S01.E11: Mama Bear

[jewel21]

Quote

A former inmate firefighter harboring a grudge against Sharon returns to carry out his revenge.

Airdate: 01/20/2023

[Danielg342]

I may never understand this show.

I can't figure out if there has ever been an episode in this series, including this one, that had a coherent, non-ridiculous story all the way through. Let's not even start with tonight, because there were too many plot holes.

I mean, you have a psycho madman targeting Sharon. Said psycho, it is established, will stop at nothing to bring Sharon down, including going after Sharon's family. Heck, said psycho telegraphed his future intentions by cutting the brakes on Sharon's bike.

So how there was not increased police presence at 3 Rock I don't understand.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. We again had roadside surgery this week, albeit performed by someone who knew a bit more of what she was doing than Gabby did a while ago.

Speaking of Gabby, she did show tonight what makes this show watchable despite its faults. It has heart. It has meaning, and the actors and actresses all around do a fantastic job bringing that meaning and heart to life.

There's a real sense of camaraderie that this show has that others wish they had. Meaning that, no matter how ridiculous this show gets, you really do get the sense that the characters of Fire Country are truly in this together.

Now if only they could get a story that's worthy of the effort the actors put in this show.

[Artsda]

Sharon didn't want Body, her best chance as a match to get tested so he had to in secret? WTH. 

[possibilities]

Are we supposed to like Bode? Or Vince? Because I don't.

I wish they wouldn't keep sidelining Eve. She's my favorite... probably because she's the one who is the least involved in the soap opera elements.

I did like that Gabriella and what's his name, her ex, made an effort to be adults about their break up, and also that Gabriella didn't instantly forgive Bode for breaking his promise and being a reckless idiot, nor did she let her dad off the hook for being a gambling addict. "We will help you if you come clean and take responsibility, but we will not look the other way on bad behavior" is a good rule. The show is veering wildly between people acting completely stupid and people acting quite sensible.

Sharon refusing to consider the donation from her son will last exactly as long as it takes for her to go into a medical crisis and Vince to over rule her because he has medical power of attorney and she's unconscious so he decides. 

I liked how Gab's ex parsed the Vince-and-Vince's-brother fight and decided not to follow their example. It was the first episode where I felt like he actually was becoming likable.

I don't like that it looks like Cara, Bode's ex, is about to start dating Gab's ex (Jake! I think I just remembered his name) while Bode is involved with Gabriella. It's like they girlfriend swapped. 

What happened to the lawyer who was in the female inmate crew, and was also lusting after Bode? Did they decide to drop her because even Bode can't have that many love interests at one time, and she was disposable as soon as she fulfilled her purpose of leveraging her legal background to help Bode's friend? And now that they don't care about the other inmate stories, she's no longer useful to them?

If Cara had performed that procedure in the ER, why was she delegating it to Jake instead of doing it herself?

I hate that the fire crew was reduced to a mob in the background, either cheering or threatening to riot or fighting a fire, but not being shown as individuals. But I am seeing that the show really truly wants to be a Bode Family Soap Opera and the inmates on the fire crew really are just being used as glorified extras. It's sad, but they seem quite serious about having taken this direction. 

 

[Danielg342]

Some positives about this episode:

• Manny's gambling storyline might actually be finished, finally
• Even if it's a bit contrived, I'm glad we seem to be moving on from the Bode/Gabby/Jake love triangle
• This show actually presented us with one of the positives of small town life, with all of Edgewater rallying behind Sharon in fundraising for her kidney
• We got to hear Billy Burke's nice singing voice

To the latter, in case anyone was wondering, Burke really is a musician. He has two albums, and in case anyone wants to sample it, here's the title track to his first album, 2010's "Removed". Pardon the pun, but I don't believe his music sets the world on fire...but it's not awful either.

[circumvent]

This show is getting hard to watch. The most interesting part of the sow, to me, seems to be dead. The inmates are props, extras, no story, no prior life, no hopes for their future. Freddy has a line or two, but that's all.

Gabriela is bland and unattractive, personality-wise. Jake is a little more interesting. I like him when he is being a firefighter. I don't really miss Eve because I think she also overacts but I would rather see her stories than the Everything Bode.

Bode is ridiculous. The writers can't even hide the fact that the show has nothing else that matters other than Bode, the Hero. Even waking up with the smell of smoke. They could have had a random inmate to be the first to wake  up but I guess Bode is omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient. Funny (not really) how they are all "Odin broke the rules, was kicked out" as Bode prepares to break yet another rule - then proceeds to break a bunch of rules. And he convinces people to break the rules for him too. Are CA inmates allowed to live-donate organs?

I was also confused about Jake performing the emergency intervention when the nurse was the one who knew how to do it, had done it before. It makes no sense and if anything had gone wrong, that would be a huge lawsuit. But of course we knew nothing was going to go wrong.

I don't know who the actor is - the one playing Sharon. Don't think I have ever seen her before. I saw some comments here that indicated that she is considered "great". I don't see it. I think she is between bad and terrible. Can't stand the overacting. 

I like Billy Burke in other shows because they always use his apparently innate sarcasm. Not in this show. He is ok, but underwhelming. I knew he was a musician and the song was pleasant enough. I guessed right away, when I saw the guitar, that he was going to play one of his songs.

I am not sure if I will be able to keep watching this. I could hate watch but I find it too boring even for that. Was this the season finale? 

[SonofaBiscuit]

Add me to the list of people who found it strange that Bode’s ex explained the procedure to Jake, instead of doing it herself.

I thought it was weird that Sharon didn’t wonder what Manny and Bode were out and about doing when they came upon the motorcycle crash. That would have ruined Bode’s surprise (he got tested, and he’s a match, yay) though, I guess.

It was so funny to me that the biker with the grudge was just riding around in the woods near Three Rock after he started the fire, apparently. Seems like that would have been cumbersome.

Sigh, stop trying to make Gabriella and Bode happen, show. Every time I think they are doing a course correct (like introducing Bode’s ex as a possible love interest last week), they turn around and push the two of them closer. Bleh.

What is with this show writing the firefighters chatting as someone’s life is in peril? That poor guy’s leg was grilling underneath the motorcycle while Bode and Gabriella were wasting time talking about their families!

[Just my 2 cents]

8 hours ago, circumvent said:

I am not sure if I will be able to keep watching this. I could hate watch but I find it too boring even for that. Was this the season finale? 

Don't do that!  I've done this with a couple of shows.  In the end I only hurt myself😂.  It didn't help that the darn shows lasted for many seasons.  Those are years of my wasted tv life that I can never get back!

I'm not a fan of Luke's, but I did appreciate him admitting that he was lost.  Maybe that's why he's so forgiving and accepting of Bode.  

[Dowel Jones]

I admit that I had to put the CC on at first when they were talking about Odin the biker.  I said "The bad guy is named Boden?  Damn, show, that's some serious shade there."

I laughed when Jake the bantam rooster pushes up against Odin in the bar fight.  In real life he would have been chasing his teeth across the floor.

The fire in the camp.  All inmate camps have an engine and several hydrants around the camp for just that occurrence.  Well, maybe not that exact occurrence, but you don't have to rely on the garden hoses to put the fire out.  But hey, let's cut line instead!  I did like that Manny kept exhorting them on and then gave them big props at the end.  That always helps with anyone.

Why does an inmate camp have a canoe on base?  And where was CDCR night shift when this was happening?

[circumvent]

6 hours ago, Just my 2 cents said:

Don't do that!  I've done this with a couple of shows.  In the end I only hurt myself😂.  It didn't help that the darn shows lasted for many seasons.  Those are years of my wasted tv life that I can never get back!

Not to worry. What I don't know cannot hurt me. If I am not watching, I cannot miss it

[FnkyChkn34]

13 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Why does an inmate camp have a canoe on base?  And where was CDCR night shift when this was happening?

It's on a lake, isn't it?  And it seems like they have a lot of trust in these inmates; the guards were probably sleeping.

[Lady Calypso]

On 1/21/2023 at 4:37 PM, SonofaBiscuit said:

Sigh, stop trying to make Gabriella and Bode happen, show. Every time I think they are doing a course correct (like introducing Bode’s ex as a possible love interest last week), they turn around and push the two of them closer. Bleh.

At this point, just get these two together so I can continue fast forwarding through their scenes. I basically have tuned out ANY time they start interacting. It's not even a conscious decision, at this point. When Gabriela showed up at the camp, I didn't even realize I tuned out until the scene ended. We already know these two are getting together. No point in dragging it out; they're not a will they-won't they type of couple, so just hurry it up and get them together so we're not subjected to them making googly eyes at each other. 

This episode was slightly better than the last few. That's not saying much, though. 

It's a shame because the show had real potential but they've squandered it before the first season is even over. Freddy's basically disappeared as a character, the inmate camp is just a prop set, and the cases of the week have gotten ridiculous, especially with the constant personal drama interjected. Gabriela/Bode apparently had all the time in the world to stop and have a chat about Manny's problems, for example.

I like Sharon and Vince, and I've liked Eve (who was missing this episode, boo) but I think this is a show I may resort to watching later instead of watching live.