Critic’s Rating: 5 / 5.0
5
Okay, I think everyone would agree that Fire Country delivered one of their best episodes yet. There was a little bit of everything for everyone on “Dirty Money,” and we have to talk about how good it was.
I wasn’t kidding either about there being a little something of everything. For a brief part of the episode, we legit had ourselves a murder mystery.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Fire Country Season 3 has been the best so far. The writing, from plotting to character development, has skyrocketed in quality.
Not to mention, the cases no longer feel like a rinse-and-repeat from one catastrophe to another.
Before we get to the multiple juicy parts of Fire Country Season 3 Episode 16, we need to get some minor plots out of the way.
Honestly, as much improvement as the show has made, there are still things that the writers do that make me scratch my head in confusion.
The Fire Country Writers Have Made Vast Improvements, but They Still Give Characters Like Jake Crawford the Rush Treatment Despite Changing Gears for Another Character
Let’s kick things off by talking about Cal Fire’s own firefighting Superman, Jake Crawford. Now, here is a (mostly) well-adjusted and hot young man with a bright future ahead of him.
Unfortunately, Jake appears to suffer from short-sightedness as he continually makes choices that seem a bit rushed.
Does anyone recall how Jake clung to Kara after only a few episodes and one depicted date during Fire Country Season 1? It looks like Violet is getting the same treatment.
We just met the girl all of three episodes ago, and now she and Jake are boyfriend and girlfriend? At this rate, Jake will ask Violet to move in by the season finale. It might happen.
So, as great as the writers have been, Fire Country still suffers from inconsistencies in tone and character interactions.
Jake and Violet being boyfriend and girlfriend after a few episodes? That’s no big deal. Finn buying Gabriela a new phone after knowing each other for roughly the same amount of time? That’s so freaking weird.
Where’s the consistency, CBS? To be clear, I also find Finn buying Gabriela a phone extremely odd. However, it’s much less of a big deal than if he told her she was his girlfriend.
My point is you can’t throw logic out the window during the first half of an episode for one character’s arc just to bring it back for the sake of another’s.
Either way, maybe finding out Vince plans to pass the station on to Bode will light a fire under him to focus more on his career.
Although, I’m a little confused about how that works. Does Vince (Billy Burke) get to choose his protege? I suppose it makes sense, considering the responsibilities the Battalion Chief has.
Who better to pick the next person than the one already doing the job? Honestly, I’m surprised Jake was mad about the position and not about how he sees Vince as a father figure.
It was clear that Jake was going to have an issue with Vince’s words to Bode, but I assumed it was because he felt like he wasn’t part of the family.
And on a show like Fire Country, there is plenty of family drama to go around. Just ask Mickey Fox.
While Wes Fox Fits the Bill of the Deadbeat Dad Trope, The Character Still Offers a Great Story for Both Fire Country and Its Spinoff
If you read the Fire Country Season 3 Episode 16 Spoilers, you know we weren’t sure how W. Earl Brown would portray Wes Fox or how the writers would depict the character.
All we knew was that he married Sharon’s mom but that it ended badly with an FBI drug raid. At least no one can say the man is boring.
Now we know he’s not only entirely in the illegal marijuana industry but that he’s a great businessman who treats his employees well.
He’s your basic Don Draper, Jon Hamm‘s character from Mad Men. At work, Wes is a great man that everyone loves. At home, he’s a piece of crap who’s a terrible father and husband.
On the one hand, that kind of characterization is really cliche and a total trope. On the other hand, it makes him a layered character that audiences won’t always be able to predict.
For example, after everything that happened, I thought he was going to choose Mickey over the drugs and money. Wes basically told Mickey, “This old tiger can’t change his stripes.”
Yeah, great businessman, terrible father – and I guess terrible grandfather, too. He had Max Theriot’s (SEAL Team) Bode, his recently paroled grandson, working for him at his extremely illegal drug farm.
What that tells me is that Wes is a delusional character who believes himself to be a good guy as long as no one gets physically hurt. Emotional hurt doesn’t even register for the man.
And then he’s planning to will his criminal enterprise to his granddaughter whether she wants it or not? That man is unhinged.
Also, how is it profitable to have an illegal marijuana business in California? Recreational use is legal all across the state. Is it cheaper to sell illegally?
What kind of person would choose possible jail time when there is a perfectly legal option? I’m talking about Wes and his customers, too.
W. Earl Brown’s (Hacks) Wes Fox is one interesting character, but at least he was willing to give Sharon fifty thousand dollars for her father-in-law. She almost took it, too.
Hell, I didn’t sell the drugs, so the money isn’t dirty to me. I would have kept it. Mickey Fox be damned.
Although, we should get used to seeing the sheriff around.
“Dirty Money” Establishes That There Will Have to Be a Fair Amount of Crossing Over Between Fire Country and Sheriff Country to Be Believable
It’s been a pretty long wait for Sheriff Country, all things considered. The series’ backdoor pilot aired during Fire Country Season 2.
Finally, TV Fanatic has learned that the show will premiere during the 2025-26 broadcast television season.
While we have half a year to go, if it’s anything like how Fire Country Season 3 has shaped up, it’ll be worth the wait.
Since Sheriff Country will also take place in Edgewater, there will likely be plenty of overlap and crossovers between both shows.
Edgewater doesn’t strike me as the biggest town, and considering how often cops and firefighters end up at the same crime or accident scene, it would be weird if there wasn’t some overlap between characters.
If I’m being honest, when I watch Sheriff Country, it’ll be because of Morena Baccarin. She was absolutely amazing on Fire Country Season 3 Episode 16.
Her chemistry with the other actors felt real. Not to mention the way she handled the emotional rollercoaster the character went through with her father was chef’s kiss perfection.
So much happened in this one episode just because a few extra individuals were in the story. I now understand why Fire Country needs a spinoff. There’s just too much story to tell.
Consider how much we’ve already discussed about this remarkable episode, and we haven’t even touched on the juiciest part of all: Oxalta getting their asses handed to them.
After Sharon Handled the Oxalta People with Grace and Skill, Bode Had the Audacity to Come at His Own Mother with His Shortsighted and Childish Attitude
First, we must give a huge shout-out to the Fire Country writers and Diane Farr (Chance) for that incredible scene at the end with the Oxalta people.
The way she said, “Is that really your response?” after catching the company red-handed with four other deaths on their ledger was epic.
Watching them sit back down at Sharon’s demand was so satisfying that I will be satiated for months. That’s what I mean about the writing getting so much better.
Granted, it was the information from Violet that sealed the deal. So, in that character’s case, I am officially on Team Violet. I may think she and Jake are moving too fast, but she’s now established as a real one and a good egg.
The best treat of all from “Dirty Money” is that Manny (Kevin Alejandro) is finally free and out of prison. I’m still a little lost as to how that worked out, but a wise man once said, ” Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”
There were so many milestones to the plot, and so much was accomplished in this action-packed episode that it felt like we should have watched it in a theater.
However, I take great umbrage with one thing in particular. Where the hell does Bode get off talking to his mother like that?
I don’t care how old he is or if he’s no longer living under their roof. Bode had absolutely no right laying into his mother, who has only ever loved and cared for him.
It shows how childish Bode is that he sees things so black and white. Sharon did terrific with the Oxalta negotiations. She got Manny out of prison and Oxalta to pay to fully restore Three Rock.
Did Bode really think a little fire station would have been able to go up against a massive corporation like Oxalta?
The company may have gone down eventually, but they would have stalled things until the fire station was flat-broke and likely in serious debt, just trying to cover the legal costs.
Someone needs to tell little boy Bode to watch an episode of Matlock so he can see that taking a company to court is rarely a cut-and-dry case.
I’d love to see Sharon set him straight in the next episode. Maybe even toss in a little perspective about working for his drug-supplying grandfather. Gabriela was right about Bode thinking he’s invincible.
This was truly one of the best episodes of Fire Country Season 3. It was incredibly entertaining in almost every possible way.
I will leave you with a thought to ponder as we anticipate the next episode of this show. How cheap of a care facility did Sharon and Vince put Walter in if the services are a la carte?
Poor Walter was getting charged to have his blood pressure taken. I’m sorry, what? Is that a common thing? Is that where we are healthcare-wise as a nation?
Although, I wouldn’t mind a funny scene of Walter moaning and groaning around the facility’s halls. You can see it, right?
He’s sneaking whiskey that he hides in a tall potted plant before an orderly discovers him and escorts him back to his room.
While walking back, Walter hits the orderly with the classic, “Do you know who I am? I was the firefighting chief for a hundred years, and blah, blah, blah.” Honestly, the scene writes itself.
What do you think about Bode’s reaction to how Sharon handled Oxalta?
Are you going to watch Sheriff Country when it premieres?
Please drop a comment below to let me know what you think, and join me again when I review another episode of Fire Country!
Watch Fire Country Online
TV Fanatic is searching for passionate writers to share their voices across various article types. Think you have what it takes to be a TV Fanatic? Click here for more information and next steps.
