Fire Country Season 5, Episode 4 “Winners and Losers” reminds us that first responders sometimes have to make hard decisions that can upset people. They’re the ones who walk into danger and have to assess what or who could be saved under distress. Sometimes, they only have seconds to decide what their limits and capabilities are. Their actions when backed up against the wall are made with the best of intentions. But those who are blinded by loss don’t always see that at first.
So, we found the community lawsuit against Station 42 to be unsurprising even if we knew Jake didn’t make the wrong choices. We loved his speech to the victims of the trailer park fire because it was necessary and honest. Additionally, it was one of our favorite scenes because we got to see him own his choices because he’s good at his job. The truth was that he had to let some houses burn because the fire was getting out of control. And his team was understaffed. In telling the victims that first responders don’t forget them, Jake showed that firefighters aren’t robots or soulless.
Actually, those like Jake remember small details about the homes that they can’t save because they care so deeply. So, in the end, we loved how he stood up for himself while still being understanding. In addition, the hour also gave us Wes (W. Earl Brown) helping Sharon, a breakthrough between Manny and Angel, and more of the volunteer firefighters proving they belong at Station 42.
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It’s Impossible Not to Love This Team
What “Winners and Losers” does is show the complexity of paths first responders can have. Absolutely, following rules, maintaining stamina, and learning protocol is essential in jobs like these. But we’re glad that the hour focuses on the heart of these volunteer firefighters. Because, like Bode, we believe that it’s the most important quality to have when wanting to pursue firefighting.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a funeral priest wanting to do good for the living. Or if you’ve lost your house in a fire and don’t want other people to go through the same. Because it was Janice’s encouragement to save the goat that led them to Farmer Ken, who was trapped in his barn. It was CJ and Bode’s empathy that made Ken feel comforted the most when he was dying. Lastly, it was Father Faucher’s prayer over him that made this scary situation a little lighter.
If you feel a purpose in helping people at their lowest or on their worst day, then you’re in the right place. So, we’re glad Bode told them they should be proud of themselves because it’s true. This crew would make great firefighters. Moreover, we love Janice (Tara Wilson), Father Faucher (James Yi), Milo (Brendan Meyer), and Paulie (Nels Lennarson). They’ve been wholesome additions to Station 42 as people who simply care about saving anyone or even any animal that needs their help.
Personal Growth
Similarly, we’re also happy to see CJ accept Sharon’s offer to be a firefighter at Station 42. All it took was watching Bode do everything to save Kenny’s life to make her final decision. She wants to be around people with good hearts, and Edgewater is her answer. Also, it helped that she felt sparks with mysterious baseball player Mason Ellis (Jay Hayden) at Smokey’s. Clearly, she has multiple reasons to build a home here now.
As a whole, “Winners and Losers” felt like a conclusion to Episode 3 “What Needs to Be Done” that we didn’t know we needed. First, Wes (W. Earl Brown) showed up to help Sharon create a scheme to keep the dirty money for Station 42. While they were successful, we loved that Wes has learned from his previous mistakes. He told her time and time again that she should get rid of the money because it was stolen. There’s risk in lying about donations, and he never let her forget that.
Sure, he still helped her because she’s family, but he reminded her throughout that it could come back to bite her. He had this sense of awareness take over as soon as he saw the money. Not after he did something bad with it, which we think shows some personal growth in his character. Then, there’s Manny and Angel, who we’d also like to applaud for being unafraid to get emotional with each other.
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Station 42 Being Unapologetic
Seeing Angel stand up after Manny dismissed his concern about Eve was special. Because it was proof that he’d had enough of his uncle believing he’s heartless. He was afraid that his actions of getting the radiator were going to get her fired. And he didn’t want that because he cares about his captain. Finally, he felt courageous enough to spill his heart to his uncle. Angel, his grandmother, and father were heartbroken by Manny’s actions to leave them behind.
Honestly, watching these characters be unapologetic yet caring in their conversations was the best part of “Winners and Losers.” Because making hard decisions is never black or white. So, we admire both Manny and Jake for taking accountability for their actions here because it mattered to the people they’ve hurt. Manny was honest in admitting his only regret was leaving his family behind. It may have been the most painful thing he’s ever done, but he never let emotions stop him. His daughter Gabriela deserved a life away from danger or criminal activity.
The truth here was that Manny had to be selfish in order to be a good father. In protecting his daughter, Manny walked away from his nephew, who deserved the same consideration from his father. Consequently, Angel has felt abandoned because he never got that care. However, there is someone now who is stubborn in ensuring Angel feels supported. And that person is Eve, so we were happy to see Manny encouraging him to let her in. Because he couldn’t be that person for him growing up.
Fire Country airs on Fridays on CBS at 9 pm EST.
