

Everything kept my attention, even if it wasn't the most riveting stuff. I liked learning more about what happened to Freddy and I liked that Bode sought to help him. I also liked Bode's talk with Gabriella- that may be the first time I buy the pair as a couple, which still feels like the endgame there.

The rest just plodded along. Vince is still not talking to Jake and Bode is still not sure about taking him back but there were those hints that Vince still cares about both of them and vice versa. I also have to wonder what's eating Manny so much about his own daughter being a firefighter...like, dude, she's not 10 anymore.

Also, I know this is a small town, but is the bar the only place where the townies go to hang out? Secondly, how did Manny not know Gabriella was there venting to Sharon?

I'm also betting that this won't be the last time we see the female camp. We're just waiting for the inevitable inmate hookup.

I still think the pieces are there for a long running show...they just still have a lot of kinks to work out.

[Dowel Jones]

3 hours ago, possibilities said:

I wonder if they're going to ask Bode to donate a kidney to his mother.

Of course not.  He's going to be called in to do the surgery when the actual surgeon is trapped in a car wreck.  But he'll still talk Bode through it by Zoom.  

I had to laugh when two crews of inmates can't keep up with five firefighters bringing out blocks of cement.  Maybe if they'd quit talking for awhile.  

[LDH74]

Apparently, you can swing hot coffee's around in a tray and physics magically disappear. This show is a mess! The acting isn't great and the drama is over the top ridiculous. There are so many inconsistencies written in just to push the whole Bode / Dad plot. Like inmate Bode gets a call from Gabriela and is handed a phone (no problem!) just to talk about the parent situation, as if they're best friends. Gimme a break! It's losing me really quickly! 

Edited October 29, 2022 by LDH74

[Featherhat]

There's no denying that this is becoming soapy ridiculousness but I still enjoyed it. 

It was 100% clear that something was wrong with Sharon from the start when she said that everything was going to be perfect but I wasn't expecting the collapse until she was rubbing her back a lot at the hotel scene. Then I knew the cliffhanger. So Bode will yeah probably do surgery on himself and her to donate a kidney next week.

It was Riley's own fault that she died. I get why Bode carries around the guilt, obviously, but I don't get why it has to be either his or Jake's fault officially. Surely an accident investigation and an autopsy should have shown that she wasn't wearing a seat belt and was trying to get out of the car? I do get why Vince was pissed as he and Sharon react to all the issues coming up after so many years but whilst if Jake hadn't cheated on Riley she might not have had a tantrum in that car, that can't entirely be laid at his door. 

At least Vince and Sharon cut down on openly deal with their family issues and making professional decisions based on family a *little* this week. Compared to Sharon taking over from Sheriffs last week but I'm surprised that more inmates and even Cal Fire aren't more pissed. I know their station consists of about Jake, Eve now Gabriella and Manny but even so. How did G manage to get Bode on the phone late at night. She isn't a next of kin or lawyer. Are they allowed calls as long as they come through the camp staff? If so WTF was Bode willing to risk everything to get contraband in the pilot? 

I do like Vince and Sharon as a couple though. They project believable energy as a couple who have survived things that most people would have broken up over and who also have to deal with each other at work. Not always the happiest, a little melancholy, but generally lowkey humming along until something pops up. 

Speaking of I really liked seeing more of Freddy. I think he and Bode have nice friend chem and it was nice of Bode to do something for someone else that wasn't his family. Of course now we have a love quadrangle and it's only ep 4......I did like the lawyer though and I loved the introduction of the female con camp. That will bring some drama. 

Liked Eve and Ayden. Of course this show is going full on melodrama to get them to kiss. What's next to top that, Eve rescues a bunch of orphans during their first date?!

Liked Sharon and Gabriela, even though it was a "your kid, my kid" deal. I guess Manny is projecting a lot on to his daughter. Like he joined Cal Fire and have her the opportunities to leave this small town with two con camps and one bar and be an Olympian and live this "perfect" life away from it all but instead she runs head first for Cal Fire and ruining all his fantasies for her. Kind of like Vince being desperate for teenage Bode to join Cal Fire so much that he sent him in the opposite direction.  Just as Vince clearly sees himself in Bode as well as doing favours for his beloved mentor. 

Bode does suffer badly from maincharacteritis but I can see why people like him a lot. MT does have charisma and is good looking and Bode has a way of looking at people with puppy dog eyes and he seems to reserved to be up to something (unless you're Vince). 

Edited October 29, 2022 by Featherhat

[SonofaBiscuit]

LOL at Jake sitting around while Vince was trapped in a hole that was filling with water. He apparently has not watched enough TV. The second the water started, I was like, You need to find some tubing or a pipe or something! At least try to be resourceful instead of letting the guy drown!

I don’t care about Jake, and I am not thrilled that Gabriella looks to be Bode’s love interest. I don’t see any chemistry and it seems forced. I thought it was majorly weird that she called him up, nearly in tears, to complain about her dad. He barely know you, lady…

The lack of Bode/Gabriella chemistry might be a Max Theriot issue, because I thought that he didn’t have chemistry with any of his love interests on SEAL Team (but he did have major chemistry with his love interest on Bates Motel, so 🤷🏻‍♀️). I was intrigued by Rebecca, though, and thought that they had a nice spark in their very brief interaction. She’s cute and I liked their flirty banter. I hope we see more of her and I’m curious to find out why she ended up in prison.

[izabella]

3 hours ago, LDH74 said:

Apparently, you can swing hot coffee's around in a tray and physics magically disappear.

I normally don't notice things like that, but this was egregious!

[Dowel Jones]

4 hours ago, Featherhat said:

Are they allowed calls as long as they come through the camp staff?

IRL, no, absolutely not.  They can make outgoing collect calls on the camp phone, which is monitored, but no incoming.  That being said, there are always contraband phones hidden in camps because of their relaxed security.  Quick story - At the camp I worked the CDC office received a call from 'Mrs. Smith', asking to talk to 'Inmate Smith'.  The CDC staff replied that he was not signed up for the phone that day.  'Mrs. Smith replied "Well, I just talked with him five minutes ago and I needed to ask him another question."  Next thing over the camp intercom, "Inmate Smith, report to the CDC office immediately."

4 hours ago, Featherhat said:

and I loved the introduction of the female con camp. That will bring some drama. 

IRL, again, males and females are never, ever mixed on an assignment.  But, hey, nothing wrong with a little drama on TV.  I let it go, especially since the female inmates were so good looking.  Again, IRL....🙄

[Danielg342]

I do believe the phone call to Gabriella came from Manny's phone, because Manny handed Bode a cell phone and Bode immediately jumped into the call with Gabriella. I don't know if it makes the exchange any more believable, because I doubt Manny would be allowed to do that- especially in front of the other inmates.

[Featherhat]

3 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

IRL, again, males and females are never, ever mixed on an assignment.  But, hey, nothing wrong with a little drama on TV.  I let it go, especially since the female inmates were so good looking.  Again, IRL....🙄

Yes, whilst I was watching it I was thinking of all the thousands of ways that could go badly wrong, even with the best will in the world. But on TV it introduced us to a different aspect and a couple of interesting new characters 

[mythoughtis]

I agree that in real life, calls would  probably  only be outgoing.  
Given this is scripted TV, here’s why the contraband phone was wanted in episode 1.  Bode was told that it would take a week to get phone privileges.  He wanted to contact  his lawyer  because he specifically did not want to go to Third Rock, and that request had supposedly been granted.  Yet he was sent there anyway, and wanted to be transferred.  
I really don’t like the Bode/Gabriella pairing - because I don’t like her.  I do like Rebecca. 
 

[Danielg342]

On 10/29/2022 at 3:42 PM, Featherhat said:

Bode does suffer badly from maincharacteritis but I can see why people like him a lot. MT does have charisma and is good looking and Bode has a way of looking at people with puppy dog eyes and he seems to reserved to be up to something (unless you're Vince). 

I think I'm going to steal "maincharacteritis" because it's so perfect. I'll also give Max Theriot credit in that he does make Bode enjoyable to watch, but I would agree the amount he's required to elevate his material is immense.

[NJRadioGuy]

I'm fine with Bode saving the day, especially in these early episodes. How else are you going to sell a redemption story of a convicted violent felon in a handful of episodes to a public with a short attention span? They basically had to turn him into Super(Fire)Man for in the first 2 or 3 episodes to set the hook. It worked; they got a full season order and are pulling acceptable ratings: 5.1M viewers for this week with a 0.4 share--a rating that would have seen the show cancelled without a second thought five years ago, but welcome to the New Normal and all that.

I hope they start showing some shades of gray with Bode in the back half of season 1, but with network TV's famous lack of 3-dimensional characters I'm not so sure they're going to do it.

I'm still enjoying this show quite a bit despite several big eye-rolls. The characters are interesting and the acting doesn't completely suck, which is more than you can say for a lot of TV. If they can just stay away from the usual TV tropes it'll do fine.

[Daff]

On 10/29/2022 at 4:14 PM, SonofaBiscuit said:

The second the water started, I was like, You need to find some tubing or a pipe or something! At least try to be resourceful instead of letting the guy drown!

Me, too. However, the simple length of tubing alone, aimed into the hole, for Vince to grab with his mouth wouldn’t have saved him. There needed to be some way to block off his nose. I just let it go. I imagine Jake reached down in with a non-rebreather mask (or a clothespin). I know which of those should be standard in the rescue bag. 

[Dowel Jones]

Or the SCBA facemask that was so recently attached to his face, and the air bottle on his back.