Fire Country’s premise about a firefighting program for inmates was a learning moment.
It was intriguing because it offered a decent solution for what society can do with people it tends to forget once behind bars.
With Bode, the show explored redemption and how a single moment in someone’s life arising from a series of unfortunate events over a long period should not define the rest of their life.
Three Rock Had an Expiry Date Attached
But even as the saga unfolded, this lingering thought was always that it must end at some point.
If redemption truly were possible, Bode would leave Three Rock and get his prison sentence commuted. Unless they found a way to make him a CO or captain, Three Rock had to be left behind.
In the Season 1 finale, everything didn’t go as expected, and Bode returned to prison and later ended up at Three Rock.
During Fire Country Season 2, he became the best boy he could be, and after one of his heroic moments, he got out. But even with Bode out of Three Rock, Fire Country was not done with the place.
“The inmate fire camp is a huge piece of the show and something that we won’t just walk away from telling,” series star and co-creator Max Thieriot told Collider.
He acknowledged that integrating it into the story might present a creative challenge.
“But now, it’s just about different ways to creatively tell those stories without Bode being in fire camp,” Thieriot added.
Fire Country Fails to Keep Three Rock Interesting
However, having witnessed Season 3 play out, they failed the challenge.
Manny Perez ends up at Three Rock in some contrived sequence of events that I can’t quite rationalize.
Fire Country takes one of its most sober-headed characters and pushes him into an inmate firefighter camp without due process.
This decision felt forced and was made to keep the show’s promise, which was quickly losing appeal after two seasons and was a season too late.
I’m one of those people who thinks something is a bad idea the moment it’s expressed, but I’m willing to let people make mistakes because it could be the best thing.
Overlooking Three Rock’s shoehorning into the narrative was quite easy, but now that the whole effect is being felt, it just is not working.
What Is It About Three Rock that Makes Everyone Whine?
Manny did not think he would have to deal with his freedom being taken from him for the second time in his life.
He got a better deal than most people who go through the justice system, but still.
As reality settles with every passing day, Manny becomes angry and contemptuous. He lashes out at other inmates and everyone who knows him because he doesn’t feel he deserves this.
Only a few months ago, he ordered the same people he’s sharing a dorm with.
The Manny, who was the voice of reason and kept Bode from succumbing to his worst instincts, becomes a buzzkill whenever he’s in a scene.
As time passes, he feels it’s his responsibility to keep everyone in line, forgetting that he’s not the captain anymore.
His grandstanding becomes too much; Fire Country has space for one such character: Bode.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Each show reaches a point where it must admit that one idea has run out of gas. If that idea was important to the narrative, it might be game over for the show.
Fire Country is still far from becoming stale, but Three Rock went stale a season ago.
It’s time to get Manny back to society and give Three Rock a befitting send-off.
Otherwise, who will be pushed there next? Jake? Vince? Bode again?
Over to you, Fire Country Fanatics.
What do you think of Manny’s story this season? Has Three Rock overstayed its welcome?
Chime in in the comments section.
