Here's How Jelly Roll Saved the Day on 'Fire Country'

Season 3, Episode 17 of Fire Country, “Fire and Ice,” is a packed episode with many exciting moments and interesting developments. It features the acting debut of singer-songwriter Jason “Jelly Roll” DeFord, whose brand new single, “Dreams Don’t Die,” soundtracks during the episode, providing the emotional soundtrack for a montage sequence. He plays Noah, a medical professional who helps Vince (Billy Burke) make a breakthrough in his relationship with his ailing father, Walter (Jeff Fahey). But that’s just one of many things that happen in “Fire and Ice.” Let’s break it down storyline by storyline.

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The fight against Oxalta

The episode starts at Smokey’s, where everyone is celebrating Manny’s (Kevin Alejandro) release from incarceration thanks to Sharon’s (Diane Farr) deal with Oxalta, the chemical company that poisoned Three Rock’s water supply. Manny is happy to be home. But the terms of his release, which involved signing an NDA preventing him from telling the truth about what happened at Three Rock, aren’t sitting right with him. Bode (Max Thieriot) feels similarly, just with more anger at Sharon for making a deal that silences Manny and lets Oxalta get away with it.

So they’re interested when Renée (Constance Zimmer), Vince’s high school ex-girlfriend who grew up to be a crusading lawyer who takes on big corporations, shows up at the bar and tells Manny and Bode she’s trying to build a class action lawsuit against Oxalta. The company has poisoned water supplies in many towns and will do it again after Edgewater unless someone stops them. The boys are noncommittal, concerned about the NDA and not sure if they can trust Renée, but they take her business card.

(When Zimmer, a recognizable actress from Entourage and UnREAL, showed up in an episode earlier this season, it was surprising that she had such a small role. It turns out Fire Country was just introducing the character before her real storyline started.) 

Later, Manny talks to Renée by himself. He tells her that he won’t join the suit, but she can tell that he wants to. And she talks him into joining the cause with a little bit of telling him he’ll make a difference in stopping Oxalta, a little bit of giving him permission to speak his truth, and a little bit of reverse psychology making him think she didn’t need his help.

Chairlift disaster

There’s tension at the firehouse, as Bode and Sharon are taking out their anger at each other in unprofessional ways, including a screaming fight in front of everyone when Bode pushes her to talk to Renée about joining the suit. Jake (Jordan Calloway), who has his own resentments against the Leone parents because he feels they’re stifling upward momentum in his career, gets involved. He tells Sharon to stop yelling at his probie, which is way out of line. Sharon, as the division chief, is both of their bosses. 

When they get called for a rescue at a ski resort — a ski lift cable snapped, sending riders to the ground. Jake, Bode, Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila), and Audrey (Leven Rambin) save a man who fell. Then, a fire breaks out in the building that houses the lift’s motor. Bode comes up with a plan to put the fire out using the resort’s snow cannons, but Sharon orders them to not do it. Jake disobeys, and takes Bode and Audrey with him to put out the fire. It works, but Sharon is furious. Back at the station, she suspends Jake for a week for disobeying a direct order. But he gets the last word.

“Did you say no because it was a bad plan, or because Bode suggested it?” he needles. 

At the end of the day, Bode and Sharon apologize to each other for being nasty, and Bode tells her he understands why she made the deal she did. “You did what you thought was right even though you knew other people would disagree,” he says. “You can forget about Renée.”

But he’s lying! He’s going to talk to Renée. He and Manny meet with her in secret, and agree to help her put together her suit and get information from the Three Rock guys. Bode’s going to ask for forgiveness, not permission. Bode’s gonna Bode. 

Related: ‘Fire Country’ Renewed for Season 4 on CBS

Vince gets help from Jelly Roll 

Vince has not gone to visit his father since moving him into a memory care facility. He just doesn’t have the stomach to face Walter’s anger. And when he finally does go, he almost backs out as soon as he goes through the doors. But then Noah, an orderly at the facility who has befriended Walter, insists that Walter and Vince reunite.  

At first, Walter is happy to see Vince — because he thinks he’s Luke (Michael Trucco), Vince’s brother, who moved to Japan. Walter realizes Vince isn’t Luke, but doesn’t recognize who he actually is, which makes him confused and upset. Vince leaves, and while he’s sitting in his truck in the parking lot feeling sorry for himself, Noah comes to try to change his perspective.

He tells Vince that his mother had dementia. She died while he was in prison. And the pain of seeing her through prison glass, not recognizing the man he’d become, made him vow to be the good boy she raised when he got out. Vince tells him they have more than one thing in common there. Noah says the best thing for Walter is just to know that someone cares about him, and that doing something nostalgic could help him remember. He persuades Vince to go back inside and cook Sunday sauce with Walter, like Vince’s mother used to make. 

At first, Walter is resistant and standoffish. But eventually he calms down. And as they work together in the kitchen and Walter tastes the old recipe, he softens. He tells Vince that his mother loved him so much. “She’d be proud of you, son,” Walter says. After that, everything’s gravy — or Sunday sauce, or whatever you want to call it. 

Gabriela gets the ick

Gabriela has been seeing where things go with Finn (Blake Lee), a photographer she met during a rescue call earlier in the season. She thought it was weird when he bought her a phone the other day. But he’s cute and nice and is really into her, so she’s excited. He’s doing a ride-along with Station 42 to take photos for a recruitment brochure, and he takes some great photos of Gabs during the ski lift adventure. 

At the end of the day when he’s showing her the photos, they kiss for the first time. It’s very romantic. But then he ruins it by saying “Should we just skip straight to the wedding?” Coming on too strong, Finn! 

Later, Gabriela is processing with Audrey, and she says how put off she was by Finn saying that. After the intensity of Bode and Diego, Gabriela truly is just looking for something casual right now, and Finn is not on the same page. So it’s not going to work out. Just then, he starts absolutely blowing up her phone, barraging her with texts accusing her of using him to get photos and other rude, crazy stuff. Turns out Finn isn’t so cute and nice after all. This probably isn’t the last we’ll see of Finn. Gabs may be done with him, but he’s not done with her. 

Fire Country airs Fridays at 9/8c on CBS. Episodes stream the next day on Paramount+.

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