The Fire Country season 2 premiere is explosive and full of even more soapy goodness

Kevin Alejandro teased that Fire Country season 2 would "come out of the gate really hard" and that is very apparent in the premiere, "Something's Coming." The season opener drops us back into the lives of Edgewater's firefighters six months after the parole hearing that saw Bode put back in prison. If you feel disoriented, so do the characters. There have been promotions, dynamics have shifted, and they're all trying to navigate work, love, and life the best they can with the cards they've been dealt.

This review is about to get super spoilery so if you haven't watched the episode yet, please bookmark this article and come back!

The premiere has an "allow me to re-introduce myself" swag to it that not only reminds viewers of why Fire Country became the most watched new series of 2022 and quickly dominated the television landscape but also showcases that it's not about to let up.

From the jump, we learn that both Eve and Jake have been promoted to captain. Manny's demotion has him working at Station 42 under Jake's direction, and Eve is in charge of Three Rock Fire Camp. Genevieve knows that Cara is her biological mother, and she's living with both her and Jake. By the middle we find out Gabriela's in a relationship with Diego, and Sharon not only has a new kidney, but she's been off for months dealing with a campaign fire. And that's not even touching on Bode's storyline or what happens by the end of the premiere!

"Something's Coming" is a roller-coaster. There's no other way to describe it. The episode is full of the kind of soapy goodness that'll have you hanging on the edge of your seat. The updates on the characters' lives set in motion a season that's being promoted as being about redemption but Alejandro also put forward the word 'healing.' Everyone in this show is striving for an equilibrium that helps them grow as well as show up for the people they love and that can often mean prioritizing yourself or being okay with no longer being someone else's support.

The latter is true of both Sharon and Gabriela. Two of Bode's biggest champions have chosen to put their own needs first instead of being there for him. While that can be aggravating for viewers used to them proudly being his loudest supporters, it also speaks to their desire to decentralize him in their lives. It's a necessary change and one worth digging into as an audience.

This is not to say it's not hard seeing Sharon appear indifferent to her son's personal safety after an earthquake or that I particularly like that Gabriela has been put in another romance. But I do think their stories shouldn't be dismissed because they don't service Bode and are about these two women choosing their own happiness and what that looks like for them. Obviously, as they work through their own thoughts and feelings on his situation, especially since he's back at Three Rock Fire Camp by the end, we'll be delving into how they want to navigate a more sustainable relationship with him that doesn't de-prioritize themselves.

Speaking of Bode, over the course of this hiatus, I've mentioned that I didn't want his decision to take the fall for a crime that he didn't commit to be completely resolved in the season 2 premiere. I didn't get my wish, and I do think the show could have spent more time with him in prison, but I'm also aware that they're working with a significantly shorter episode count which likely factored into the decision to rush that plot.

The ceiling falling on Sleeper, and Bode using his life hanging in the balance as leverage to blackmail him into telling the truth is about as soapy as it gets. But, as a big fan of soap operas, I do think it was excellently executed. It was the right kind of dramatic with hefty stakes for Sleeper's character whilst also giving Bode a moment to try to bond father-to-father since he just learned Genevieve might be his daughter. I'll be honest, I did eat the scene up with a spoon.

Aside from Bode doing his best to respect that Gabriela is now engaged, I'm most intrigued by how he's going to deal with Jake's role as a father figure in his maybe daughter's life. His best friend has had months to bond with the preteen and she's close to him. As someone who is incarcerated, Bode can't develop the relationship with her that he'd like and he's not going to be there for the day-to-day. Jake's going to be occupying a role that he would like to but can't. That's going to cause problems.

What's great about "Something's Coming" is that it feels explosive, there's so much rushing toward us. There's a lot to mine and delve into even though there isn't an unraveling of sorts that needs to happen like it did in season 1. Fire Country's freshman season opened with the slow reveal of what happened to Riley and how it impacted the Leones and everyone who loved her.

Sure, we still need to find out if Bode actually is a father, but there's so much going on in the story beyond that. There's the tension between Eve and Manny because she's now running the camp in a position that was once his. Sharon and Vince are at odds when it comes to their son, and Sharon doesn't even want to be Division Chief anymore. Jake now has a family that he's trying to balance with his new responsibilities as captain. Gabriela is working toward earning her paramedic certification, is planning a life with Diego, and it's been suggested that she might move stations. And Cara keeps striking out with her daughter and is learning how to be a mom. It's a lot!

If the writers can pack all of this into a season premiere then you can bet your bottom dollar that there is nothing but good storytelling in our future. We may not always like the direction plots take, but they will always take us on a journey, and that's what we want from good TV.