‘Fire Country’ Recap: Season 1 Episode 3 — Vince, Jake Hostage Situation

This week on CBS’ Fire Country, the mantra was, “You’re not the worst thing you’ve ever done.” But was Bode able to start proving that to his dad?

Episode 3 of the freshman hit (which just got a full-season order) opened with Bode having a bad dream about the night Riley died. We get to see how Riley was distraught about her fight with Jake, and how she desperately tried to get out of the moving car. Bode, as we knew, reached for her, and in struggling to pull Riley back in, steered the car away from oncoming traffic but into a tree.

This week’s fire event saw a young guy come running out of the woods, on fire and carrying a large amount of weed. As he got doused, he revealed that he left a friend behind, amid the fire. Vince and Jake commenced a search, eventually finding a marijuana grower’s camp and the other guy inside a trap near it, his leg impaled on a spike. But before Vince and Jake could tend to the guy, the grower, Mojave, showed up and pulled a gun on the Cal Fire duo. Vince was able to get a “mayday” signal out first, irking Mojave and turning the standoff into a hostage situation.

While a zip-tied Vince and Jake dealt with their stalemate, Bode got wind of what happened. And though the sheriff’s department declared jurisdiction, Bode — knowing that a surely-armed Mojave is involved — was able to convince Manny to take him to go find their guys. Arriving at the grower’s camp, Bode invited Mojave to recognize/remember him from their shady past, and that helped de-escalate the vibe. Bode also vouched for Manny, noting his captain’s own con past, and they were able to convince Mojave to let Vince and Jake treat the kid in the pit. Vince got “smart” along the way, though, and grabbed a flare, which he then not-very-sneakily used to signal their location. Things thus re-escalated, as Mojave felt betrayed, but Bode was able to temper things again. By then, the fire has closed in on the camp, at which point everyone — good guys, bad guys, and the injured dude — loaded into the growers’ van and barreled through the fire and out of the woods. Mojave and his associates were promptly arrested, though Bode suggested that once Mojave does some time, maybe he can join them at Three Rock.

That night, Bode gets a visitor — his father, nudged by Sharon to walk back his years-ago “Leave town” order. And though Vince seemed sorta prepared to say the right things, the conversation proved prickly. No, despite what this week’s rudely edited promo suggested, Vince did not think that Bode should have died instead of Riley. What he actually says is that Bode should have… been the one at his side at Cal Fire, instead of Jake. Bode could have been fourth-generation Cal Fire, it’s in his blood, yet he never showed an interest. Jake, however, did.

Vince avows and reiterates to Bode, “You’re my son. You’re my son.” But that’s when the two unpack the shiner that Jake walked out of the Buckeye fire with, and something Bode had alluded to during the standoff with Mojave. Bode shares that Riley was already in pain the night she died — because of a horrible break-up with Jake.

While Vince processes that big piece of news, Bode admits, “Look, I’m not perfect, and I know Mom wants her family back…. But from where I’m standing, you all made a family without me while making me the bad guy.” And he doesn’t want back on in that.

Elsewhere this week, Gabriela was among a handful of probies who entered Eve’s training program at Cal Fire. And though at least one bruh dropped out, at the end of Day 1 Gabriela was there proudly standing, smoothly and quickly assembling her uniform/”armor” for “drill sergeant” Eve.

What did you think of Fire Country Episode 3?