S03.E03: Welcome To The Cult

[DanaK]

Quote

Bode and Gabriela consider confessing a huge secret they have been hiding, on FIRE COUNTRY, Friday, Nov. 1 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+

Series star Diane Farr directed this episode

 

[Danielg342]

Only real positive about this episode is that I can say "glad this is over".

Well, OK, Jordan Calloway brought an extra level to his performance tonight, and it was great to see Vince come around on Smokie's and stand up to his own dad.

Oh, Leven Rambin (Audrey James) was good too.

...but, like the last episode, this one was a slog. I guess you could say it's one of those episodes where Bode has some character development, but we'll see if it actually sticks.

This is one of those storylines where you say, "it's the journey, not the destination", but the journey was just dull.

I mean, the show teased a future with Bode and "Jamesy", but we all know where Bode's real future lies.

He didn't drive out there with Gabriella for no reason.

I just hope next week is going to start producing some far better journeys.

[possibilities]

Sharon said they needed to stop overparenting Bode. Fine. But as I recall, they had not been parenting him at all for years-- they acted like he was no longer even their son. They really only sort of parented him for a short time while he was at 3 Rock.

 

[Dowel Jones]

Bullshit move, Jake.  You're just a firefighter training other firefighters.  You're not in charge of the academy; that would be someone Battalion Chief or higher, so you don't get to kick people out.  But, hey, if it moves Bode and Audrey closer together to create relationship draaama with Gaby, go ahead on it.  🙄

"We're sorry we almost killed you because of our negligence.  Here's your lifesaving necklace back.  Forgive us?"

[cameron]

Bode's grandfather is a real piece of work!!

[JamieLynn832002]

8 hours ago, possibilities said:

Sharon said they needed to stop overparenting Bode. Fine. But as I recall, they had not been parenting him at all for years-- they acted like he was no longer even their son. They really only sort of parented him for a short time while he was at 3 Rock.

 

Sharon, and to a lesser extent, Vince, sometimes seem to forget that they had no idea where their son was (or if he was even alive) for like 5 years. And Sharon over parenting Bode was an issue but Bode ended up where he did in part because Vince placed all the blame for an accident on him (and absolutely none on his precious daughter trying to jump out of moving car) and exacerbated Bode's already existent issues. Bode has so many  issues but I've never really understood how the crash is viewed as 100% on him and I feel like that it is is still a significant part of his problem.

[The Wild Sow]

3 hours ago, JamieLynn832002 said:

Vince placed all the blame for an accident on him (and absolutely none on his precious daughter trying to jump out of moving car)

Vince didn't actually know about her trying to jump out till Jake told him, though, right? Or am I misremembering?

[JamieLynn832002]

7 minutes ago, The Wild Sow said:

Vince didn't actually know about her trying to jump out till Jake told him, though, right? Or am I misremembering?

I think Bode told him fairly soon after the crash while Vince was talking to Luke and Bode walked in and Vince demanded to know what happened and then Vince yelled at him not try to blame Riley. Which as he was devastated, grieving father, I get but the fact I don't think we've ever seen anybody tell Bode that Riley's death wasn't completely his fault (Manny told him he's not the worst thing he did but that's not really the same thing) bothers me.

[Sake614]

So now that Bode is free and can finally be with Gabriella, she says thanks but no thanks? Oh man, that’s just too perfect lol! She gave up a man most any other woman would kill for, just to be with Bode. He risked his career to save her and they both covered up the medical alert necklace but were forgiven, yet that still isn’t enough? I mean, I agree with her that Bode is addicted to thrills and danger, and neither is a good foundation for a relationship. I just think it’s rich that she finally sees it.

[possibilities]

Gabriella is addicted to martyrdom.

[kwnyc]

Bode is the king is stupid decisions. Always will be. I'm not sure I can follow a character who is that stupid. See also: Buck on 9-1-1.

[Danielg342]

Open question here to Mr. "Cal Fire" @Dowel Jones, because I had a few issues with how this episode portrayed the Cadet program- but, I don't have any experience being involved in it at all.

The first thing I wanted to write about is this supposed "three strikes" rule the Cadet program has. It seems very counterproductive for a number of reasons.

One, right from the outset Jake (who seemed a bit too much drill-sergeant like for my liking) told the Cadets that there are six positions available and ten Cadets (now 11 with the addition of Bode). So, I'm thinking- in principle- that any Cadet that so much as gets one strike (let alone two) probably disqualifies themselves (either in practical or technical terms) to be hired by Cal Fire because Cal Fire would like someone with less strikes over someone who accumulated several.

Secondly, "three strikes" is far too rigid. Not every infraction is made the same, and penalizing the Cadets the same way for every mistake doesn't sound like the right way to train them. Plus, a rigid "X strikes and you're out" policy has had numerous other issues in other settings- like how in the NBA (where six fouls is an automatic ejection) you'll have players who will argue they committed the foul just so they could save their teammate.

I mean, I get it- the writers want this "third strike" hanging over Bode's head like the Sword of Damocles...but it hardly seems realistic.

The other issue I have with the training regimen is that search for the dummy. If the whole idea was to recreate a scenario where the firefighters might have to assume the building is a lost cause but they still have to save someone inside of it, why send the Cadets into the building going on a blind chase inside looking for the dummy?

Wouldn't it make more sense to train the Cadets on fire dynamics and on likely places a person- or a cat, or a dog, or what-have-you- might hide in a fire, so that, at the very least, the Cadets can enter the building with a guess about where the dummy might be?

If you've only got ten minutes to find a dummy, then it's counterproductive to waste your time looking in every nook and cranny. In real life- I imagine- you'd search the likeliest places first and, if you have time, you'd look elsewhere, and only abandon ship once it's clear you have to get out of there.

Anyway, I'm in a bit of a rush so I apologize if this doesn't all make sense, but I thought I'd throw this out there.

[Dowel Jones]

In respect to the Firefighter Academy, yes, you're right.  It's pointless to spend that much money on training only to fail a recruit.  Leaving aside the liability of putting recruits through live fire training, any tests would come only after a great deal of practice runs (back to the expense).  I don't remember anyone ever going through a timed, find the victim drill, but, hey, Fire Country is following the same path as Chicago Fire, with each week seemingly being a "Bode in Peril" situation.  In real life, Cal Fire's training follows a pretty strict regimen of practice till you get it right, and then test.  You get two tries on the test, and then you fail the Academy.  However, trainees are then put through an intensive practice for another couple of weeks and then re-tested.  The Academies are run by a Chief Officer, never a firefighter.

Add into that the fact that all trainees are already hired for some station.  They're not competing against each other.

And then, as you mentioned, there's the find the dummy in 10 minutes.  It wouldn't even take a Leoni relative to give that away.  It would be passed down by other firefighters in the grapevine anyway.  It goes against all sense, too.  In a real situation, how does one know how many victims are in the building?  If you train to find one victim, that's what you'll do.  Sorry, everyone else.

[Danielg342]

Thanks @Dowel Jones. The question I would have now is, what would Bode's Cal Fire entry process actually look like? Could Vince- who is Station 42's Chief- just hire Bode and put him through training?

[Dowel Jones]

Vince could not hire someone on his own.  Bode would have had to put in an official application at the proper time, although he could take the course that is being offered to the other former inmates (and no jumping in line).  Additionally, all required training has to be done through the State Fire Marshal training program, so Vince couldn't just sit him down after hours and do the lectures and physical tests.

[Danielg342]

Thanks. Makes me wonder, considering there are a few new faces, why the show didn't just opt for Bode to enter a California State Marshal's training program. Maybe they were worried Jake wouldn't have anything substantive to do, but he does have that storyline with Genevieve and the show could make him a State Marshal educator if they needed to.

Sounds like the show- as is usual in Hollywood- cut corners for expediency and drama but I don't think they needed to. Having Bode apply for and enter a Marshal program wouldn't be substantially different from what we're seeing right now.

[NJRadioGuy]

5 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

Maybe they were worried Jake wouldn't have anything substantive to do, but he does have that storyline with Genevieve and the show could make him a State Marshal educator if they needed to.

...

Having Bode apply for and enter a Marshal program wouldn't be substantially different from what we're seeing right now.

But where would that leave the dramatic narrative, and how would it make it an interesting enough story for (hopefully) millions of eyeballs every week? In reality it would make a tremendous amount of sense, but the writers room is such a mess for this that I don't think they've pondered the overall direction beyond the next week's installment.

If they want to make this show work long-term they need to spend maybe a half-dozen episodes fast-tracking through his new training and certification and get him settled into the firehouse as a fully-certified firefighter. Pick which hottie he gets to boink and then go from there--spend the back half of the season doing something other than moping around and making bad decisions. If you want the audience to root for a character then make that character intelligent and charismatic. Flawed is fine, but not an utter moron, and that's who is is right now.

[Dowel Jones]

5 hours ago, NJRadioGuy said:

Pick which hottie he gets to boink and then go from there

But then we get the dreaded pregnancy/baby storyline.

[NJRadioGuy]

Wouldn't be a network drama show without that. Because Bayyyybeeeeeeees. Gaaah.

[possibilities]

Is there actually an excess of applicants to be in the fire service? I thought they'd be having trouble recruiting enough workers. 

[NJRadioGuy]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

Is there actually an excess of applicants to be in the fire service? I thought they'd be having trouble recruiting enough workers. 

Can't speak for California, but for paid departments in the NYC region (and the FDNY itself) there are tens of thousands of applicants for a handful of spots every few years. A bit less-so for vollies out my way.

[Danielg342]

10 hours ago, NJRadioGuy said:

But where would that leave the dramatic narrative, and how would it make it an interesting enough story for (hopefully) millions of eyeballs every week? In reality it would make a tremendous amount of sense, but the writers room is such a mess for this that I don't think they've pondered the overall direction beyond the next week's installment.

I agree the Fire Country writers' execution is not very good, but I think that issue isn't relevant to my point. It's about the plan and the framework- a storyline where Bode instead goes through the State Marshal program doesn't seem any different from the writers' current plan of putting Bode through a fictional Cadet program. I'd think that way even if the writers had executed on delivering a good storyline with Bode in the Cadets.

As far as the long term storytelling goes, the writers already dropped the ball there when they didn't decide that Bode was going to be at Three Rock long term. The "inmates seeking redemption" aspect was FC's most interesting part, and they glossed over it after half a season.

It seems like, somewhere along the line, the decision was made to make FC a "fire show in the back country" and the writers have had to compensate for that ever since- which shows in the amount of corners they cut in the writing.

Corners they don't need to cut.

Like with this fictitious Cadet program. Bode could still be a participant putting out fires for Station 42 by being a volunteer. Maybe he wouldn't be on the front lines but he could still be on the scene.

Further, if he volunteered at Three Rock, we could keep that dynamic of the show and perhaps see Bode assume a new role, that of a mentor, helping other inmates with their issues.

The reason I like the volunteer aspect (absent my more ideal version of this show) is that it slows Bode's story down and it allows it to grow at a bit more organic of a pace. It also doesn't have to gloss over the fact that he's got a criminal record (which would disqualify him from applying to Cal Fire).

In real life, getting rid of a criminal record would be a lengthy process, and a storyline centred around that (even if it's more of a "in the background" kind of story) could take a whole season to resolve.

More importantly, Bode hasn't really faced any real challenges or hurdles on this show, because the writers gloss over or correct them too quickly. Bode having to work to clear his name would be a significant hurdle that can have numerous pitfalls and it wouldn't compromise the character.

Plus it would give the writers a chance to explore how difficult it is for Bode to get used to civilian life, which is a major hurdle all ex-inmates face upon release.

Further, it would allow Bode to rekindle his friendship with Freddy, who- in a table turning scenario- would be the one who'd offer Bode guidance because Freddy has been out of prison longer than Bode has.

Of course, all this would still be predicated on the writers executing, which they have shown they're not always capable of doing. However, it also points out one of the show's many frustrations in that it tends to leave far more interesting stories on the table in favour of poorly thought out lesser narratives.

 

[possibilities]

On 11/5/2024 at 7:14 PM, NJRadioGuy said:

Can't speak for California, but for paid departments in the NYC region (and the FDNY itself) there are tens of thousands of applicants for a handful of spots every few years. A bit less-so for vollies out my way.

That's interesting. I guess I always hear about people being sent to CA to help with the wildfires, and how exhausted the crews are and in my head that meant they need more than they have. But it could also mean they don't fund enough places to do the job, or some other thing like that.

I live in a rural northeast place with a volunteer fire department, and they are always looking for people to join, but I figure anything volunteer will always need people. We don't usually have massive wildfires, though we do get some brush fires and house fires, and the FD handles most of the 911 medical calls, too. I knew someone on the FD and she said most of their calls were medical, not fires.

Edited November 8 by possibilities
fix typo

[NJRadioGuy]

23 hours ago, possibilities said:

I knew someone on the FD and she said most of their calls were medical, not fires.

100% correct pretty much everywhere. Strong fire codes mean fewer working jobs so EMS is the main focus for many departments. And specifically (and unfortunately) ODs and calls related to substance abuse are the preponderance of calls in many places.

Vollie squads are always somewhat understaffed, but paid departments are extremely difficult nuts to crack if you're young and interested but don't have any hooks. An awful lot of firemen out my way are ex-FDNY or the sons of FDNY. That generally gets you bumped to the front of the line. My town has one engine, one truck, and a chief's car, all volly.

The sad part is during the workday (M-F, 7am to 6pm roughly), when the tones drop for either Fire or EMS (our EMS and rescue squad is also volunteer) it's very common to have to ping mutual aid, because the members are all at their full-time jobs.

[possibilities]

8 hours ago, NJRadioGuy said:

it's very common to have to ping mutual aid, because the members are all at their full-time jobs.

Yes, same here. We also get mutual aid response for police calls. Luckily we don't have a lot of crime emergencies (or fires)-- though we do have a fair number of medicals.

Of course, on this show, they have one or two medical people per crew, and they are mostly treating people injured in the fires, and everybody else is dealing with putting out the fire itself. I give that a pass, though, because that's the tv hook.