Fire Country season 2 episode 8 recap: Is Three Rock really closing?

Fire Country fam! I'm back with a recap of season 2 episode 8, "It's Not Over," and it's a classy one seeing as how everyone's dressed up for the Firefighters' Ball. But it's also a very tense episode with high stakes not just for Three Rock but also Vince Leone since he and Gabriela are the only ones who know that he's having health issues.

Let me back up. In episode 7, "A Hail Mary," Vince was shocked when the power lines came back on while he was reaching for an axe by the wheel of the truck Gabriela and her patient had just exited with the help of Jake, Bode, and her father, Manny. The force of the electricity running through Vince nearly killed him, but he made a recovery. Though not a full one as Gabriela noticed when she stopped by his hospital room to visit him. That's a major plot point in this episode, so let's dive into everything that happened!

Was Three Rock saved on Fire Country?

As I said, "It's Not Over," takes place during the annual Firefighter's Ball. Eve had the brilliant idea to have the Three Rock crew work the event by serving food to the guests which gave them the opportunity to push their petition in the hopes they could save the camp. The governor being in attendance was an added benefit so that they could make an appeal to her when she arrived.

What they were not aware of until later in the episode was that while it was the governor's decision to close Three Rock, she'd done so after hearing Luke's compelling argument. In a bid to save the con camp program overall, he posited that they only close Three Rock which had been deemed a problem. That way the whole program wasn't jettisoned over issues at one camp. Once Manny became aware of this the gloves were off and the two got into a physical fight while the ball's guests looked on including both of their families.

During the impromptu bout, a curtain caught fire which broke up the fight as Vince, Bode, Cole, and other inmate firefighters flew into action and handled the situation. Without their quick acting, one of the guests could have suffered major injuries as the arm of his jacket had caught fire. The governor was impressed. So much show that after she did a photo op with the crew, and Bode gave one of his impassioned speeches, she decided to reverse the closing order.

This was also because, throughout the episode, there'd been repeated reference to the Lazarus fire that was out of control and wasn't contained. With more acres being lost, Three Rock's firefighters were needed and they were sent to the campaign fire. Station 42 hasn't been called up yet but they will be by season 2 episode 9, "No Future, No Consequences."

What's wrong with Vince?

When I say Vince was aggravating this episode I mean it! But I also understand where he was coming from though my girl, Gabriela, definitely deserved better. She spent the majority of "It's Not Over" keeping up with her chief because he wouldn't be honest about what's going on with him. Though she tried to get him to say something about his tremors and to tell her about any other symptoms he might have he brushed her off. But his condition was worsening.

At the top of the episode, Vince was struggling to put his cufflinks on and let Sharon think he was dragging his feet about getting ready to go to the ball because he hates dressing up. He told her that he'd meet her at the event but he wound up laying out on the couch watching the baseball game. Unfortunately, that's not how Gabriela found him when she told Sharon she'd go check on him when he still wasn't at the ball.

When she entered the Leone residence, he was incapacitated and experiencing arrhythmia which she thought might be caused by electricity around his heart due to his previous shock. Vince didn't want her to call in his emergency incident because it could mean the end of his career. He wanted her to use the defibrillator. She didn't want to but when he fell unconscious and then flatlined she had no choice. It worked and he was stabilized.

In a touching moment that soured quickly, Gabriela expressed that she sees Vince as a second father and she can't hold onto this secret. She didn't want to use the defibrillator because if anything had happened to him, she wouldn't have been able to look Bode in the eye. That's also why she wants him to tell his family what's going on with him. Vince reciprocated Gabriela's sentiment and shared that he sees her as a second daughter, however, as his medical care provider she's now bound to patient privacy and if she said something about the incident it would violate that.

Yes, that's right, Vince threatened her! It was absolutely not acceptable which Gabriela told him in the car. He apologized and then opened up about why he's hiding his condition. Bode's got a little over a year left on his sentence and all Vince wants is to fight fires with his son. He knows that Gabriela understands what it's like to wait for Bode. We'll have to see if Vince's symptoms are done with but Gabriela was concerned that he has nerve damage. That might come up again during the campaign fire especially since Vince almost told Sharon what happened while at the ball but then chose not to.

Why are Gabriela and her mother, Roberta, estranged?

Roberta made a surprise appearance at the Firefighters' Ball and it was not well received. She pretty much expected that but Diego invited her so she accepted the invitation. He explained to Gabriela that he thought it might be better for her to come face-to-face with her mother before the wedding but it was the wrong call. She saw waiting until the wedding as an opportunity to prepare for her mom's arrival rather than be ambushed.

I'll tell you what, Roberta is a woman who gets what she wants and says what she pleases, that's for sure. After Gabriela flew the coop, first to handle coordinating supplies for the campaign fire and then to go get Vince, her mother spent her time getting details about her daughter's life from the people in it. They were all unsuspecting and thrown off guard except for Manny who knows how Roberta is.

The two had a needed hashing out of their issues away from the gathering. Though I will admit I was a bit confused. In an earlier season 2 episode, Manny told Gabriela that her mom didn't abandon them, she'd left him but she hadn't walked away from her daughter. He said that he let Gabriela think that her mom walked out. But, from the sound of their fight, Manny does hold resentment over Roberta's inability to be a present parent. It led to him refusing money whenever she tried to financially assist, and he angrily expressed that he was the one there for Gabriela when it most counted.

Roberta's outburst had to do with her not being able to be a parent like him. They'd been young, and she didn't have it in her to be what their daughter needed. The moment led to a cooling of heads but a steaming up of feelings as the two locked lips passionately once they admitted they missed one another. Could a rekindling occur? It's tough to know at this point but it's possible given the chemistry between the pair.

Circling back to Gabriela and Roberta, the two did get a chance to talk once things wound down. Roberta made a point of telling her daughter that her absence in her life had nothing to do with her. It was because she was too critical of a parent and couldn't be the person that Gabriela needed. That was always her problem and not Gabriela's. She regrets not getting to know her the way she should have. Hopefully, this confession leads to healing for the two as Gabriela did seem receptive to it.

But Roberta wouldn't be Roberta without sticking her nose in and she wanted to make sure that Gabriela doesn't make a mistake she'll have to live with for a long time. What mistake would that be? Marrying Diego when her heart is still with Bode. After talking with both of Gabriela's exes and her fiancé, Roberta found that Bode is the person who knows her best.

She became aware of this during their conversation when he was open about how he'd pushed Gabriela away not knowing that he'd reopened a wound that her mom had left. Though he loves her, all he wants is for her to be happy and if that means him keeping his mouth shut about his feelings and keeping his distance then that's what he'll do. Bode was bold enough to tell Roberta he thinks she should do the same. She could see why her daughter fell for him, and it's implied she believes she's not over him. As Roberta told Bode, "It's not over until it's over."

What else happened in the episode?

Unfortunately, there was still tension between Bode and Jake in "It's Not Over," but that's because the former is still feeling burned over his best friend assuming custody of Genevieve. Jake, however, is trying to take the high road. He's got a child to think of after all, and it's going to take a village to raise her. Bode is going to be in her life even if it's not as her adoptive father, as he learned later on when Gen asked if they could still have their visit at Three Rock.

I have to give a shout out to the writing for Jake. I love how patient of a dad he is. Jake is parenting Genevieve the best way he knows how which is being honest with her because she needs that. It's why he opened up about missing Cara when she pressed and why he shared with her about the tension between him in Bode. How he tells her is always appropriate for her age and careful of her feelings. Like Jake told his best friend, he knows her and that's abundantly clear.

Aside from that plot, we did get some exciting seeding as the members of Station 42 helped with routing supplies for the campaign fire. Sharon looks primed to step back into the role of Division Chief and was running circles around Luke when it came to what to do. Now, after the decision he made about Three Rock, though he did have a point that Sharon was only upset because Bode's at the camp and she may have taken the same action he did if Bode weren't, I wouldn't be surprised if she makes a play for her old job.

That's it for this week's recap, y'all! See you in the next one. Stay tuned to Hidden Remote!