It’s a star-studded outing for Fire Country as we head into the final episodes of the season. Singer Teddy Swims shows up as Noah, a caretaker at Walter’s (Jeff Fahey) memory care facility, and Constance Zimmer returns as Vince’s (Billy Burke) ex, Renée Hoffman. Renêe arrives at Smokey’s with no intention of reconnecting with Vince, but rather to talk to Sharon (Diane Farr) about the Oxalta deal she signed in the previous episode. Instead, Renée finds Bode (Max Thieriot) and Manny (Kevin Alejandro), who give her some hope that she can set up a class-action lawsuit against the negligent chemical company.
The Oxalta drama has to take a backseat to a ski lift emergency that requires everyone to check their baggage at the door. The malfunctioning lift essentially collapses, leaving skiers stranded across the mountain with various degrees of injury. The incident reveals cracks within the Station 42 power structure that could have devastating results for the rest of the season. There’s a lot going on across the station, building up to an epic final run.
Jake Gets Some Heat From Sharon in ‘Fire Country’ Season 3 Episode 17
The incident of the week brings Station 42 to a ski lodge where a ski lift is malfunctioning. Jake (Jordan Calloway), Bode, and Audrey (Levin Rambin) are dispatched to find skiers while Sharon and Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) set up triage at the ski loft. Their first patient is a young girl named Blair, whose leg is trapped by the collapsed ski-lift chair. Even more concerning than Blair’s broken leg is her missing father, who ditched his coat and walked off after he fell off the ski lift with his daughter.
Jake and crew eventually find Danny, the dad, who has gone into hypothermia-induced cardiac arrest. They manage to get his pulse back, and Gabs arrives to take him back to base camp, but Jake and the probies are stuck on the mountain to deal with an emerging fire at the top of the ski lift. Sharon demands they come back down the mountain, but Jake insists they stay and try to use snow cannons to put out the fire before the flames cause an avalanche that will kill anyone else still stuck on the mountain. The pressure intensifies when he, Bode, and Audrey realize the water pump to the snow cannons has frozen over.
The trio manages to get the water switched on with some additional leverage and puts the fire out quickly. Disobeying Sharon has some severe consequences, though, at least for Jake. She suspends him for a week for his blatant rule-breaking, even though he rightfully calls her out for turning down the snow cannon suggestion merely because it was Bode who suggested it. The suspension is just one more reason for Jake’s frustration with Station 42 and the Leones to grow. He calls Luke (Michael Trucco) at the end of the episode to ask for advice about when to leave the station. I am normally so hesitant to question Vince and Sharon, but holy crap, if their bullheaded attitudes about Bode cost me my weekly dose of Jake, I will riot!
The Oxalta Mess Continues in ‘Fire Country’ Season 3 Episode 17
Bode takes Renée’s inquiries to Sharon, who immediately explodes over her son potentially wrecking the deal she’s fought so hard for. Bode thinks they should fight harder for Oxalta to be exposed, but Sharon is proud of getting settlements for Manny and Birch, as well as the camp being cleaned up. She also gets Manny an early release from prison, but none of that seems to matter to Bode; he wants Oxalta to publicly admit fault for what they did. Manny is also struggling with signing away his silence to the chemical company. His regret compounds when he visits the guys at Three Rock when they’re finally allowed to return to camp. They also aren’t stoked about signing away their voices, but they’re making an effort to get on with it and tell Manny to go enjoy his life.
Manny decides to meet with Renée instead. She gives him the lowdown on how Oxalta got away with what they did – and how they’ll continue to poison innocent people because it’s cheaper than properly disposing of the waste. The info dump only makes Manny more conflicted about potentially flipping his NDA and helping Renée take Oxalta down. Bode can’t convince Sharon to change her mind about working with Renée, though mother and son do smooth over their initial argument about it. Bode still teams up with Manny to work with the lawyer, though, and they’re going to help Renée get statements from the guys at Three Rock. She warns them that going up against Oxalta won’t be easy and there will be intense pressure from the chemical company, but these men are ready to go to war. This is Fire Country, so get ready for this to get so freakin’ messy.
Gabriela Can’t Have Nice Things in ‘Fire Country’ Season 3 Episode 17
Gabs swears that things between her and Finn (Blake Lee) are still casual, but her crush gets an up-close look at Station 42 in action when he tags along on this week’s call to take photos for Cal Fire’s recruitment drive. Did we know that Finn was a photographer? God, I want to be happy for Gabs and believe that she’s found a nice guy who’s going to give her a stable, nurturing relationship. However, after last week’s phone debacle, Finn suddenly being a photographer just screams stalker potential even louder.
Those red flags become blaring sirens by the end of the episode. Finn and Gabs have their first kiss after the day at the ski lodge, but then Finn makes a joke about when their wedding will happen. That’s an immediate ick for Gabs after her recent trauma with weddings, and Finn does not take it well. When she doesn’t immediately answer his follow-up texts about the kiss, he immediately turns aggressive. Audrey clocks the troubling behavior, but it remains to be seen how Gabs will handle Finn going forward. He spells danger, though, and I am extremely worried our girl has gotten herself into another terrible situation. Gabs deserves a break!
Jelly Roll Helps the Leone Men in ‘Fire Country’ Season 3 Episode 17
Walter (Jeff Fahey) has been doing well at the Buena Vista Medical Center, or so we thought. Vince reveals that he hasn’t found the courage to actually go visit his dad at the facility yet, despite telling Sharon that he’d gone to take his dad’s blood pressure a few days prior. Vince finally makes it to the center and meets Noah (Jelly Roll). The memory care specialist only has positive things to say about Walter, but Vince is quickly confronted with his worst nightmare when he greets an upbeat version of his father, only to realize that Walter is stoked to see him because he thinks Vince is his younger brother Luke.
Noah follows Vince out to the parking lot and gives him a good heart-to-heart about making the most of his time with his dad. Yeah, Walter not remembering who he is sucks, but not spending time with his father in his final days is going to suck worse in the long run. Ultimately, Noah convinces Vince to come back inside and make his famous “Sunday sauce,” which Noah thinks will be a good way to bring back some happy memories. Noah’s right. Vince and Walter make the sauce together and, as it simmers, Walter remembers what his wife would say when the family was making the sauce. The activity helps him remember that it’s Vince there with him, and he even says Vince’s mom would be proud of him now.