Spoilers ahead for the mid-season finale of Fire Country, “Who Owns the Dirt.” You can stream it now with a Paramount+ subscription.
Fire Country has been bringing the heat for Season 4. Following Vince’s shocking death and Gabriela’s departure, the show has kept fans on the edge of their seats for numerous reasons. Not surprisingly, the mid-season finale was no different and certainly raised the stakes. So, when the series comes back in February on the 2026 TV schedule, there is going to be a lot to be worried about, and we broke it down with showrunner Tia Napolitano.
Why We Should ‘Be Worried’ For Tyler, Bode, Jake And Malcolm
Throughout the episode, “Who Owns the Dirt,” Cal Fire, including 42, the newly-reopened Three Rock, and neighboring Drake County tried to contain a raging wildfire, and it didn’t let up by the end.
The mid-season finale ended on a major cliffhanger that saw Jake and his half-brother, Malcolm, a Drake Country firefighter whom he officially met while they were both on lookout, in a firetruck that crashed and flipped. Meanwhile, Bode was caught in the middle of the fire looking for Tyler, the son of his high school crush Chloe, who stowed away in Manny’s truck and ultimately left the vehicle to deliver batteries after hearing it over the radio. Bode found Tyler in time; however, they are both now stuck in the fire.
So, during an interview with CinemaBlend’s Riley Utley, showrunner Tia Napolitano got real about how worried fans should be about it all:
Be worried. We’re a fire show. What did we teach everybody at the beginning of this season? It’s part of the fun of a fire show, and in a much less way, a really authentic portrayal of like being a firefighter is being willing to risk your life in pursuit of saving others. That’s just what it is. So we’re trying to show the actual stakes of this job on this show.
Fire Country is not afraid of risks, and there have been plenty of times where characters have been in the eyes of danger. And as Vince’s death proved, the drama isn’t afraid to show just how dangerous these situations can be.
Breaking Down How The Truck Flip Could Impact Jake And His Brother
Speaking of not being able to tell how things will work out, Jake has been trying to get in contact with his brother, Malcolm, for a few episodes now. He even went so far as to go to his house, only to be stopped by Malcolm’s sister, who wanted Jake to forget all about them.
Jake does eventually meet Malcolm when they are both tasked with being on lookout during the red flag warning, but things are tense between them. Then, amid all that, the truck they were driving in flipped and crashed, leaving them both in danger. Now, depending on the outcome, this crash could either break that tension or make things worse, as the showrunner said:
I think you know, these two brothers just connected face-to-face for the first time in their entire lives. It wasn’t a sweet introduction. You know, you get a smile from them before we throw them in a truck and throw them down a ravine. But they’re going through something very traumatic together, so now they have that. And is that going to bond them if they make it through or tear them apart? You know, we’ve yet to see, but it’s a very serious thing to happen between a new and tenuous relationship.
Things are already tense between them, and the truck flip could really go in either direction. That being said, it would be harsh to finally bring in Jake’s brother and then kill him off, so assuming that they both live through it, it sounds like this might be a test for Jake and Malcolm when it comes to their relationship.
Adding to that, I’m also curious to see how Malcolm’s sister will react, because I feel like that could have some surprising ramifications too.
Yeah, We Should Be Scared Of Landon
As far as surprising ramifications go, there’s another piece of the mid-season finale that should have fans a little worried, and that is Landon. Played by Josh McDermitt, Landon is the partner of Alona Tal’s Chloe (who brought a fun SEAL Team reunion to Fire Country) and a father figure to her son, Tyler. After it was revealed in last week’s episode that he’s been hurting Tyler when Chloe isn’t around, Tyler told Bode that he was the one who started the Zabel Ridge Fire that ultimately killed Vince.
With Chloe and Tyler staying with Sharon, Landon was as anxious as ever to get things back to normal. In fact, he was so up in arms about it that he went to the fire station and confronted Sharon, and it was just about the scariest thing I have ever seen on Fire Country. He’s a dangerous guy, even if it doesn’t even seem like it at first, and Napolitano shared that he will continue to be a true threat in the new year:
It’s a legitimate concern. He is very scary. That actor is wonderful. And I think, you know, some of the scariest people also have that facade, that sweet, nice guy, nice girl persona, that makes them even scarier, because what do they do in private? But he will be around. He will cause some serious drama and be a threat that’s out there.
Fans know what Landon is capable of, and if he truly did set the Zabel Ridge Fire, then that’s another thing to be worried about.
There will be a lot to worry about in 2026 when it comes to Fire Country, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise. This show has been unpredictable since the start, and that isn’t going away four seasons in. The wait for the mid-season premiere on February 27 is going to be excruciating, but if anything, fans have a bit of a break to breath after that roller coaster of a first half.
