S02.E09: No Future, No Consequences

[DanaK]

Quote

Station 42 and Three Rock battle a dangerous campaign fire where our heroes struggle with difficult decisions, on FIRE COUNTRY, Friday, May 10 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+

 

[Danielg342]

Well, that's an ending.

Good for Bode, and I hope they stick the landing.

I'm also hoping that maybe Bode comes back as Eve's assistant and/or has some kind of supervisory role at Three Rock because one of the main problems with this series is that it's supposed main character does little more than stand around and mope.

So I hope, now that Bode is free, he actually gets to start doing things instead of just being there.

Maybe Manny's trajectory is to go back to Three Rock. Bode being Manny's guide for rehabilitation is one way for both characters to go full circle, and it could be interesting to watch.

I also like that Vince was honest with himself and at least his health "secret" is finally out with his family (not that he ever should have kept that secret). There may be some dangling loose ends, but it looks like Vince may be on the mend and the worst is behind him.

I know Billy Burke said an interview that he hopes Vince can find some peace and solace in S3, so here's hoping next week is the start of that. Hey, now that the family back together, I think they need some happy times.

Stephanie Arcilla did really well playing with Gabby's conflicting emotions. Her strange dance with Bode is a "whatever", really...sometimes I wish Hollywood would stop insisting on "will they or won't they?" storylines, but Gabby/Bode is what it is, I guess.

As for the rest of the episode...it was really just "there". Aside from the ending, there's not much here for casual fans to watch. All I'll do is repost this meme:

Switch the ballcap and the glasses with "goggles" for the characters in this episode and you'll get my point.

[Artsda]

I was wondering since they suddenly created this special credit this season when Bodie would get it. Hopefully he doesn't screw it up like last year. 

Gabby ugh. She was actually likable with the new fiancee. There goes that and now Bodie free in time for wedding. 

[possibilities]

The actress playing Gen does a good job. But it was stunning how little thought anyone had given to the fact that she lost her grandparents (who she thought were her parents) and then her sister (who was actually her mom and was raising her after the grandparents died) and now everybody left in her orbit is in a very dangerous job. She's almost too sane at this point. If she was brooding like Bode, I'd understand it!

I'm burned out on love triangles.

Vince: They took 12 months off his sentence and he only had 11 months left
Sharon: What does that mean?
Me: [rolls eyes-- surely she knows that 12 >11?]

Of course they saved 3 Rock. That's good, but very television. I'm not complaining, though.

I enjoyed Vince singing and playing the guitar, which surprised me greatly. 

I liked that Sharon knew Vince was BSing her and that she decided not to share the tent because of it. 

Manny going rogure, punching people, acting out... it's like it's his turn to hold the "unreasonable and acting out" ball. I guess somebody's gotta do it? Is he actually trying to run away instead of facing the charges? That can't possibly end well.

Edited May 11 by possibilities

[buckboard]

Yes, it was stupid for Manny to slug Luke, but won't it come out in a trial why Manny was so angry with Luke, that Luke's trying to shut down Three Rock was just a personal vendetta?  That's not going to look good for his career in Cal Fire.  Why is Luke insisting on pressing charges when he knows Manny's reason behind hitting him?  Would Manny even be charged if Luke doesn't press charges?  And why was Three Rock the only camp that was going to be shut down and not any others, even after the townspeople tried to save it.

Of course, now that Manny is going rogue, none of that will likely matter, as he will be considered guilty for fleeing.  Unless Bode, now free, goes after him and talks him into coming back for his daughter's wedding.  Oops, if that actually happens.  

Danielg342, thank you for your graded reviews of the show.  They are well thought out and make watching the show - difficult as it may be at times to do - enjoyable or at least understandable.



 

[The Wild Sow]

14 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

I'm also hoping that maybe Bode comes back as Eve's assistant and/or has some kind of supervisory role at Three Rock because one of the main problems with this series is that it's supposed main character does little more than stand around and mope.

.....

Maybe Manny's trajectory is to go back to Three Rock. Bode being Manny's guide for rehabilitation is one way for both characters to go full circle, and it could be interesting to watch.

Yes!  I was wondering where the stories would be able to go if Bode actually got out of prison.  And thought, hey, maybe he'll end up being the new Manny/Cap at Three Rock!  Manny ending up there as an inmate?  Priceless!

But yeah, why the heck is Luke pressing charges, and why isn't Vince convincing him he better not??  Michael Trucco is playing some bastards this week -- terrible dad on The Good Doctor and terrible uncle/brother here!

Looks like Vince got his wish, to fight fires with his son.  Once.

Glad he came clean, finally.  How come Gabs was the only person watching when he showed any symptoms? 🙄

[possibilities]

I wish they would develop the characters at 3 Rock, and not just focus on the non-prisoners. Now that Bode is free, they really don't have a single member of the core ensemble who can tell the story from inside. It makes the prisoners set dressing and not real people.

[jabRI]

OK Manny slugged Luke.  He literally took it on the chin and moved on.  How is this felony assault? Not like he beat him into a coma.  Did I miss something?  And even know Vince is the boss, HIPAA still applies, they can't be mad at her for not telling the family.  That's his choice and only his.  Because its work related though, surprised Sharon didn't find out that way.

[mythoughtis]

Why is Luke pressing charges when he told Sharon last week that he’d advocate for Manny?  Luke is such a jerk.  And  Manny is a hothead, acts before he thinks and should never have been in charge at Three Rock.  
 

can we please stop with the Gabriella - Bode nonsense. Their  chemistry sucks.  

[Danielg342]

A note about pressing charges:

With the understanding that the show's writers may not realize this either, technically speaking, the decision to press charges has absolutely nothing to do with the victim's wishes- that decision rests solely and entirely with the prosecutor. Now, usually, the prosecution won't bother pressing charges if the victim won't co-operate because it can be very hard to secure a conviction, but it's not an ironclad rule.

In Manny's case, he did get into a fight with Luke in front of a lot of people. With the Governor of California- and, more than likely, the California Attorney General- in attendance. The prosecution could likely say they have enough witnesses to support charges, even though Luke (maybe) has said he isn't co-operating.

[Dowel Jones]

Since this show has only a tenuous connection with the real world, anything can happen.

[possibilities]

I wonder if causing the fire upped the charges. I don't know how this works IRL, but I'd think that plausibly he couuld be charged with more than the punch; not only did he slug Luke, but he also disrupted a public meeting, caused a fire, and endangered the governor/a public official/a crowd of bystanders. Maybe it's like how if someone dies while you are robbing them, it's not just a robbery, it's also a death you are responsible for.

[DanaK]

16 hours ago, The Wild Sow said:

Yes!  I was wondering where the stories would be able to go if Bode actually got out of prison.  And thought, hey, maybe he'll end up being the new Manny/Cap at Three Rock!  Manny ending up there as an inmate?  Priceless!

But yeah, why the heck is Luke pressing charges, and why isn't Vince convincing him he better not??  Michael Trucco is playing some bastards this week -- terrible dad on The Good Doctor and terrible uncle/brother here!

Looks like Vince got his wish, to fight fires with his son.  Once.

Glad he came clean, finally.  How come Gabs was the only person watching when he showed any symptoms? 🙄

I thought for awhile now that the best long term outcome for the show would be for Bode to get out around the second or third season and then help with, or run, Three Rock while fighting fires with his family

[sweetandsour]

The only believable relationships on this show (to me) are Jake and Gen, and Vince and Sharon.  Honorable mention to Gabriela and Manny, and Bode/Jake/Eve.

Sharon annoys me with her loopy, crazed reactions and behaviors, but she balances out Vince's muted, sardonic nature, so I tolerate her OK.  Last week, with Gabriela's mom, I imagined the director told Paola Nunez to be as out-there and loopy as Sharon, but with more flirtation and innuendo.

Did they saw who Gen was staying with for days/weeks on end while all of her would-be caregivers were 300 miles away at a campaign fire?  CPS had nothing to say about the absence of all these people or did not conduct any home visits or evaluations during this long time period?

I just hope Bode stands down from prioritizing a relationship with Gen, once he's out of incarceration.  Get to know her, fine.  But stop insisting you need her so much like that's the most important thing, when the most important thing is what Gen needs, which is not the guy she doesn't know and ended up being a stranger, not her dad.

I wish that I had Jesse's girl!  Where can I find a woman like that?

[Stevie Nicks]

14 hours ago, sweetandsour said:

 

Did they saw who Gen was staying with for days/weeks on end while all of her would-be caregivers were 300 miles away at a campaign fire?  CPS had nothing to say about the absence of all these people or did not conduct any home visits or evaluations during this long time period?

 

Jake's mom is taking care of her. Jake tells her before they leave. 

[sweetandsour]

1 hour ago, Stevie Nicks said:

Jake's mom is taking care of her. Jake tells her before they leave. 

Thank you - oh yes, compliment her shoes.  I didn't think Lily lives in Edgewater anymore, but it's fine for a throwaway explanation that she watches Gen whenever the firefighters' schedules necessitate it.  I would rather that Gen stay around as a recurring character than, "welp, done with that Bode and Jake storyline, ship her off to some other relative now and free up their obligations."

The previews for the wedding episode are awful.  Typical stuff for a show, but I have no interest in Bode trying to get Gabriela back on her wedding day.  But this is "Bode Country" so what else do I expect?

[NJRadioGuy]

Loved the fire scenes, despite the awful VFX and massive plot holes. Penultimate episodes are often when major plot twists and/or character deaths occur (I still have PTSD from many Episodes 9 of Game of Thrones), so I was genuinely afraid for Vince. I also figured the conflagration would have been continued in the season finale with more tension, and I'm surprised that didn't occur.

The whole nonsense with Manny facing felony assault charges bothered me. It was a single punch to the face that probably did more to hurt Luke's ego than his chin. Yes, it's assault. In ultra-Liberal California you get a lawyer, apologize to the victim and the court, and walk away with a slap on the wrist or at worst community service. If that. Now granted he has a criminal record already so possibly he'd face much more serious consequences but still, that didn't rise to a felony.

I've posited here previously that Bode will likely become the new Manny at Three Rock, and I can see them either offing Manny entirely or locking him up back in Three Rock as a means to that development, but that plotline left a sour taste in my mouth.

Now with that said, I hope they don't screw it up and find a way to put Bode back in orange again. Move. The. Damned. Plot. Forward.

[possibilities]

I don't want them to get rid of Eve in order to elevate Bode, though. 

[Sake614]

I can see Bode being an assistant but not even this fakakta show can just make him a captain overnight, can they? Oh wait, that’s exactly what they did with Eve and Jake. Carry on 🙄

[Danielg342]

On 5/13/2024 at 2:30 AM, sweetandsour said:

I wish that I had Jesse's girl!  Where can I find a woman like that?

Coheed and Cambria want to tell you be careful what you wish for.

7 hours ago, possibilities said:

I don't want them to get rid of Eve in order to elevate Bode, though. 

Me neither. I always thought that Bode would be more of an assistant at Three Rock than the person completely in charge. Bode becoming a captain seems like an "end of series" kind of thing, though I guess- who knows- that maybe the show thinks Bode's trajectory is replacing his father and mother at the top of the Cal Fire food chain.

Which I know is patently unbelievable...but when has this show made sense?