Movies

‘Fire Country’ Recap: Season 1 Episode 1 – Max Thieriot CBS Drama

October 8, 2022

CBS this Friday invited you to land of firehis new drama co-created by and performed by SEAL Team veterinarian Max Thieriot. Did the latest firefighter TV series pique your interest?

land of fire stars Thieriot as Bode Donovan, who is currently serving time for attempted robbery/holding a liquor store owner at gunpoint. When Bode loses his final appeal for parole, his lawyer pushes him to consider the Inmate Firefighting Program, where in exchange for helping Cal Fire fight the blazes, you get a time reduction on your sentence. (Apparently you also get $5 a day just for showing up, plus an additional $2/hour when fighting fires.)

Max agrees to participate in the program, but en route on the prison bus, he discovers that he is stationed in Edgewater, California – the hometown he left years ago. “For a reason.” Arriving at Three Rock, Bode tries to call his attorney, but is told there are no phone privileges for a week, so he assigns his buddy ADD Freddy (W Tre Davis) to chat with a delivery guy. . We then meet Manny (Kevin Alejandro), Cal’s fire chief in charge of teaching the inmates; Manny was once spotted when the prison bus passes a local ceremony where his daughter Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) was receiving a “key to the city.” More on her in a moment.

land of fire In Edgewater proper, we see Fire Chief Vince (Billy Burke) trying but failing to secure city funding for a new caterpillar that would help clear foliage from fire paths quickly. During his failed presentation, Vince throws a beard at Police Chief Sharon (Diane Farr), who we later realize is actually married. (No big surprise there, the oldest trick in the TV pilot book!)

On their first night at Three Rock, Bode and Freddy sneak out to meet the delivery man “MVP”, in order to secure a phone to burn. But before that date happens, Bode comes to the rescue of Gabriela, a local celebrity of sorts (the Olympian is the 14th best diver in the world!) whose car broke down right where the guys were waiting. . Gabriela is suspicious of Bode in her orange prison t-shirt and pulls a gun from her purse, but eventually allows him to turn it on. While helping Gabriela, Bode snaps a picture of her with her boyfriend Jake (Jordan Calloway) – whom Bode clearly recognizes.

Land of Fire Jake Eve Jake, along with Eve (Jules Latimer), works at Cal Fire with Vince. The two had been good friends with Riley, who we come to assume was the dearly deceased daughter of Vince and Sharon. Vince overhears Jake and Eve talking about learning how to get out of that tragedy from years ago; later, he laments to Sharon that the two, alas, will never be able to do this.

Manny finds the phone Freddy received from MVP, but Bode steps in to claim it’s his, as an additional 90-day jail sentence is at stake. Privately, Bode explains to Manny that he had no intention to be stationed in his home town. He also recounts how the liquor store owner had written the parole board a letter saying he saw a chance for Bode to “succeed”. With that in mind, Manny calls on Bode to spring into action when a random car crash ignites a massive forest fire.

As Bode, Freddy et al “cut lines” (i.e. dig trenches that form a barrier between the fire and the city), Jake and Eve find themselves surrounded by flames on a high ridge, and the first is stuck by a fallen tree. Against Manny’s orders, but quoting the fire captain’s document – “Keep calm, think clearly and act decisively” – Bode grabs a chainsaw and makes tracks for the ridge. He finds and frees Jake, while hiding his face, then saves Jake’s life when the fire consumes them and they have to hide inside Bode’s portable shelter. Once the fire is over, the guys come out of the shelter and Bode reveals himself…then punches Jake!

As Eve tries to break things off, we learn through the men’s shouted accusations that the night Riley died, Bode had picked her up from Jake’s house and found her sobbing. When Riley tried to jump out of Bode’s car to go back and talk to Jake, Bode reached her and in doing so he lost control of the car, resulting in a fatal crash. “It’s my fault she died,” Bode told Jake, “but that’s for sure. you that she died with a broken heartBode says he came to save Jake and Eve partly because he couldn’t let Jake die a hero.

In the hospital following the fire, Sharon realizes that Bode was the man who saved Jake and Eve. She cleans her hospital room then gives her son a big hug. Vince arrives a moment later to ask, with a disappointed look on his face, “Bode, what hell are you doing here?”

What did you think of land of fire‘s debut, and will you stay tuned?