Fire Country's New Chief Puts Pressure On Station 42 — Will Bode's Recovery Suffer? Read Recap

New battalion chief Brett Richards is forcing Station 42 to follow the rules, but fighting fire isn't so black and white for some.

This week on "Fire Country," Brett puts the crew to the test, quizzing them on what Jake calls "the probie basics." He lectures the team on the importance of adhering to the guidelines of firefighting, without exception. Brett believes Station 42 has what it takes to fight fire aggressively, but they fail to provide for safety first while doing so. He blames Vince's death on the team's reckless approach to firefighting, and reveals he lost his own mentor years ago the very same way.

We get some more background on Brett: He's been in the fire service for 30 years, he has a degree in fire science and another in psychology, and he's previously been sent to 10 Cal Fire stations in order to improve their functioning and safety. (In other words, he's like Gordon Ramsay on "Kitchen Nightmares," or Tabatha Coffey on "Tabatha's Salon Takeover.")

All of Brett's hypotheses about the team are put to the test when Station 42 responds to a forest fire. Though Bode searches for structures that might be in danger on the way to the scene, he finds nothing of note. Upon arrival, however, the crew learns that Zabel Ridge fire survivors who lost their homes have built a community out in the forest. They aren't right in the fire's path, but close enough that they could be in danger, so Brett orders an evacuation.

But when Bode recognizes Janice, a local barista living in the encampment, he decides to give the people some extra time to gather their things before leaving, effectively ignoring Brett's orders. The people there had already lost almost everything, and Bode doesn't have the heart to watch them lose even more. 

That call comes back to bite him, though, after the blaze intensifies, spreading to the encampment and complicating the delayed evacuation. Eventually, Janice's car becomes engulfed in flames after a spilled can of gasoline catches fire. Though she makes it out of the vehicle safely, her beloved dog is left locked in the trunk. Jake tells Bode to stand down, but Bode insists on rescuing the canine. To the dismay of Sharon and Brett, Bode once again makes the wrong call. In the end, he saves the dog and himself, so he considers the rescue a win. 

Amid all the changes from Richards, Bode is fighting for more than his job — he's fighting for his life. 

We learn that the bag of pills is following Bode around wherever he goes, and he's still thinking about using again. At the top of the episode, he goes on a jog, but stops along the path as his mind races with memories of recent events: lying to Audrey that he flushed the pills, standing outside as the Zabel Ridge fire takes his father's life and Jake's comments at the funeral about stepping into Vince's role. It all makes him reach into his backpack where the pills are stashed, and he contemplates taking one. He only stops his downward spiral when Brett comes up behind him, offering to hike back to 42 together. 

Things only get worse when, after the tense fire rescue, Brett explicitly blames Bode for his father's death, saying his failure to follow the rules is deadly. Reeling from anger and grief, Bode turns to Sharon for support, but she says she agrees with the new battalion chief. She, too, is disappointed with how the team responded that day, and believes they made bad calls. She is on Brett's side now, for the sake of 42's safety. 

All of this is enough to push Bode over the edge, and he goes into the locker room to take one of those pills. Once he swallows it, he rushes to the bathroom to try to undo what's he's just done. He makes himself vomit, and the pill comes back up. He washes it down the drain, but the rest of the bag is still in his possession.

Will Brett's new style of leadership cause Bode to crumble under the pressure? Hit the comments with your thoughts!