S01.E20: At the End of My Rope

[jewel21]

Quote

The station 42 and third rock crews respond to a deadly explosion at an abandoned mine. Bode faces a difficult decision that could have serious consequences.

Airdate: 05/05/2023

[Danielg342]

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.

[possibilities]

What T1D doesn't carry food or glucose tabs or SOMETHING at all times???? 

Bode the one sulk pony decides to try doing the right thing, but I actually understood why he was afraid, and I thought Gabriella was a whiny, prissy, privileged little bitch. You don't go to prison and not have some trauma and she just wants to pretend nothing happened and everything is sunshine and we can just forget about that wee bit of past unpleasantness. Grow up, Missy! It's not just an inconvenient little detour. If you actually KNEW the guy, you'd be qualified to say if he's your dream guy, but you don't know him and you aren't interested in getting to know him. You're just inexplicably attracted to his morose personlity, even as you complain about it. 

I liked Sharon telling Vic's dad off. Good for her! 

So... the mine was known to periodically explode, but some kid's scout troop takes trips there? And whoever sealed off the back entrance didn't seal the front? Or post signs saying it's dangerous and periodically explodes? And somebody just left a crapton of dynamite behind? 

Eve seemed happy this week. She likes having a purpose. I get that. 

Why didn't Freddy report Sleeper? Why was that up to Bode to decide to do?

Did Private Fire Lady actually say she'd let Manny bring all the inmate firefighters to her program? What???

[Danielg342]

5 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I actually understood why he was afraid

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.

[Dowel Jones]

13 hours ago, possibilities said:

I liked Sharon telling Vic's dad off. Good for her! 

I have to wonder about that hospital's security when he told the nurses to not admit anyone to his room, yet Sharon just waltzed right by the nurse station and on in.

Once again, Manny shows his ineptitude as a supervisor, not even knowing what's going on with his crew on a fire.  Sleeper takes a bite out of Bode's arm with a chainsaw and he just gets a bandaid approach (from Gabrielle, of course) at the engine.  No report, no investigation.  

Sleeper gets arrested, but, THIS AIN'T OVER!, meaning, he'll find some other actor who's free for at least one episode to show up and put Bode in extreme peril for the cliffhanger season finale.

13 hours ago, possibilities said:

Did Private Fire Lady actually say she'd let Manny bring all the inmate firefighters to her program? What???

Hey, any insurance company would be glad to have a crew of inmates watching over their client's house.  What could possibly go wrong?

[Artsda]

Bode not saving the children, I'm shocked he went back to camp leaving the troop there.  I guess he had to save the camp instead.

I get his code but he could have done the telling a lot earlier before the framing of Freddy and cutting his arm on saw. That sleeper needs to be locked up and throw away the key. 

Odd his grandfather was there too and no discussion about it. 

Gabriella wants nothing to do with camp yet keeps asking and showing up at camp. 

Sharon telling off the father in law was good, does he know she's sick? Doesn't seem like it. Seems like her sick story dropped. 

 

[Dowel Jones]

Props to the writers for mentioning Ferndale (during Sharon's rant), a small town in Humboldt County.  Home to the original Kinetic Sculpture Race and where much of the Dustin Hoffman movie 'Outbreak' was filmed.

[circumvent]

I thought I was going to be able t finish this season before giving up on the show but it is getting harder to watch such a badly written and badly acted show.

As mentioned, people who have insulin pumps don't let things go sideways, and the parent's should have paid attention. The troupe leader should have been arrested for negligence, for putting children in danger and likely trespassing. 

The hospital staff should not have allowed Sharon in the room when the patient said no visitors.

Sharon continues to overact and she is way too energetic for someone who is supposedly dying. And all the hugging when firefighters go do their jobs, as much as a "family" they feel they are is pretty unprofessional.

Didn't care for the whole Vince's dad story. what was the point of it? To give something for Billy Burke to do? Meh. And Vince continues to be the worst boss. His father fell, was bleeding, but he was walking and talking, the brother was there. Vince had a job to do, but he just decided to not do it, as people were trapped in a mine.

Eve is the super hero in waiting. Attorneys could not have thought of anything to help Freddy but within days just reading the files, she comes up with the solution to prove Freddy's alibi. Suuuuure.

Manny's girlfriend is so great, she can change the law to allow inmates to go work for a private company. I mean, we now that private companies exploit and might deny benefits for their workers but inmates are still serving their sentences, she cannot just erase that. Gee, show!

So visitors to the camp can just waltz in and out, bring whatever they want and don't go thorough any security protocols? 

Gabriela overacts and overreacts.

The CGI is just so bad, there was at least one scene that I had to laugh when the firefighters are trying to put out the fire and there is a patch of CGI fire just behind one of them, tickling his leg. Who do they have in that department? Amateurs?  A professional would be able to insert the fire in more likely places instead of just sprinkling them all over and around the actors

How many episodes until the end of the season?

[possibilities]

Public defenders are often overworked and under-prepared. There are LOT of people in prison due to negligent and incompetent defense, so I find it totally credible that a motivated person would find holes in Freddy's case. It happens ALL THE TIME. I thought it was probably one of the more realistic set ups on the show.

However, I did not believe the EMS bodycam footage was archived, and especially not if Freddy has been locked up a while. It's also the first thing you'd think to check for that alibi, not the one thing you'd overlook. So, yes, that was a bit ridiculous.

I wonder if they are planning to parole both Freddie and Bode at the same time, and totally abandon the prison aspects of the show, and just make it a firefighting show. Though, also maybe they aren't going to be renewed, so they plan to free the two prisoners they want us to care about, as a "happy ending". 

[circumvent]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

Public defenders are often overworked and under-prepared. There are LOT of people in prison due to negligent and incompetent defense, so I find it totally credible that a motivated person would find holes in Freddy's case. It happens ALL THE TIME. I thought it was probably one of the more realistic set ups on the show.

I don't think this is accurate. Public defenders are indeed overworked but most people are in prison not because of incompetence but because with poor and/or underprivileged people, the prosecutors want to make a deal so they charge people with all kinds of things that have nothing to do with the crimes they allegedly committed. This is to disincentivize a trial by jury. For one, the police is terrible about solving cases so they grab the first person they feel they can get away with arresting to pretend they are good at what they do. Second, they work with prosecutors, who have power. all the charges, although bogus, give them a bigger chance at getting some conviction so they can also claim that they are "though on crime". Third, there are not enough judges or literally courtrooms to try everyone since in this country anything is treated as a crime, as long as one is poor or underprivileged. Most people in prison are innocent, or are there because of the cycle of get paroled/free, get stuck with huge fees from the time they were in prison (they have to pay enormous fees for everything), can't find a job or a place to live, go back to prison because could not pay the initial feels, now have higher fees to pay. Listen to Chris Hedges telling the stories. He is a journalist, a minister and teaches in a prison in NJ. He knows the people and the system. It is not incompetence of public defenders, it is a system designed to work just like it is "working"

 

 

[possibilities]

I don't have statistics at hand, but every other day I hear of a case where the defense lawyer didn't act on or even investigate evidence that could have been exonerating. I think the problem is BOTH that there are too many plea deals made after unsubstantiated arrests AND that poor people get lawyers who don't have the time or resources to mount a defense, even when there is one to be had with minimal effort.

[circumvent]

3 hours ago, possibilities said:

I don't have statistics at hand, but every other day I hear of a case where the defense lawyer didn't act on or even investigate evidence that could have been exonerating. I think the problem is BOTH that there are too many plea deals made after unsubstantiated arrests AND that poor people get lawyers who don't have the time or resources to mount a defense, even when there is one to be had with minimal effort.

It is possible. But in the episode, people were already taking a second look at Freddy's case, so they would be paying extra attention. Yes, it was Eve, after a few days not really on the case because we have to assume that was something she was doing on her free time*, came up with this idea. 

* although free time is something these people seem to have a lot, at least they talk and act as if they are not on the job

[Danielg342]

22 hours ago, circumvent said:

All the hugging when firefighters go do their jobs, as much as a "family" they feel they are is pretty unprofessional.

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.

14 hours ago, possibilities said:

Though, also maybe they aren't going to be renewed, so they plan to free the two prisoners they want us to care about, as a "happy ending". 

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).

4 hours ago, possibilities said:

I don't have statistics at hand, but every other day I hear of a case where the defense lawyer didn't act on or even investigate evidence that could have been exonerating. I think the problem is BOTH that there are too many plea deals made after unsubstantiated arrests AND that poor people get lawyers who don't have the time or resources to mount a defense, even when there is one to be had with minimal effort.

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.

[circumvent]

10 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

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.

I am a hugger and my problem is people hugging as a form of encouragement/appreciation in the middle of a fucking emergency where kids might be dying. Out of place is the problem - not unlike all the personal talking during the fires, as things burn

12 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

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.

But that's the thing. It is not "the inevitable case that falls through the cracks". It is a fact that prosecutors just throw all the charges they can think of on someone who is caught by the police under circumstantial evidence, just so they can thrown someone in prison and claim a victory. The reason why they up the charges is to force a deal, and the people who reject the deal usually are made a example of it. They get strong sentences because of their inadequate defense - which is not due to incompetence, but of lack of funds and attorneys - while prosecutors have more resources and engage in dubious and outright fraudulent actions to get a conviction. They use their "victory" to threat future inmates with the "example" of someone who rejected the deal. All this is not really a new finding, it is just not talked about in the mainstream media. One of Chris Hedges' students who graduated with honors (it is a program connected to Rutgers) is one of such prisoners who rejected a deal based on principle - he denies the charges - and got a - basically - life sentence for bogus charges

All that despite the best intentions. The system t=does't care for some people, of for principles, or even for the truth.

 

[Madding crowd]

Jeff Fahey who plays Vince’s dad is 70 and Billy Burke is 56 so I can forgive the guy for not being the best dad being 14 and all (joke). 
Bodie is too brooding and serious now, does he ever have a moment when he isn’t brooding about something? And Sharon should be on medical leave. No way I believe she is bad enough to need an immediate kidney. 

[DanaK]

I really enjoyed Sharon telling off her father-in-law. I enjoyed the episode overall. I’m glad Sleeper got arrested as he annoyed me, but I guess he was supposed to. I’m glad Bode came clean about him instead of continuing to try to take care of the problem himself

[Danielg342]

13 hours ago, circumvent said:

Out of place is the problem

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.

16 hours ago, circumvent said:

They get strong sentences because of their inadequate defense

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.

[circumvent]

4 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

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.

It is possible not only because, as I said, incompetence happens, but because it is tis show, with the writers who have been writing all the ridiculous plots all along. I was just making a point of clarification because mainstream media (including TV and movie) tend to glorify law enforcement and justice when the whole thing is riddled with corruption. The other comment was about how incompetent public defenders are. I pointed out that this is not accurate because the majority of cases are due to the corruption it is the definition of the system. 

Because we don't really know the full story, in a real situation Freddy could have been threatened with absurd charges and kept for the whole whatever hours without a lawyer being basically psychologically tortured until he accepted the deal to avoid more pain and the fear of a sentence worse than the one he was promised. But we will only get the sugar coated version of a terrible system that is broken.

 

[Dowel Jones]

Well, the private fire agency recruiter shouldn't have any problem bringing the inmates along with Manny.  It's obvious that they're all innocent and unjustly convicted.

[circumvent]

21 minutes ago, Dowel Jones said:

Well, the private fire agency recruiter shouldn't have any problem bringing the inmates along with Manny.  It's obvious that they're all innocent and unjustly convicted.

That's even besides the point. The program is not something that people can just come and decide who is going where. If a private company could do that, then the inmates would be called slaves, she would have to house them, feed them. The way private companies work in this country, they would likely have a whipping pole too. That's how ridiculous the writers in this show are. They don't even want to resemble reality, they are like the Grim brothers and their tales. Or maybe the Grim brothers did have a better grasp on reality

 

Edited May 9, 2023 by circumvent

[NJRadioGuy]

Plea agreements are that common because in the VAST majority of cases the accused did what he/she was accused of doing or at least being partially culpable and it's a way to come to a conclusion that's fair to the victim or the victim's family, the state, and the accused. Some railroading does occur, unfortunately, and the poorer the accused the worse it gets. A half-decent attorney will know if there's something to work with or not. But from my understanding, and granted I could be way off here, but public defenders in felony cases generally look to get a lenient sentence from the court in exchange for expediency and not bogging down the system with unnecessary trials where the accused is pretty evidently guilty. Freddy's case should probably have gone to trial but....

As a Game of Thrones survivor, the second-to-last episode of a season in a dramatic show is where I expect someone (or multiple someones) to get whacked, and my guess is Freddy won't make it out of next week's episode alive or intact. What sealed it for me was everybody high-fiving around the station when they believe they found exculpatory evidence. I turned to my wife and we both agreed: Dead man walking from that point forward.

The mine. Holy crap what utter nonsense. To add to everyone else's comments, when the blast knocked out the sealed up wall everybody was waiting for them on the other side. So WHY WEREN'T THEY ACTIVELY WORKING TO BUST A HOLE THROUGH WITH ALL THE TOOLS FROM THE APPARATUS INSTEAD OF LETTING THEM USE HIGH EXPLOSIVES WITH CHILDREN NEARBY?

Giving this episode a D is an insult to D-students everywhere. The writers phoned this one in as far as I'm concerned.

[circumvent]

Just now, NJRadioGuy said:

Plea agreements are that common because in the VAST majority of cases the accused did what he/she was accused of doing or at least being partially culpable and it's a way to come to a conclusion that's fair to the victim or the victim's family, the state, and the accused.

Factually wrong. Pleas agreements come because the prosecutors wants a conviction so they come up with more charges. It is not that the accused are innocent, but the prison industrial complex and the money that is made on the backs of inmates and their families is too precious for the system. It has little to do with the families or anything resembling fairness. If so, rich people would stay in prison longer and be jailed more often. Prosecutors and the police do terrible things, commit fraud and the accused ends up accepting the plea. As I mentioned, the ones who decide to go to trial face the heavy hand of the system, which has the money, and get much higher sentences than the allegedly crime would allow. That's because of all the bogus charges attached to the initial crime or whatever the initial charge was. That's something that is recorded, just not reported. They don't want us to know.

[Bulldog]

Vince’s dad said Vince cheated on Sharon, which to me, implies a sexual relationship, at least a one night stand. But Sharon said Vince kissed a woman one time, which while bad, doesn’t seem to match the mood of the earlier scene. Are we to believe Vince didn’t tell Sharon everything? Or was dad exaggerating? Or did I just totally misread the whole thing? 

[Maverick]

 It was deliberately vague, but given how predictably soap operaish this show has been, I think it's safe to assume Vince significantly downplayed just how much he cheated. 

[possibilities]

She forgave him for telling Bode to leave town, so if she can't get over him having an affair, I'll find that veeeeery interesting.

[Court]

I find it easy to believe Freddy was convicted. Just recently, there was a case where a man who had an alibi was convicted and spent 25 years in prison based on eyewitness testimony only. Literally that was the only evidence there was and for YEARS all appeals were denied even though there was no way he could have done it. Even though, eyewitness had recanted and the actual murderer confessed. I mean look at the central park 8. There's literally thousands of cases where the police zero in on the suspect and make it fit. People are wrongly convicted all the time on circumstantial evidence.