At the end of Episode 8 of “Fire Country,” the car hanging on Ledgewood Bridge drops down to the river, taking Bode along with it. If Bode dies, it will be tough for the Leone Family and Cal Fire to come out of the shock. Episode 9 shows if Vince and Manny’s teams can find Bode or not. Either way, Cal Fire will have a lot to answer for after the situation is over. For the time being, a way needs to be found to confirm Bode’s whereabouts.
Spoilers Ahead
Cal Fire Under Scrutiny
It has been a week since the Ledgewood Bridge incident. Officer Erika Snow has been sent to investigate the event and interrogate the officers and firefighters to find out what they have to say on the matter and then decide on the course of action. One by one, she speaks to Vince, Manny, Sharon, Eve, Jake, and even Freddy. A life was indeed lost, and people need answers regarding which Cal Fire member is responsible.
Probie Over The Bridge
Panic hits Cal Fire when Bode falls into the river. While Jake calls for rescue services, Gabriela realizes that it will be too late by the time they arrive. She takes off her gear and, before anybody can stop her, jumps off the bridge and into the cold waters of Edgewater. While the firefighters have no idea what to do, Gabriela frantically searches for Bode downriver. As cold as the water is, she knows she has to find Bode, dead or alive. She finds Bode’s overshirt, and then, a few tiring minutes later, she pulls Bode up and out of the river. She gives him mouth-to-mouth, and he throws up some water before regaining consciousness. While Gabriela feels that they should wait for Cal Fire to find them, Bode believes that they need to get out of the woods before it gets dark. They are already freezing, and the temperature will only decrease once the night falls. Once they reach a road, they can stop a car and ask to call 911. After walking for a while, Bode and Gabriela hear a woman screaming. They then find the woman, Meg, whose car led to the accident on Ledgewood Bridge. She was fleeing the scene, hiking in her heels, when she broke her leg. There are scratches and cuts all over her. They decide to help her.
Back on the bridge, the rescue is back, but they have only recovered Bode’s overshirt. The head of the rescue team tells Sharon and Vince that if Bode and Gabriela made it out of the freezing river, they must be injured, shivering, wet, and lost. These make them vulnerable to hypothermia and disorientation. Sharon is adamant and wants to continue the search. Manny approaches and tells them that they need more manpower and calls for volunteers from the fire department as well as K-9 units.
Fire For Help
The night is falling. Gabriela ties Meg’s left leg with a splint made from sticks and asks Bode to get help. Bode refuses, saying that he isn’t leaving them on their own. This is when Meg asks them if they are a couple. Gabriela and Bode look at each other for a brief moment before Bode tells Meg that they are just friends. Gabriela tells her that they are more like coworkers. After an awkward moment or two, both pull Meg up, and all three start heading towards the road.
Vince, Manny, and Jake, along with the other firefighters and volunteers, are looking for Bode and Gabriela in the woods, hoping that both somehow made it out of the river alive. Moments later, Eve arrives with the Three Rock Camp folks, including Rebecca and Freddy, who are also bent on finding their friends. After some time, when the K-9 units pull out due to the approaching rain, Manny decides to light a fire in the forest so that Bode and Gabriela, if they are still alive, can see it and head toward it. Cal Fire already has a prescribed burn (controlled fire to restore the ecosystem’s health) the next day, so no one will doubt if the fire starts a day early. Vince is against it and tells Manny that neither he nor his crew can be a part of Manny’s plan. Manny decides to go ahead with his team, Three Rock.
A Missing Pulse
Bode, Gabriela, and Meg are slowly heading uphill when Meg feels the pain in her broken leg growing and wants to stop. They lie her down, and Gabriela checks the swollen-up leg. There is no pulse. This means that blood isn’t reaching there. If it is not paid attention to, Meg can lose her leg or even die. Whatever needs to be done has to be done as soon as possible.
The fire that Manny lit has gone out of control. Three Rock Camp is trying hard to cut it off, but without water, nothing will work. That’s when Vince arrives with his team and water hoses, and they start putting out the fire. While cutting the line, Rebecca tells Jake that she likes Bode, but she has competition from Gabriela, who clearly likes Bode as well. When Jake tells her that Gabriela is his girlfriend, Rebecca is taken aback and apologizes.
Gabriela uses an eyebrow razor to slice an opening in the swelling in Meg’s broken leg so that the blood is able to flow freely. The cut does bring some relief to Meg from the pain. Gabriela then checks the pulse. It is back. The very next moment, Bode smells smoke, and they see a fire about a mile uphill from their position. They know that Cal Fire will be there. This gives them renewed hope, and they resume walking. Soon, the sun rises, and they hear sirens nearby. Help is only a few minutes away when Gabriella collapses. Meg tells Bode to take Gabriela first, as she needs immediate help. Bode tells Meg that he is coming back for her. He then takes Gabriela in his arms and heads up toward the sirens.
‘Fire Country’ Episode 9: Ending Explained – Is Bode Able To Save Gabriela And Meg?
Sharon, Vince, and Manny are assessing the perimeter on a map when Sharon sees Bode approaching with an unconscious Gabriela in his arms. They all rush toward him. Bode tells them that Meg is alive. Vince sends Eve and another firefighter to get her. Bode explains how Meg is in much better shape, so he decided to bring Gabriela in first. Sometime later, Gabriela opens her eyes on a stretcher, and the first name that she utters is Bode. Jake was with her when she took Bode’s name, as was her father, Manny. Bode rushes towards her from a distance and checks on her as she is put in an ambulance and leaves for the hospital. However, Meg succumbed to her injuries (internal bleeding).
Vince, Manny, Sharon, Eve, and Jake have all defended each other against Officer Erika, especially Freddy, who, contrary to Manny’s belief that he would blame him for the forest fire as revenge for the time Manny sent him back to camp during the Cross Creek Road fire (“Fire Country” Episode 5), stated that it was lightning that started the fire. In fact, this suggestion was given to Freddy by Erika herself. Naturally, she, too, wanted to prevent any kind of loss to Cal Fire, which she was a member of. Bode apologized to her for what happened to Meg. After speaking to them all, Erika comes to the conclusion that Bode will have to take the fall for the team. He already has charges against him (taking matters into his own hands by punching Jake), and his loss will be negligible to Cal Fire compared to that of anyone else. Vince tries to convince Erika to put the blame for Meg’s death on him and not Bode. Unfortunately, Erika has made up her mind. Vince asks her to let him talk to Meg’s parents. He speaks to them, telling them about Riley’s death and that Bode did what he could to save Meg, so they would only be blaming Bode for something he didn’t do. Sending Bode to prison will only risk someone else losing their kid because Bode is a great firefighter. Meg’s mother, as emotionally broken as she is, tells Vince that she will talk to their lawyer and drop the charges.
Gabriela is better and comes to meet Jake. She is mentally horrified by Meg’s death but doing well physically. Jake realizes that it is time for them to talk about her and Bode. As “Fire Country” Season 1 is about to come to an end (one episode remaining), it seems that things are slowly starting to see an end to themselves. Jake and Gabriela will probably call it off. Bode, too, will complete his time in prison and return home, thereby bringing the Leone family together after a very long time. Freddy has mentioned his false accusation to Erika, who will probably look into the matter alongside Rebecca, who has already decided to help him. So we can expect Freddy to be out of prison soon. Manny has already been saved by Freddy. From the way Eve spoke to Erika, it seems that they have an equation that we do not yet know. Maybe it will be explored in the season finale, along with propelling a new beginning for Cal Fire. Yes, it is official. “Fire Country” Season 2 is happening.
